Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem [Paperback]

Gloria Steinem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 1993

The well-know women's rights activist and feminist connects the external revolution to an internal revolution of spirit and consciousness, offering readers parables from the lives of figures as diverse as Mahatma Gandhi and Julie Andrews. Reprint. 150,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

One of the founding mothers of contemporary feminism has written a self-help book that utterly transcends the genre. In lucid prose that is by turns brave and funny and tender, Steinem takes us on a journey of circles and spirals because, as she says, "If we think of ourselves as circles, our goal is completion . . . if we think of work structures as circles . . . progress means mutual support and connectedness." Drawing from sources that range from Margaret Mead to Chief Seattle (Sealth), from Alice Walker to the Upanishads, as well as from her own life and the lives of her friends and colleagues, she provides a series of pathways to self-esteem. Steinem's book unfolds like a flower: it offers literature, art, nature, meditation, and connectedness as ways of finding and exploring the self. Her message is that it is our very selves that we need to trust, despite educational and societal pressures that may denigrate the female experience. Her focus is women, but she is clear that what she has to say is for men, too, and she is neither strident nor dismissive. Recommended for all collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/91.
- GraceAnne A. DeCandido, "School Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

In the wake of such feminist calls-to-arms as Susan Faludi's Backlash (p. 1133), Paula Kamen's Feminist Fatale (p. 1137), and Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth (p. 389), Steinem's inwardly turned examination of how men and women sabotage themselves by suppressing the ``child within'' appears decidedly retro. Nevertheless, her reflections on her own and others' spiritual struggles may give a new generation of activists pause for further reflection. In the wake of Ms. magazine's sale and her own resignation as its editor, Steinem found herself, she says, with the time and inspiration to write a book she'd had in mind for years--a study of the psychological and societal factors that negatively influence self-esteem. The result, she tells us, was a heavily footnoted, scholarly report whose reliance on experts' opinions revealed Steinem's own deep lack of confidence, and inspired her to toss away her original manuscript and come out of the closet herself. Recounting her own early life as the daughter of a factory worker who divorced his mentally ill wife when Gloria was only ten, Steinem details the natural progression from a co-dependent relationship with her mother to an unconscious adult sense of being ``co-dependent with the world.'' Forced by her need to wall off her past, she led a life of outer-world confrontations until, through therapy undertaken as research for her book, she began to master her ``inner child.'' By including others' tales of self- actualization through a ``revolution from within''--the creation of a winning chess team in Spanish Harlem, the transformation of a housewife into an entrepreneur, etc.--Steinem illustrates how others' psychic journeys may lead in much different directions than her own. Still, much of what is recommended here will strike many as old hat--and, in the end, more interesting as an update on the feminist's life than as a practical aid to others. A piquant counterpoint to recently revitalized, outer-directed feminist fashion. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (January 20, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316812471
• ISBN-13: 978-0316812474
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Self-esteem = Responsibility June 21, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

We are the same age, in the same generation of the "transitional women." I related very much to Ms. Steinem's odyssey, as in principal it was my own. I am glad that our #1 spokesperson has published what I found out myself: we have power, we needn't ask for it or demand it, and we must guard it and use it responsibly. Even my mother, who despaired of me, has turned into a Steinem fan after she read the book! Ms. Steinem is a leader, an extremely intelligent and feminine woman. I am gratified to have her as a mirror and an articulate commentator on what it is to be a women in America.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest exploration of Self--not just for feminists!! April 9, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Gloria Steinem has given us a wonderful opportunity to see her as far more than just a feminist, political activist, and one of the most influental women of the 20th century. Her full-blooded life springs from the pages of this book, sharing a powerful message of self-discovery and self-love. If anyone can speak of the disillusionment fraught within celebrity, and the ensuing blows to one's self-esteem, it is Gloria Steinem. Criticized and scrutinized for everything from her love life to her choice of colored hose, Steinem has experienced first hand the ludicrous workings of the media. Her resulting insight into such issues as self-individuation and self-identification are timely and important. Gloria has created a beautiful work of art which defies the media's constant need to define and label her into neat little categories; in "Revolution From Within: A Book of Self-Esteem" Gloria defines herself as human being, a category we can all relate to.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a treasure January 16, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I have read many many books, and I have to say that this is one of my absolute favorites. This is a book of the highest quality. Don't be fooled from the title, this is not a sappy how to love yourself book. This is a straight forward, intense account of the world around us as we know it. Yet in a way, that I believe only Gloria Steinem could tell it. She is at once brilliant, insightful, comforting, and angering. Her book made me see life through new eyes, better eyes. Steinem's book is also so obviously well researched, in fact startling facts and statistics reside on every page. If you want to feel passion and rightous anger in your soul, or if you want to read a book that will open your eyes, read this one. Books of this caliber really do not come around that often.