We Don't Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists (Paperback)

by Melody Berger (Editor)
Key Phrases: humor issue, trans people, rock camp, New York, Take Back the Night, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The contemporary essays collected by Berger, an activist and creator of The F-Word, a feminist zine for teens, demonstrate loudly and clearly that feminism is alive, well and pursuing a wide variety of concerns. Sexuality, empowerment, violence, body image, reproductive rights, child sexual abuse, the gynecologist, the morning-after pill, the "Seventh-Grade Slut" and "Sex, Drugs, and the Department of Homeland Security" are all explored, as are the roles of government, religion, and the media. The result is a mixed bag that zeros in on the experience of contemporary women who face a multitude of slippery issues; according to Berger, "the connecting theme is this: 'I'm a young feminist and I'm going to work it!'" For her, the key is to fire up a movement-not a "wave"-and the 30 voices here, including Lisa Jervis, Alix Olson, Dean Spade and Jessica Valenti, provide many fine starting points. Especially rousing are the endcap entries, Valenti's short, blunt rebuke of "self-hating feminists" and Jennifer L. Pozner's plan to reclaim the media for a progressive feminist future.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"In this exciting collection, a whole new crop of talented and fiercely political writers make the case that while each new `wave' of feminists (suffragists, women's liberationists, riot grrls, etc.) may pass, like so many cultural trends, as long as there's a need for revolution, feminism is here to stay." -- Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future

"Melody Berger has assembled a raucous rebuke to anyone who thinks that feminism is a thing of the past." -- Rebecca Traister, Salon.com

"Only one f-word (besides fat) has the power to strike confusion in the hearts of women and panic in the minds of men: feminism. Berger is right: We don't need another wave when this one is just beginning to roll." -- Wendy Shanker, author of The Fat Girl's Guide to Life

"The feisty style is anchored in sincerity. . . intensely personal essays make this collection stand out in a crowded field." -- Utne Reader, November/December 2006

"We Don't Need Another Wave flips the bird to those who might protest that feminism isn't relevant in the lives of young women. The voices collected here are simultaneously outraged, snarky, hopeful, and lusty - each one proving that political idealism lives on." -- Andi Zeisler, co-founder, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture

"We Don't Need Another Wave gives women a shot of inspiration and the knowledge that sisterhood is still powerful. Indeed, we don't need another wave; we just need to win every war." -- Dyann C. Logwood, founding publisher of HUES Magazine

"After reading Women Behind Bars, one could recite a laundry list of shocking statistics and haunting anecdotes about female prisoners--but where to begin ? Silja J.A. Talvi, an investigative journalist, tackles more than seems possible in one book, documenting the negligent medical care, abuse by guards, and contemptible meals that many female inmates endure, as well as smaller indignities like limited access to soap and tampons. Talvi interviewed hundreds of imprisoned girls and women, and she expertly combines their stories with the disturbing facts and figures that, on their own, don't inspire nearly enough outrage. The author's vivid descriptions of these women's lives, and her exasperation over their 'invisible struggle,' render Women Behind Bars a surprisingly readable treatise on a cumbersome topic." -- -Danielle Maestretti, Utne

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (September 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580051820
• ISBN-13: 978-1580051828
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #363,193 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate voices from the frontlines of the feminist youth movement, February 2, 2007

By	wildflowerboy (planet earth) - See all my reviews

In this wonderful new anthology from the independent feminist publishing company Seal Press, a diverse group of young feminists tackle difficult feminist issues like war, rape, poverty, domestic violence, racism, sex work, pornography, transphobia, eating disorders, abortion, and heterosexism. Especially interesting were the insightful reflections on the March For Women's Lives and the protests against the 2004 Republican National Convention. I also really enjoyed reading about the political work being done by feminists within the DIY punk activist community. For those of you who foolishly believe the media myth that feminism is dead, read this book. It will renew your faith in the next generation of radical feminists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars phenomenal book, September 18, 2007

By	this and that - See all my reviews

i originally purchased this book after picking it up in a store and reading a few pages out of dean spade's essay entitled "for lovers or fighters" where, as part of the essay, he describes the nuanced decisions we all make about how we want to have friendships and relationships and the ways in which we could challenge ourselves to treat our friends more like our lovers (prioritize them in our lives) and our lovers more like our friends (don't have ridiculous expectations of them). This essay remained one of my favorites (and has been interwoven into my thinking about relationships and how i want to have them) even after i read the entire book (twice) and fell in love with many other essays as well.

One of the aspects of this book that i loved so much was the ability of each author to examine the complexity of their situations. There were no clear drawn conclusions based on linear, academic arguments. People told their stories, complex as they were, and the subtlties of their lives were picked apart and examined. People decided to make themselves vulnerable and to tell us like it is, it was very real, very genuine. I was honored to read their stories and would have loved to have had extensive discussions with many of them to hear how various projects and experiences turned out for them.

There was an incredible diversity of essayists, and i was really excited and inspired by the way that so many people were represented and yet nobody was tokenized. It is difficult to figure out how to make this happen and i was thrilled when i realized this was so.

"We Don't Need Another Wave" is a book that i insisited all of my friends read. it is an incredible addition to the growing body of work that represents feminism for what it is and what it feels like and what it actually means to most young feminists today.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars yay! i love this book!, November 13, 2006

By	activistgrrrl (los angeles, ca) - See all my reviews

so, here's the deal: i'm in grad school and rarely get to read for fun, but i bought this book on thursday and was halfway through it by saturday. it's a quick read that's more fierce than fluff. it's also written in a way that's really accessible (i.e., not too high brow or academic-y). but mainly this book screams--through the varied voices of its contributors--that feminism is far from dead, rather it's something that people are enacting in their everyday lives! it's really inspiring. i'm already so in love with several of the essays (and at least one of the writers) that i can't wait to finish it. (i also just ended up buying seven more copies for gifts if that tells you anything!)

update: so, i finally found some time over the holiday/long weekend to finish this book. and i have to say i am both impressed and inspired ... and a little bummed that i didn't at least submit something when the call for submissions landed in my inbox a year or so ago. the authors weave humor, sadness, rage, craftiness, and overall "kick a*s"-ness throughout their narratives, which culminates into this great collection of feminist writing that comes at a variety of issues from a variety of approaches--the way feminism should be (at least in my mind)! (i've also quoted two excerpts of pieces from this book in my myspace blog if that tells you anything!)