Virginity or Death!: And Other Social and Political Issues of Our Time (Paperback)

by Katha Pollitt (Author)
Key Phrases: anti choicers, New York Times, United States, Supreme Court (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This second collection of Pollitt's columns in the Nation offers more lively and penetrating discussion of political, social and cultural trends from one of the country's finest left commentators and feminist stalwarts. Picking up in early 2001 where her previous collection (Subject to Debate) left off, the 84 taut essays—invariably witty, astute and relentlessly logical—together chart the progress of right-wing policies under the Bush administration before and after the flash point of 9/11, while engaging such urgent and related issues as the attack on abortion rights, the health-care crisis, the rise of the Christian Right, expanding war and militarism, gay marriage and the perpetual "demise" of feminism in the mass media. Selections include perhaps her most infamous essay, "Put Out No Flags" (Oct. 8, 2001)—an account of an argument with her teenage daughter over displaying the U.S. flag at home after 9/11—but there are also dozens of incisive, frequently hilarious gems here. While no conservative interested in public debate should ignore so formidable an opponent, this book will appeal mostly to progressive readers (fans of Barbara Ehrenreich or Molly Ivins are only the most obvious match). (June 13)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Noting that the editorial staff likes to observe that while George Bush "has been a disaster for the nation" he has been great for the Nation, columnist Pollitt offers a collection of the many ways the administration has provoked her wry observations. Arranged in chronological order, this collection provides an acerbic look at a wide range of social and political issues from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to Catholic priests sexually abusing children. Pollitt asks why women seeking abortions must be subject to a litany of possible--and unsubstantiated--health risks but are never advised of the greater risks of continuing a pregnancy, as conservatives cover their antiabortion positions under the guise of protecting women's health. She critiques the myriad other ways that women's rights have come under attack, from bogus research on the harmful effects of day care on children to popular books purporting to show that career women are unhappy. Her column cautioning Americans against the impulse to engage in flag-waving jingoism after 9/11 is also included in this thought-provoking collection. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081297638X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812976380
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #520,954 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing the Big Picture in Our Lives, July 12, 2006

By	C. Cooper "enthusiast" (east coast) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The collection of 86 essays in "Virginity of Death!" is breathtaking in its scope. No one can match Katha Pollitt's incisive cut-to-the-core ability to see through the rhetoric of both right-wingers and hypocrites of all stripes.

What really impresses me is the way that Pollitt captures the country in the George W. Bush years, combining a catalog of calamities on a social and political level. Pollitt is able to connect the big picture with the average person, the personal story with the propaganda-driven policy. She articulates clear, and unmuddled perceptions that pop truth in every turn of phrase.

I have two favorites. In one, Pollitt takes on the sudden use of "framing" by Democrats. "Perhaps I'm naïve," she writes, "but I keep thinking that reframing misses the point, which is to speak clearly from a moral center - precisely not to mince words and change the subject and turn the tables." Every essay by Pollitt mirrors that demand.

Another personal "best" -- and it's hard to choose - is when Pollitt takes on opinionator William Saleton, who considers himself pro-choice, but wags his finger at pro-choice women for abortion and not practicing "contraceptive diligence." Pollitt points out that it is the anti-abortion movement that opposes contraception. And she notes, "Nobody's proposing the walk of shame for men who don't or won't use condoms."

Pollitt writes in her intro that we need to think about our world in a bigger way. Her special ability is to help break down that world and find its touch points in our lives. After all, she writes, "The requirements of real life count for something, no matter what ideology says."

"Virginity or Death!" is exciting and invigorating. It should be a coursework staple in sociology, anthropology, political science -- and logic. And it is wonderful reading for all who care about the direction of our country. Highly recommended!

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pollitt, Politics, and Panache, July 6, 2006

By	Nancy K. Miller (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I read Katha Pollitt, I never know what I envy more--the vibrant style or the pithy argument. "Gay marriage--it's not about sex, it's about separation of church and state." Feminists for Life (FFL) aren't feminists but "fetalists." Why couldn't I have come up with that? This is a collection to reread, savor and recommend. I think I'll take it to Alabama later this summer to help in my arguments with my brother-in-law, a Republican who wants me to believe that Bush is the good news.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both Trenchant And Easy to Read, July 5, 2006

By	Jim Mansman (New York City) - See all my reviews

There is a reason Katha Pollitt has a regular column in the Nation--she's insightful, and incisive, fierce minded, and fearless. She is, in short precisely the sort of person whose collected essays you might want to read. Her interests are wide-ranging (though women and feminism are regular players) and her analysis is almost always spot-on. There's a real pleasure in the short essay form--like warm milk it lends itself to serial bedtime encounters. But beware, a chapter or two may leave your mind churning rather than stuporous, and what more, after all, could one want from a book?