On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978 [Paperback]

Adrienne Rich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 1995

In this collection of prose writings, one of America's foremost poets and feminist theorists reflects upon themes that have shaped her life and work.

At issue are the politics of language; the uses of scholarship; and the topics of racism, history, and motherhood among others called forth by Rich as "part of the effort to define a female consciousness which is political, aesthetic, and erotic, and which refuses to be included or contained in the culture of passivity."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adrienne Rich's honors include the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She lives in California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393312852
• ISBN-13: 978-0393312850
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #569,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars feminism of its time, November 12, 2008

By 

Shannan "Shannan" (Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978 (Paperback)

Rich's work remains thoughtful and provoking even now. The changing feminist consciousness revealed by her collected essays is a fascinating portrait of a growth over time. This book deserves far more than one star.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's hear it for TRUTH!, November 4, 2011

By 

Carise "Carise" (Phx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978 (Paperback)

Adrienne Rich is a thinker, and yeah, the reader who said this book was outdated is probably right about that. Thinking IS pretty outdated these days - as are truth and authenticity. Although this book is written from a feminist perspective, Rich's commentary on the destructive aspects of lies, secrets and silence applies to all of humanity.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more relevant today than ever, December 20, 2010

By 

Gretchen Robinson "gentlewoman" (Attleboro, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978 (Paperback)

As I have educated myself in adulthood, first as an undergraduate, then in time, two MA degrees, one in theology, this book has named realities I see in women's lives with greater nuance than anyone else I read. Her prose and her poetry is very fine and insightful. The reader who gave it one star probably couldn't get his (?her) head around the references to what it's like to be a lesbian and double discriminated against--and hated by the dominant culture. I'm straight but not narrow. If we are going to progress as a species we need to be able to stretch our minds and hearts to understand the social location of the writer. That is why professors require books like this. Once your mind is stretched it never goes back to the tight little rubber band it once was. It can stretch around more books.