Highlights the lives and work of fifty second wave feminists, women who have served as catalysts in the developing feminist movement.
The history of the second wave of feminism in the United States demonstrates the potential for both serious social change and seemingly intractable divisions among women. Race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and religion have all been dividing influences among women, shaping their various perspectives on and relations to the women's movement. Yet collectively, women's efforts—identified as second wave feminism—are seen as having made a difference. This book highlights the lives and work of fifty second wave feminists, women who have served as catalysts in the developing feminist movement. A diverse group—playwrights and politicians, grassroots organizers and scientists, poets and theologians—they provide the reader with compelling stories of individual women's lives, collective feminist struggles, and the possibilities of feminist social change.
Each woman's story provides inspiration to those interested in the power of one, and collectively, the stories show the range of motivations, activities, and accomplishments of feminist thinkers and activists today. Each entry contains three parts: a biographical portrait of the individual, including information about education, family life, and early activism; an analytical discussion, highlighting the person's accomplishments and her relationship to U.S. feminism; and a bibliographical section containing a selective list of the subject's publications and writings about her and her work.
Preface
Introduction
Bella Abzug by Mary Ertel
Paula Gunn Allen by Gonul Pultar
Gloria Anzaldúa by Judith Richards
Frances Beale by Marina Karides and Joya Misra
Rita Mae Brown by Julie A. Davies
Charlotte Bunch by Viki Soady
Pat Califia by Lisa Sigel
Judy Chicago by Beatriz Badikian-Gartler
Shirley Chisholm by Frederick J. Simonelli
Esther Ngan-Ling Chow by Linda Wong
Pearl Cleage by Linda Rohrer Paige
Kate Clinton by Annmarie Pinarski
Mary Daly by Margaret R. LaWare
Angela Davis by Jennifer Oldham
Susan Faludi by Ann Mauger Colbert
Shulamith Firestone by Karen Garner
Jo Freeman by Jennifer Scanlon
Betty Friedan by Susan Butler
Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Gwenn Brown Nealis
bell hooks by Lara E. Dieckmann
Dolores Huerta by Nerea A. Lamas
June Jordan by Nikki Senecal
Evelyn Fox Keller by Anne F. Eisenberg
Florynce Kennedy by Cheryl Rodriguez
Audre Lorde by Lara E. Dieckmann
Catharine MacKinnon by Eileen Bresnahan
Olga Madar by Amy Beth Aronson
Wilma Mankiller by Michaela Crawford Reaves
Del Martin by Danielle DeMuth
Kate Millet by Nancy McCampbell Grace
Cherríe Moraga by Grace Sikorski
Robin Morgan by Stacy Donohue
Pauli Murray by Uche Egemonye
Eleanor Holmes Norton by Tracy Wahl
Alice Paul by Amy Butler
Anna Quindlen by Carolyn Kitch
Rosemary Ruether by Beth Blissman
Adrienne Rich by Sioban Dillon
Faith Ringgold by Ann Lee Morgan
Joanna Russ by Jeanne Cortiel
Patricia Schroeder by John Nealis
Eleanor Smeal by Pat Murphy
Barbara Smith by Jaime M. Grant
Gloria Steinem by Ann Mauger Colbert
Margo St. James by Diane L. McKay
Alice Walker by Angela Cotten
Rebecca Walker by Jennifer Kohout
Michelle Wallace by Viki Soady
Sarah Weddington by Susan L. Patnode
Ellen Willis by Deborah J. Gepner Salvaggio
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Editor and Contributors
Reviews
Scanlon's unique source provides biographies that place in context the lives and contributions of second and third-wave feminists in the diverse contemporary movement....The comprehensive and accurate subject index provides additional access to the varied threads of feminism....The contributions and advisory board members have impressive feminist credentials. Excellent both as a reference source and an introduction to contemporary feminists; recommended for all undergraduate collections.—Choice
Those wishing to find a brief overview of the most influential contemporary U.S. feminists will not be disappointed.—American Reference Books Annual
