Girldrive: Criss-Crossing America, Redefining Feminism [Paperback]

Nona Willis Aronowitz (Author), Emma Bee Bernstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

What do young women care about? What are their hopes, worries, and ambitions? Have they heard of feminism, and do they relate to it?

These are just a few of the questions journalist Nona Willis Aronowitz and photographer Emma Bee Bernstein set out to answer in Girldrive. In October 2007, Aronowitz and Bernstein took a cross-country road trip to meet with the 127 women profiled in this book, ranging from well-known feminists like Kathleen Hanna, Laura Kipnis, Erica Jong, and Michele Wallace, to women who don’t relate to feminism at all. The result of these interviews, Girldrive is a regional chronicle of the struggles, concerns, successes, and insights of young women who are grappling—just as hard as their mothers and grandmothers did—to find, define, and fight for gender equity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Embarking on a road trip across the U.S. to engage with contemporary women, writer Aronowitz and the late artist Bernstein (1985-2008) assert that "all we want is conversation." Through 127 casual discussions with female college students, burlesque dancers, musicians, nuns-in-training, single mothers, abortion clinic staffers and others, the authors privilege the unique experiences and perspectives of both established activists and women who hesitate to identify with any notion of feminism. Coupling luminous, enigmatic photography with insightful diary entries, the pair contribute sharp commentary on modern womanhood and gender issues. The project is most striking when exploring the personal stories of interview subjects, but the authors' ambitious scope makes some encounters feel repetitive. Clearly a work of passion for Bernstein (who committed suicide before the book's publication) and Aronowitz both, the authors share of themselves generously, imprinting the "open-ended, fluid conversation" with their voices, feelings and personalities.

Review

“Girldrive provides a wide-angle snapshot of contemporary feminism, and raises provocative questions about our responsibilities to the movement.”
— Elle.com


“Girldrive is gutsy in its endeavor and gives agency to emerging feminist voices … This work’s very publication shows how far you can go if you only have the drive.”
— Bust magazine


“A fascinating tour-de-force … [Nona and Emma's] voices struck me as distinctly young and alive and unapologetic.”
— Courtney Martin of Feministing

“Nona and Emma have done what I suspect many women, young and old, have always dreamed of doing: Hit the open road with nothing more than a partner in crime, a full tank of gas, a playlist of good music, a pad of paper, a camera, and an unyielding curiosity. Girldrive is part travel diary, part social document, part art exhibit, and, sadly, part eulogy. Not only do I highly recommend Girldrive, I have to admit that I’m insanely jealous I didn’t think of it first.”

— Anna Holmes, Founder/Editor, Jezebel.com

“Girldrive is a fascinating, fiery, dramatic whirlwind tour through modern-day women’s lives. It’s likely to make you excited, impassioned, and at times infuriated—and that’s a good thing. It lets its diversity of opinion speak to you rather than for you.”

— Rachel Kramer Bussel, Editor, Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women; Host, In The Flesh Reading Series

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580052738
• ISBN-13: 978-1580052733
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical book about feminism..., January 30, 2010

By 

Bettie Page (CHICAGO, IL, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girldrive: Criss-Crossing America, Redefining Feminism (Paperback)

There are those feminist books that are written for women who don't know much about feminism--that are meant to convert them and break it down in easy and relatable terms. Then there are the books about feminism for self-proclaimed feminists--books that build on basic ideas and speak to women who already identify as feminists.

This book is both.

That's really rare. Both feminists and non-feminists can learn and enjoy flipping through Girldrive. When I first picked it up, I thought it was just going to be a feminist primer, but it's much more than that. It reveals the changing and developing layers of modern feminism through the eyes of young women. It's great that you can just flip through it and start at any point (though I read it cover to cover). It's also one of the only attempts at diversity that actually seems to succeed. Even though it's written by two white girls, they do not privilege their own voices. Rather, they let women speak for themselves.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating, beautifully written, and heartfelt voyage, December 17, 2009

By 

Susanna Heller (Brooklyn, nY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Girldrive: Criss-Crossing America, Redefining Feminism (Paperback)

This is a powerful book which manages to travel across many fields at one time. While crossing the country, Bernstein and Willis/Aronowitz also travel back and forth through the history of feminism and into its present complex state. It is beautifully, tenderly, even poetically written and photographed. A fresh and accessible intro and update for the THINKING contemporary woman and man.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book For Every Woman (and Girl) You Know!!!, December 16, 2009

By 

Katrina P. "Kat" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girldrive: Criss-Crossing America, Redefining Feminism (Paperback)

I was unsure what to expect when I started reading this book. I was skeptical about a "Feminist" book written by girls around my own age. There are so many misconceptions about what feminism is and what it represents. I hadn't considered myself a feminist before reading this book, but Nona and Emma made me realize the depth that encompasses the word and I realize now that I'm a feminist through and through. Many of the women interviewed didn't consider themselves feminists either and I related to a lot of what the interviewees had to say on the subject. No one (at least no one I know) wants to be thought of as a "Man Hating Uber-feminist" but this book showed me that feminism is more about strength and (for lack of better term) girl power. I was moved and inspired by the text and photographs that grace the pages of Girldrive. I laughed out loud and I shed several tears while I traveled the country with Nona and Emma. The personal experience and objectivity that the two women embrace throughout these pages made me want to jump in my own car with my best friend and travel all over the place interviewing women myself. I can't wait for a sequel!!! I think that every girl should read this book and pass along the knowledge within. I am buying this for every woman I know this Christmas. Seriously....BUY THIS BOOK!!!