Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (Paperback)

by Bell Hooks (Author) "In a retrospective examination of the black female slave experience, sexism looms as large as racism as an oppressive force in the lives of black..." (more)
Key Phrases: white women liberationists, white racial imperialism, black women matriarchs, United States, Mary Church Terrell, Sojourner Truth (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'A fiery piece of polemic filled with merciless criticism of feminism and black activism alike for their neglect of black women's rights ... provocative and inspiring ... visionary.' New Statesman'One of the twenty most influential women's books of the last twenty years.' Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
In this classic study, cultural critic Bell Hooks examines how black women, from the seventeenth century to the present day, were and are oppressed by both white men and black men and by white women. Illustrating her analysis with moving personal accounts, "Ain't I a Woman" is deeply critical of the racism inherent in the thought of many middle-class white feminists who have failed to address issues of race and class. While acknowledging the conflict of loyalty to race or sex is still a dilemma, Hooks challenges the view that race and gender are two separate phenomena, insisting that the struggles to end racism and sexism are inextricably intertwined. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: South End Press (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089608129X
• ISBN-13: 978-0896081291
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #301,195 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An effortless, informative and enjoyable read., March 28, 2000

By	A T Baugh (London, England) - See all my reviews

I read this book 6 years ago on holiday and I couldn't put it down. I tell you this just to let you know that although the subject matter may appear "heavy", hooks style of writing makes the most complicated theories and intellectual of thoughts on Womanism/Feminism easy to understand and entertaining.

This a thought provoking read. For example her theory on the propagation of miscegenation ( the law that banned interracial marriage and our current negative attidudes towards this today) really made me think. Briefly, she theorised that as white men held the key to power the law was brought in not to protect white women from black men but to stop black women marrying white men. If say a black woman married the President she would also have access to power via her direct access and ability to influence the most powerful man in the world.

hooks as a writer is brilliant, she's inspiring, informative and imaginative. Which must be quite difficult given the subject matter she deals with. Start with Aint I a Woman and you'll go onto read her whole library. Enjoy.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here is where it all began, April 11, 2001

By	Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Those who would dismiss Hook's scholarship and arguments as substandard are truly threatened by the radical observations she makes about the world and black women's relationship to it and in it.

The "Clif Notes" version Hooks has been maligned for by her critics have been practiced openly by white feminists (and predominantly white groups) so I honestly cannot see what the criticism is about unless it is the particular ideas themselves and not the way they are phrased. Hook's work is radical because it forces readers to deal with the less than favorable aspects of American history.

Confronting the real truth about America and the way it has historically treated and maligned women of color (and how they moblized against this) can be a challenging read, but only if the reader comes in with a defensive mind, prepared to discount the work anyway. Individuals with an open mind should love the pages of this now-classic work.

I have always loved this book and it's practical insights on gender roles and a multifaceted approach to reproductive rights. Although Hooks is pro-choice, she reminds us that legalized abortion should be only one aspect of reproductive rights, and freedom from sterilzation abuse and full information on contraceptives is also important. It is a testament to Hooks and other activists that this paradigm has been adopted by the general feminist movement.

True women's liberation involves the liberation of all women from all artificially constructed notions about gender and ethnicity. While we as a nation have historically seen the civil rights movement as primarily for black men, and the feminist movement as being for white women, we have silenced and subjugated the black feminist who has one foot in each of these communities and is going to weave together her own experiences.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ain't I A Woman offers great insight into history..., June 18, 1998

By A Customer

Hooks' book gives the beginning student of African-American women's history a strong and solid foundation upon which to build their knowledge. The book's contents bring to light many historical details that have been left out of American history courses but their effects are still present in our society. Hooks establishes the historical reason for the rift between White feminist and Black women, and does so without blame.