No Turning Back : The History of Feminism and the Future of Women

Rating:
Summary: Good intro to feminism book but not earthshattering
Review: I think this book would be a great present for any independent high school/college-aged woman in your life who is starting to wonder if "feminist" is a dirty word.

If you're unfamiliar with the history of the feminist movement in the U.S., or even what feminism means, this is a great book for you. Professor Freedman is an engaging writer who doesn't get bogged down in academic gibberish, nor does she insult your intelligence. Not surprisingly, Freedman teaches an "Intro to Feminism" course at Stanford, and therefore if you've taken such a class in the past 15 years, much of the material may seem quite familiar.

Her book takes readers on a whirlwind tour of feminism in the United States. She makes an effort to not fall victim to the first wave feminist tendency of assuming that all women in the U.S. are upper middle class, heterosexual, and white, yet touches only briefly on international feminism and the future of women outside of the United States. While this is understandable, as the book would otherwise be 1000 pages long, perhaps a title clarifying that it is focused on the U.S. would be helpful.

Rating:
Summary: A Brief History of U.S feminism
Review: I was quite excited to see this book, rather disappointed to read it, although it is a daunting task to undertake. Freedman naturally does not go much farther that the USA with occasional forays in to Europe for her discussions, so it really should be a history of US feminism, but that is expected (after all the US has a World Series for only USA teams!)A good preliminary discussion for those now approaching the debate, a good book to gain a panoramic view the issues of the last thirty years.If you are a well read and informed feminist, there is nothing new or exciting, and nothing in enough detail to make this a must for your shelf.