thoma@reed.UUCP (thoma) (08/16/85)
OK!!
Here, in brief, are some of the responses I've received to my
request for alternate reading material. This isn't all of it;
I've "lost" a few files lately. But enjoy!
Ann
...tektronix!reed!thoma
*************
When God was a Woman, The Descent of Woman by Elaine Morgan?, Behind the
Sex of God by Carol Ochs, The Woman that never Evolved by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy?
are all books that I recommend as serious works about the nature of our
society.
Better to read feminist literature with a clear mind. Zen is
ideal for reading on the can.
You might try reading Margaret Atwood and the early women writers
like Jane Austen and George Sand.
I assume you don't mind novels (there are no good magazines. I just
don't even bother trying anymore). Anything by Rita Mae Brown is fantastic.
Her works include _Rubyfruit Jungle_ and _Southern Discomfort_. Probably my
favorite is _Six of One_. Almost all are in paperback (and anyone of them
can be read again if you are into that).
I don't know how trashy or even how feminist you would consider Judy
Blume but I enjoy her books a lot (both the adult and the childrens).
Try picking up a copy of Esquire. My best friend (a female) got a
subscription to it after thumbing through it a few times at my
house. It is not feminist, exactly, but it is sensible, non-trashy,
witty, thought-provoking, and cheap.
I like the work of Marion Zimmer Bradley, myself.
Her stuff is sci-fi, and somewhat Amazonian.
I just read the book "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions"
which I found in a used book store for $8. It's a collection
of essays by Gloria Steinem so it can be read in installments.
If you want a magazine, try "Mother Jones".
One possibility I would suggest is comparative material about the
life and problems of woemn in non-Western cultures, e.g. in Islamic
ountries, in India, and in Africa... as well as in South America,
which is sort of 'Western' of course.
One excellent author I'd suggest right off the bat is Perdita
Huston, Third World Women Speak Out.
You'd be surprised how much better you'll come to grips with and
hom much more profoundly you'll understand your own feminist impulses
when you become familiar with feminist problems in other cultural
contexts.
Playboy. It's not exceedingly cheap, but the articles are pretty
good. Just avoid Playgirl. My fiancee says it's trash (except for
the pictures).
Other than that, I'm pretty disgusted with most magazines. Especially
the Time/Newsweek/US News & World/People Genre.
try New Woman magazine.
Have you heard of _Mother_Jones_? It's more political than feminist,
but it has a definite feminist slant. Good investigative reporting, good
fiction, good everything.
I would add to the list the novel "Woman on the Edge of Time" by
****
(oops, the last line got eaten .... *8-)sommers@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Mamaliz @ The Soup Kitchen) (08/18/85)
I had been meaning to answer your query, but got too busy.
Woman on the edge of time is by Marge Piercy - one of my favorite all time
feminist writers. Her best books are probably Small Changes (One of the
major characters is a woman who is trying to get a Phd in CS at MIT in the
late 60's/early 70's) and Braided Lives(probably her most mature novel).
I just finished her newest book -- Fly Away Home. I liked it but felt
that the anger in it was almost as overpowering as "The Woman's Room".
Don't remember who wrote "The Woman's Room" but it was very popular (and
sort of trashisized by the media) a few years ago.
Another woman author you might like to try is Mary Gordon.
I have a large collection of books by women (all boxed right now). I will
try to do a bibliography when I unbox them.
liz
--
liz sommers
My "best address" will soon be changing to
topaz!mama!liz
but I can still be reached at:
uucp: ...{seismo, ut-sally,ihnp4!packard}!topaz!sommers
arpa: sommers@rutgerssophie@mnetor.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (08/21/85)
In article <3328@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> sommers@topaz.UUCP (Mamaliz @ The Soup Kitchen) writes: > >Don't remember who wrote "The Woman's Room" but it was very popular (and >sort of trashisized by the media) a few years ago. The author of "The Women's Room" (I think that this is the exact title, but am not going to fight over it) is Marilyn French. One of my favorite woman writer is Margaret Atwood. My favorite work of hers is "Lady Oracle", which is the story of a woman who writes gothic romances and gets herself into strange trouble. What I like the most about Margaret Atwood's stories is that her stories ar not "clean": the characters all have their problems, and they get themselves into messes which are usually more fantastic than real-life messes, but just as hard to get out of without loosing face. Another one of my favorite contemporary authors is Alice Walker. I have only read "The Colour Purple", but that's certainly enough to immortalise her (or whatever it is that happens to famous authors..). I recommend this book very strongly. It is the story of the entire life of a black woman from adolescence on, as told by letters she is writing, first to God, then to her sister. I really can't say more except that readers shouldn't get discouraged by the beginning of the book, which is awful (the story is awful, not the way it is told); Things get better after about 1/3rd of the book. I can't remember whether the original request was for works of fiction only or not. If not, I do have quite a few more recommendations (well, fiction too). -- Sophie Quigley {allegra|decvax|ihnp4|linus|watmath}!utzoo!mnetor!sophie
moiram@tektronix.UUCP (Moira Mallison ) (08/21/85)
In article <3328@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> sommers@topaz.UUCP (Mamaliz @ The Soup Kitchen) writes: > >I just finished [Marge Piercy's] newest book -- Fly Away Home. >I liked it but felt >that the anger in it was almost as overpowering as "The Woman's Room". >Don't remember who wrote "The Woman's Room" but it was very popular (and >sort of trashisized by the media) a few years ago. > "The Woman's Room" was written by Marilyn French. She has also written "The Bleeding Heart", which I also thoroughly enjoyed. "Herland" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a wonderful tale about a feminist utopia. Moira Mallison tektronix!moiram
hav@dual.UUCP (Not Sid Vicious) (08/23/85)
<*munch*> > that the anger in it was almost as overpowering as "The Woman's Room". > Don't remember who wrote "The Woman's Room" but it was very popular (and > sort of trashisized by the media) a few years ago. > -- > liz sommers *The Women's Room* was written by Marilyn French. I wouldn't recommend it for the bathroom, though; you could tie up the john for hours reading just because it's impossible to put down. I'm **so** glad I finally got around to reading it. Helen Anne {ucbvax,ihnp4,cbosgd,hplabs,decwrl,unisoft,fortune,sun,nsc}!dual!hav "J. Frank Parnell." "Ott . . . Otto." "Do you ever feel as if your mind had started to erode?"
chabot@miles.DEC (All God's chillun got guns) (08/24/85)
I don't remember anger in _The_Women's_Room_, so much as I remember the vividness. The two late fifties and early sixties suburbias resonated with childhood memories. The excitement at Harvard grad school also caught me up. I'll admit I was agitated, sometimes to the point of tears, but not only by the unfortunate things. L S Chabot ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot chabot%amber.dec@decwrl.arpa
jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) (08/27/85)
Sophie writes: > One of my favorite woman writer is Margaret Atwood. My favorite "woman writer" is Carson McCullers. I've never understood why a female writer has to be sociopolitical in her writings in order to be considered good. (Or to have a name like "Iron".) I like Flannery O'Connor, too. And Eudora Welty. Try "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe". -- Shyy-Anzr: J. Eric Roskos UUCP: ..!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!peora!jer US Mail: MS 795; Perkin-Elmer SDC; 2486 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809-7642