Susan J. Douglas (1) (1950–)

I really, really, really like this book. I like it so much I've read it 3/4 of the way through--twice. I think my problem in finishing it is that I get so angry when I read about the things my mother was up against in the 70s and 80s (e.g., legislation that got squashed by old rich men--mostly Republicans, but not all--that would have really helped her out) that I have to put down the book and think about it, and then I don't pick it up again. :-) I read it first when we were still deciding whether or not to have children, and this time, when my son was five (clearly, it did not deter me from reproducing, but it did make me think about things I hadn't considered). It's a great read; I just have a hard time reading it all the way to the end.… (more)

The author looks at the role of mass media in creating and nurturing feminist thought. She examines not just the news, but also the entertainment that was offered up to budding feminists throughout the middle of the 20th century. Looking at the way the media chose to play women against each other, and how they couched stories about feminism is a bit disheartening, even for one who lived through this and remembers her own difficult, ambivalent relationship with the media and how they presented women. It also serves as a corrective for those who claim that all second wave feminists shut out women of color; there were many feminists who were women of color, and attempted to center them in the movement, but the media simply wasn't having any of it - they focused solely on the middle-class white woman. This book should be required reading for....well, for everyone, but certainly anyone who works with, lives with, or interacts with women.… (more)