Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, and Life in a Half-Changed World

by Peggy Orenstein

Book Overview

Peggy Orenstein's bestselling Schoolgirls is the classic study of teenage girls and self-esteem. Now Orenstein uses the same interviewing and reporting skills to examine the lives of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The advances of the women's movement allow women to grow up with a sense of expanded possibilities. Yet traditional expectations have hardly changed. To discover how they are navigating this double burden personally and professionally, Orenstein interviewed hundreds of women and has blended their voices into a compelling narrative that gets deep inside their lives and choices. With unusual sensitivity, Orenstein offers insight and inspiration for every woman who is making important decisions of her own.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 038549887X
• ISBN13: 9780385498876
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great book for both women and men!

I read this book for my bookclub - an all women's group. We had the best discussion from it. This book raised some thought-provoking questions. For example, why do many girls grow up thinking that they need to be independent (financially) to support themselves, yet many boys group up thinking that they need to be able to support themselves *and* their family? Hmmm... As an electrical engineer, I had always thought of myself as an independent woman, but why didn't I grow up thinking that I needed to support a family as well as myself? Peggy doesn't answer these questions, but the interviews with different women allow the reader to come to their own conclusions. The only criticism I have about this book is that many of the women interviewed have very similar careers. She interviews many lawyers, which actually seems to serve well as an example of a somewhat male dominated field. I thoroughly recommend this book for any woman in her 20s, 30s, or 40s - or any man wanting to understand women in that age group!

Outstanding Book

Incredibly provocative book. It will challenge you to really ponder and revel in your choices as a woman. Orenstein manages to cover a wide and representative range of lifestyles (young/single/career focused, married w/o kids, married w/kids/career, single mothers by choice, the stay at home mom after career). While covering every imaginable life choice, she also delves deeply enough into each of these woman's lives to give us a significant picture of the trade-offs, the joys, and the ongoing challenge of making choices between family, work and self fulfillment.I can't imagine any woman not finding this to be an uplifting read. One of the best books I've ever read. I cried at some extremely powerful passages in the book and laughed at others as I heard my life echoed back to me. There is a strong sense of control over one's destiny that resonates in your mind and heart after reading this book. I applaud Orenstein for her timely topic and enlightened presentation. It's truly a gift to all women.

Something new

I am a new mother in her 30s who recently decided to stay home full time. It was a very difficult decision. I picked this up in an airport layover on a recent vacation and did not put it down. Many late nights were spent with this book. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about the most recently read chapters or interviewees. I read parts of it to my husband who now also wants to read it. I love the books thoroughness, and the author's ponderings even more. She examines things with such candor, and describes conversations so eloquently. She does such a beautiful job translating not only the spoken, but also the unspoken. This is not just another feminist or mommy rant. Even the husbands are described and examined as vital and equal participants. She nails so many of the current issues and realities, and I found myself constantly reminded that even though the name on the door may be different, the same things are going on inside in so many ways.I am sending out invitations this week to start a book club just to have more conversation about it. It is the best thing I have read in a long time.

Couldn't Put This Book Down

Wow. FLUX is a great read--engaging stories, interesting voices, and salted with scintillating analysis by Orenstein. I recognized bits of myself, my life and thoughts, in nearly every woman she interviews, but I also felt enough distance from the women to fully appreciate some of the book's larger themes about women's choices. Particularly great is the fact that this book is not a standard feminist rant, but rather a thoughtful, upbeat yet realistic look at where we are in this "half-changed world." As a woman in her thirties, I found myself identifying with not only the younger women and those my age, but I also appreciated hearing older women's voices as well. If you liked SchoolGirls, you'll love this one.

Just what I needed...

Last weekend, I wandered into a bookstore musing about the current Big Decisions in my life -- Where is my career going? Should my husband and I start a family? What are my goals in life -- and I thought, "Too bad there isn't a book with all the answers."Orenstein's book doesn't answer all the questions, but it provides a wonderful -- and comforting -- framework for grappling with the questions women face in contemporary American life. And it's not a man-bashing manifesto. My husband actually started reading it over my shoulder, and he's been badgering me to finish it so he could have a turn. This is good stuff!