Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America since 1960 [Paperback]

Flora Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0252067827 | ISBN-13: 978-0252067822

"Moving the Mountain" tells the story of the struggles and triumphs of thousands of activists who achieved 'half a revolution' between 1960 and 1990. In this award-winning book, the most complete history of the women's movement to date, Flora Davis presents a grass-roots view of the small steps and giant leaps that have changed laws and institutions as well as the prejudices and unspoken rules governing a woman's place in American society. Looking at every major feminist issue from the point of view of the participants in the struggle, "Moving the Mountain" conveys the excitement, the frustration, and the creative chaos of feminism's Second Wave. This title includes a new afterword that assesses the movement's progress in the 1990s and prospects for the new century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deliberately short on feminist theory and free of rhetoric, this balanced, gripping, inspirational chronicle of the contemporary women's movement in the U.S. should be a standard resource for years to come. Davis, who has taught journalism at Manhattan's New School for Social Research, tells how activists "virtually reinvented feminism" in the 1960s, fueled by dozens of small women's groups that had survived since the suffragette "first wave" of the early part of the century. She explains how the struggle to ratify the ERA touched off a movement of its own, and how the reproductive rights movement in the '70s brought together NOW, new single-issue groups and older organizations like Planned Parenthood. She investigates media stereotyping and the right-wing backlash bolstered by white males' resentment at the challenges from feminists and from the civil rights movement. Davis suggests that, despite its setbacks, the women's movement of the 1990s is more deeply rooted and more diverse than ever before.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This is an unbiased, finely detailed account of the second wave of the women's movement in America. Rarely is history so emotionally compelling as in Davis's depiction of the struggles and anger of these activist women. In part one, she chronicles the birth, submersion, and eventual rebirth of feminism; she then examines in part two such issues as women in politics, the women's health movement, and lesbian feminism. In the last section, she discusses where the current movement is and where it is going. Davis interviewed many activist women for this book, but a lengthy bibliography and thorough footnoting indicate scholarly attention to the subject. Another history of the contemporary women's movement is Leila J. Rupp and Verta Taylor's Survival in the Doldrums: The American Women's Rights Movement, 1945 to the 1960s ( LJ 5/15/87), but it focuses on the postwar era. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries. (Index not seen.) See also Susan Faludi's Backlash ( LJ 9/15/91) and Paula Kamen's Feminist Fatale ( LJ 9/15/91).--Ed.
- Cindy Faries, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., University Park
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 632 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (May 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252067827
• ISBN-13: 978-0252067822
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,162,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and inspiring resource for anybpdy, August 9, 2000

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America since 1960 (Paperback)

This was the first text on women's history that I read back in Junior high, and I absolutely loved it. Until this point, I dod not realize how complex and developed the women's movement had become by the 1970's. Being born in 1979, I always assumed that feminism was perpetually around.

Since it's a safe bet there are more young people (and future generations) who will also believe that way, this book should be required reading for anybody who wants to learn how the women's movement really impacted America. Unfortunately, women's histrpy is underrepresented in public schools and we are paying dearly for the gap in knowllege.

My only reservation about this book, is that there are no pictures of the various protests and deomstrations in the 1960's and 1970's. Considering feminism:the career was not really feasabile until the 1980's (monetary and logistic reasons)it neverless would be inspiring to see women (and men) changing the system with what they did have. It still deserves all the stars for a well written and acessable book.