By LaKeshia N. Myers

Rep. LaKeshia Myers

Women make up fifty percent of the American population, yet their views have been ignored in the past. In my quest to read more this summer, I focused on books by female authors. The women’s liberation movement had a bevy of female authors whose works brought about change in both political and social circles. Here are five books by female authors that I thought were worth reading.

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystery. New York: Norton, 1963.

The last sentence of the first chapter of Betty Friedan’s book The Woman Delusion reads, “We can no longer ignore the voice inside woman that says, ‘I want more than my husband, my children, and my home.'” Many women of that era heard this statement around the world. Friedan’s work speaks to the linear treatment of women in postwar America. They were mostly confined to the home and viewed as less than if they were not married or did not have children. As a collective, they had no identity—marketing to women revolved exclusively around appliances and household products. On television, they were portrayed as “happy housewives,” and any deviation from that was anti-establishment.

Friedan’s book was seen as a catalyst for the second wave of feminism. In her book, she challenged the idea that women and their worth had to be tied to a man. As discussed in American Reckoning, the role of women during this period was shaped by American exceptionalism and the longing for home that arose after GIs returned from the war. After the war, Americans focused on raising families, creating suburbs, and expanding the housing market for returning soldiers. This, like most policies, was based on the country’s economic needs.

Overall, I think Friedan’s work is very important in understanding the feminist awakening of the 1970s. It was a work that came at exactly the right time, in a changing world.

Chisholm, Shirley, 1924-2005. Unbought and Untamed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970.

Shirley Chisholm was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968, representing New York’s 12th congressional district, making her the first black woman to serve in Congress. Just a few years later, she began campaigning for the U.S. presidency, becoming the first African-American candidate of a major party and the first woman in the Democratic Party to do so. In her book Unbought & Unbossed, she describes her childhood with immigrant parents and her career as an educator, educational consultant for the New York City Bureau of Child Care, New York State Representative, and later as a Congresswoman.

As a black woman, I can identify with Shirley Chisholm’s story. Like me, she was an educator and politician. Re-reading this book, I discovered many parallels to her life. I also found it interesting that she spoke openly about being a black woman active in the women’s movement, a movement that was predominantly white and often ignored racial issues. Shirley Chisholm unwittingly discusses the phenomenon of intersectionality before it became popular in academia. As far as influential figures in the 1970s and 80s go, Shirley Chisholm is at the top of my list.

Schlafly, Phyllis. A Choice, Not an Echo. 1st edition. Alton, IL: Pere Marquette, 1963.

The modern conservative movement often pays tribute to former President Ronald Reagan as the enforcer of modern conservatism. In my opinion, they are completely wrong. They owe their stronghold to Phyllis Schlafly. Phyllis Schlafly was a conservative political genius. She was well-versed in both politics and foreign policy. Through her organization Eagle Forum, she trained thousands of women in the fight against the women’s liberation movement and the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

In her book, A Choice, Not an Echo, she reveals the political science behind the Republican presidential nomination process. During the 1940s and 1950s, Democrats were in control of the presidency, with the exception of Eisenhower’s presidency from 1953 to 1961. The Republican Party was often divided between a conservative wing supported in the Midwest and West and a liberal wing from the Northeast. The conservative wing, of which Schlafly was a member, opposed New Deal reforms and supported isolationist policies. On the other hand, the liberal wing of the Republican Party called for more efficient use of New Deal policies and was led by Thomas E. Dewey, who, according to Schlafly, was subservient to the will of the Republican Party’s “kingmakers,” who they believed deprived Republicans of a real choice in selecting candidates.

Schlafly’s book was successful and she was a sought-after speaker and strategist for her party. She was a key figure in the creation of the Moral Majority and the modern Republican Party platform of the 1970s-1990s.

Steinem, Gloria. Unheard of Deeds and Everyday Rebellions. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983.

Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions is a collection of essays by feminist philosopher Gloria Steinem. This collection has been described as Gloria Steinem’s most diverse and timeless collection. In the book, Steinem discusses her time as a Playboy bunny, her thoughts on the differences between eroticism and pornography, and some satirical essays (If Men Could Menstruate).

The book also addresses pressing issues facing women around the world, not just American women. Steinem discusses female genital mutilation, which occurs among some primitive tribes on the African continent and elsewhere. Although the topics covered in the collected works are varied, it also offers insight and a barometer of the women’s liberation movement up until the early 1980s. Much has been accomplished, but Steinem’s message is clear that there is much more to be done.
Abzug, Bella. Bella!: Mrs. Abzug goes to Washington. New York: Sunday Review Press, 1972.

In this book, Bella Abzug describes her early years in Congress. As one of the few women serving in the U.S. Congress at the time, Bella Abzug used her platform to advocate for the rights of marginalized communities. With the slogan “A woman’s place is in the House of Representatives,” she was instrumental in advancing the Equal Rights Amendment and chairing the National Women’s Political Caucus. The book is part autobiography and part Washington exposé. Abzug describes in her blunt manner issues of gender discrimination that she experienced during her time as a congresswoman.

Conversely, she also lays out her feminist ideology on gender pay and equal rights for women in public policy. For me, this was a very interesting read, especially because it was a different point of view, as Abzug was an older feminist, while Gloria Steinem was considered a younger feminist by Abzug. Overall, I believe these authors shed light on how women and their points of view were ignored. This happened in both political parties and even in the centers of power.