THE FEMINIST UTOPIA PROJECT

A few dozen writers envision a more balanced world.

This collection illuminates a potential new environment in which women, girls, and the entire realm of feminism are subjects that are revered and honored instead of denigrated and/or pushed into the background. As editors Brodsky and Nalebuff write, “it’s so easy to internalize the limitations imposed on us by American electoral politics today. Our hopes for progress are confined by what (usually male) politicians tell us we can and can't have.” In order to define what a better realm might look like if women had more influence on the ways their lives are governed and treated, the editors offer these essays, interviews, and art, which explore a vast array of topics concerning inequality, the present-day norm. In these optimistic viewpoints, women can take up to five years of parental leave after the birth of a child, the Constitution is rewritten to reflect a female perspective, boys can wear pink, teen moms can attend high school while their child is enrolled in the on-campus day care, and transgender people are accepted like everyone else. Some of the pieces look far into the future, showing that a certain amount of time has passed before government and society have advanced enough to embrace these ideas, while other thoughts could be easily obtained if given enough support. The editors have done a solid job balancing the seemingly impossible with ideas that should already be in place, which only emphasizes how important it is that women continue to speak their minds in defense of their bodies and beliefs. The contributors include Jill Soloway, Sheila Heti, Janet Mock, Maya Dusenbery, Jenny Trout, and Julie Zeilinger.

Wildly creative ideas from intelligent writers who want more for women, regardless of race, religion, or sexual preference.