Bitching

by Marion Meade

In the early 1970s, the national conversation regarding feminism was very different. Public discussions of womanhood--single life, marriage, workplace harassment, rights, gripes--were often channeled through movement spokeswomen and always refracted through the lens of talking to men about men. Little was shared about the chats happening behind closed doors where everyday women talked to women without the threat of men listening in. But, all that changed with the book Bitching.

Originally published in 1973, Bitching is journalist and author Marion Meade's deep and insightful investigation into the real dialogue happening inside coffee klatches, consciousness-raising groups, and therapist's sessions. Using excerpts from real taped conversations, Meade presents the frustration, anger, resigned acceptance, and scathing humor that make up the female experience from birth to grave.

For the first time, male chauvinist behavior goes fully examined and unexcused, and the roles men force upon women get broken down to their sometimes ridiculous component parts. A snapshot into a key time in the feminist movement, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in how far we have come . . . or how much we have stayed the same.

Genres: Gender

250 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Marion Meade is an American biographer and novelist, whose subjects stretch from 12th century French royalty to 20th century stand-up comedians. She is best known for her portraits of literary figures and iconic filmmakers.

Her new book, Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney, is a joint biography of a husband and wife whose lives provide a vivid picture of the artistic milieu of the Jazz Age and the Great Depression.

For more information on Lonelyhearts--and an exciting photo gallery--visit http://www.nathanaelwest.com

Reviews

[BLRBrazil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love books and love to recommend good ones for others to enjoy, so this is a first for me: I intend to conduct a ritual book burning session with this one! I recognise all the hateful things that certain men do to women, and they do need to be brought to general attention, and particularly men's attention, in the hope that consciences will be pricked and bad habits/attitudes changed. But this is not the book to do it, because it is more likely to be counter productive. That is because the entire thing so clearly comes from an "I hate men" stance that it is more likely to simply generate a 'hate women' reaction from men, who are portrayed as the entire problem with the planet and only women's scheming can preserve them from the tyranny. According to the author, men are to be despised and cheated, as that is the only way to deal with them. There is no room for honesty in the relationship, no room for living with them as equals, as it is a battleground and the fight is to the death. I do not know whether this comes across in the author's other works or even if this is her real feeling towards men, but it comes across very strongly in every page of this book and I only stuck the relentless anger out in order to see where the book would end up. Sadly, it ought to be in a fire, as I wouldn't want to see anybody else exposed to this perverted bias.