The Shame Is Over
A Personal History
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Pub Date Aug 25 2026 | Archive Date Aug 11 2026
Astra Publishing House | Astra House
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Description
For fans of Tove Ditlevsen, Alba De Cespedes and Annie Ernaux, The Shame Is Over is a cult classic of feminist literature; Anja’s struggle for liberation and equality still resonates loud and clear today, fifty years after the book’s first publication.
Anja’s teenage life is troubled by her marriage to Toni, an Austrian man she met on holidays with her parents, and with whom she has a son, Armin. At nineteen, seeking freedom from abuse and rejecting traditional domestic roles, she leaves her marriage and begins the fight for her own path. Her next decade is shaped by the sexual liberation of the 1970s, as she discovers herself through a series of increasingly dramatic relationships with men, married men, and women all over Europe, all alongside the challenges of single motherhood, and an ever-deepening commitment to feminist and political causes. As her emotional and political consciousness grow, Meulenbelt finds both purpose and community in activism - and begins to redesign what it means to live as an autonomous woman.
First published in 1976, THE SHAME IS OVER blends a raw account of Meulenbelt’s evolution as a mother, lover and political thinker with an incisive portrayal of the struggles women face in their pursuit of autonomy and equality. Meulenbelt doesn’t shy away from the internal tensions of the feminist movement – its contradictions, divisions, and emotional costs. In a haunting final passage, she imagines a dialogue with her younger, insecure self, offering a powerful metaphor for the liberation she seeks not only for herself, but for all women.
A Note From the Publisher
FEMINISM AT ITS CORE: The feminist movement is layered and complex, Meulenbelt’s life is a discovery journey of what it means to be a woman, and what it means to discover this movement on one’s skin.
RAW AND DIRECT PROSE: Extremely vivid and lively language, sometimes so direct one feels like looking away, she certainly shakes the prude out of every reader.
POLITICAL IN THE BEST WAY: Here is a woman who stands her ground, admits her weaknesses and inconsistencies, her honesty is moving and her political activism inspiring.
Advance Praise
“In this incredible memoir, Anja Meulenbelt joins Virginia Woolf in killing the Angel in the House, redefining feminism with each axe blow. For what good is so-called feminist literature if women do not tell the whole truth? If we pretend to be anything other than who we are?”
—Molly Roden Winter, author of the New York Times Bestseller MORE: A Memoir of an Open Marriage
“The Shame Is Over is an electrifying reminder—raw, vivid, alive to the touch—of the earliest days of Second Wave feminism. As an historical document, it stands with the best.” —Vivian Gornick, author of Fierce Attachments and The Odd Woman and the City
“The Shame is Over crackles from beginning to end with complex, vivid life. Writing about her own place at the forefront of the tightly knit but fractured world of socialist and feminist activism in 1970s Europe, Meulenbelt’s narrative voice lays bare her heart and soul, propulsive and fresh, holding nothing back. This book feels as urgent and timely now as it must have felt 50 years ago." —Kate Christensen, PEN/Faulkner award-winning author of The Great Man and Good Company
Marketing Plan
Early excerpt in a major media outlet • Pitch author interviews and profiles • National media campaign, including outlets focused on important international literature, women’s issues and feminism, reissues of contemporary classics, and more • Feminist influencer and book club outreach • Academic outreach to women’s studies and translation departments • Bookseller and librarian outreach • Digital readers guide available for download • Social media and email marketing campaigns
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781662603723 |
| PRICE | $22.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 304 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 2 members
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1903351
Anja Meulenbelt's pioneering memoir, The Shame is Over, remains a raw and radical milestone of feminist literature that beautifully bridges the gap between personal trauma and political awakening. Originally published in 1976 and recently reissued, this confessional work details Meulenbelt's grueling journey from a teenage pregnancy and an abusive marriage to single motherhood, left-wing activism, and sexual liberation. The narrative's immense power lies in its unvarnished subjectivity; instead of presenting a detached political manifesto, Meulenbelt frames the female body, economic class, and domestic isolation as deeply political battlegrounds. Her prose is remarkably direct and unsparing, especially as she navigates the internal contradictions and emotional costs within the 1970s feminist movement itself. Decades after its first release, this memoir reads less like a historical artifact and more like an urgent, necessary dispatch on bodily autonomy, making it essential reading for anyone exploring the roots of modern liberation struggles.
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