Backlash: The Undeclared War Against Women

by Susan Faludi

Book Overview

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle award??for nonfiction, this controversial,??thought-provoking, and timely book is "as groundbreaking as??Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex??and Betty Friedan's The Feminine??Mystique." -- Newsweek.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517576988
• ISBN13: 9780517576984
• Release Date: October 1991
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 552 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent piece of work

I picked up this book mainly because I hadn't lived through the 80s and wondered what liberal groups were talking about when they referred to the regressions of women's rights during that period. Backlash deals with the thoughts and trends in the 80s and the effect they had on women. Many people here (who may or may not have actually read this book) say that Faludi's book is full of man-bashing diatribe. Actually, though, Faludi focuses more on the relationship between men and women in society, and the main problem with men in general she has is the idea of masculinity which requires domination and superiority in the workplace and home to feel secure. No one should feel that their gender identity is being taken away from them just because the other gender wants to participate in the same activites. Another good point she makes is the double-standard of views on marraige, children, and careers. While women are told that they must get married and have children or else they are a "failure," and once these children are born they must sacrifice their careers and independence, it is viewed as desirable for men to be away from their children all day, and men's time unmarried and childless is "the good life."Whether you are sympathetic to feminism or think it's dangerous, you should read this era-defining book.

Excellent Introduction to the Subject

After finishing this dense 460-page book, I am amazed that this was my first excursion into the area of Woman's Studies, but I could not be happier with my choice. Backlash is a thought provoking comprehensive look at women and America in the 1980's. While the information and examples are dated, the underlying themes still resonate in today's society.I take issue with those who label Faludi a "man-hater." She made a point to identify women who were part of the anti-feminist trends, which lends more weight to her theory of a backlash. When men were used as examples, it was for a good cause. I never thought Faludi was blaming or targeting men as the reason for the backlash, rather she focused on society as a whole.A previous reviewer mentioned Faludi's use of specific examples weakened her argument, bringing her to the level of those she criticizes. While Faludi does use specific examples, she also stresses on having viable statistics to back her claims. Partial evidence of this can be found in the over 400 citations she utilized.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious to know more about the status of women in America. Speaking from personal experience, this is one of the few books that have made me view my world differently. I cannot think of higher praise.

excellent, mind opening

I would like to thank Susan Faludi personally for writing "Backlash", that I am still reading right now. I strongly suggest any woman and man to read it.I am an Italian woman, 30 years old, with an aerospace engineering degree. Both my parents have always been working. My mother has been always working full-time and had been taking care of three kids at the same time (with the support of a nanny for a while). I don't know where she found the energies from, but I think she did a great work. I never felt neglected by Mom or abused by the nanny! I have been single most of my life because I did not want to give myself up "just for dating somebody", and I did not want to hide the fact that yes, I have a strong personality, a very intense cultural life and political ideals. Let's face it, some men are just not comfortable with that. I have been working for a while in Italy and I had to face the fact that industry shuns women with a higher degree, or relegates them to secondary roles, no matter what are their professionality and skills.For years and years my mind has been bombarded by all the slogans mentioned in "Backlash". I fully recognized all of them while reading the book. I had believed them and decided to overlook them. They made me very unhappy, but I could just not give up. Would anybody cancel his/her personality because of what society says? I left Italy and came to United States to get a Ph.D. and find a more satisfying job. Here I met a man that fully supports my studies and is not afraid of my personality. He does not need to demean me to show that he is a "real man". We have been dating for three years, and when I'll have finished my Ph.D. and found a job, we'll get married. We will raise children together and none of us will leave work for this. Why am I writing this? Because I will be part of the "real" statistics, the ones that the media decided to overlook: a working woman that gets married when she is over 30, with a job and a private life, that is not depressed and is not obsessed by the "biological clock". I am deeply grateful to this book for showing me the constant backlash against women. This book is making me stronger, and it opened my eyes like nothing I read so far. I will be proud to say that I am a feminist, a fulfilled woman, and I am not ashamed of this. Note: media backlash is not over at all. Just look at "Ally McBeal".