No More Nice Girls: Countercultural Essays by Ellen Willis |
Beginning to See the Light: Sex, Hope, and Rock-and-Roll. 2d ed. by Ellen Willis |
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Editorial Reviews
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The liberal cause finds a backbone in Ellen Willis's supple collection of essays. Whether writing about feminism, freedom of speech, O.J. Simpson, or The Bell Curve, Willis presents arguments that are always thought-provoking, and always meant to reconnect the current political divide between the economic and cultural concerns of liberals in order to strengthen the liberal position. "The left will continue to lose ground," Willis insists, "unless it gives up the untenable distinction between economics and culture to which it is stubbornly attached." Willis inspires political liberals to stop second-guessing what mainstream America really wants, and to stand behind real concerns about the rights to freedom and pleasure. Don't Think, Smile! has plenty to spar about, but one will do so with a truly invigorating pugilist. --Maria Dolan
From Publishers Weekly
In six provocative essays, Willis, who writes frequently for the Village Voice and other liberal publications, dissects the political agendas and actions of the American Left during the past decade, finding them insufficient to meet most citizens' everyday challenges. Claiming that mainstream political progressives have made a fateful choice to prioritize issues of class and economics over those of "culture" (e.g., race, sex, gender and sexuality), Willis argues that their approach does not acknowledge the complexity of American social structures and her own and most people's desire to have "a freer, saner, and more pleasurable life." Willis is at her best when she prods raw nerves in U.S. politics to illustrate her points, including the Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill controversy, Murray and Herrnstein's The Bell Curve and Catherine McKinnon's anti-porn legislation. Viewing most contemporary conservative politics as a "backlash to the sixties," Willis writes with a great deal of wit and compassion. In addition to her firm grasp of the complexities of political discourse, her main strength is her ability to ground her ideological stands firmly in human needs and experience. She is particularly adept at examining how complicated individual responses to events such as Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky or the presumed connection between crime and race are missing from what she sees as the highly politicized, partisan news coverage of those events. Never taking the easy or predictable route, Willis shows an ability to explicate difficult dilemmas. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
The liberal cause finds a backbone in Ellen Willis's supple collection of essays. Whether writing about feminism, freedom of speech, O.J. Simpson, or The Bell Curve, Willis presents arguments that are always thought-provoking, and always meant to reconnect the current political divide between the economic and cultural concerns of liberals in order to strengthen the liberal position. "The left will continue to lose ground," Willis insists, "unless it gives up the untenable distinction between economics and culture to which it is stubbornly attached." Willis inspires political liberals to stop second-guessing what mainstream America really wants, and to stand behind real concerns about the rights to freedom and pleasure. Don't Think, Smile! has plenty to spar about, but one will do so with a truly invigorating pugilist. --Maria Dolan
From Publishers Weekly
In six provocative essays, Willis, who writes frequently for the Village Voice and other liberal publications, dissects the political agendas and actions of the American Left during the past decade, finding them insufficient to meet most citizens' everyday challenges. Claiming that mainstream political progressives have made a fateful choice to prioritize issues of class and economics over those of "culture" (e.g., race, sex, gender and sexuality), Willis argues that their approach does not acknowledge the complexity of American social structures and her own and most people's desire to have "a freer, saner, and more pleasurable life." Willis is at her best when she prods raw nerves in U.S. politics to illustrate her points, including the Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill controversy, Murray and Herrnstein's The Bell Curve and Catherine McKinnon's anti-porn legislation. Viewing most contemporary conservative politics as a "backlash to the sixties," Willis writes with a great deal of wit and compassion. In addition to her firm grasp of the complexities of political discourse, her main strength is her ability to ground her ideological stands firmly in human needs and experience. She is particularly adept at examining how complicated individual responses to events such as Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky or the presumed connection between crime and race are missing from what she sees as the highly politicized, partisan news coverage of those events. Never taking the easy or predictable route, Willis shows an ability to explicate difficult dilemmas. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
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- The Abandoned Generation: Democracy Beyond the Culture of Fear by Henry A. Giroux in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- This Thing of Ours by David Lavery in Front Matter
- Implicating Empire by Stanley Aronowitz in Back Matter
- The Best of the Nation: Selections from the Independent Magazine of Politics and Culture by Gore Vidal in Back Matter
- A Just Response: The Nation on Terrorism, Democracy, and September 11, 2001 (Nation Books) by Katrina vanden Heuvel in Front Matter
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