WOMEN ACTIVISTS: Challenging the Abuse of Power

by Anne Witte Garland ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 1988

Here, nine skillfully done, inspiring portraits of women activists who took on battles with corporate and government giants as they fought for their communities, environments, justice, and peace. Garland writes that she ""deliberately sought out women who became activists for personal, practical reasons. . .personally faced with a threat or sense of injustice, and squarely faced it down."" So the reader learns the stories of: Marie Cirillo, a former nun who took on the government and strip-mining corporations; Bernice Kaczynski, who unsuccessfully battled General Motors, which eventually succeeded in demolishing her neighborhood in Detroit; Gale Cincotta in Chicago, who fought school boards to improve education and later went on to found a national community organizing group; Maria Fava and Mildred Tudy, who worked to provide educational opportunities for low-income women; Mary Sinclair, who blocked the building of a nuclear plant; Cathy Hinds, who exposed the truth about toxic wastes in East Gray, Maine; the ""Audi ladies"" of Long Island, who brought about the recall of Audi 5000's that had a lethal ""sudden acceleration"" defect; Cora Tucker, who fought for black and labor rights in Virginia; and the Greenham Common women, who opposed a nuclear missile arsenal in Britain. Despite the diversity of backgrounds, there are traits these women share that, Garland asserts, make women in general especially suited to the role of activist, the most important being that they see their activist work as a natural extension of their parenting, finding no barrier between the personal and the political. A direct, fast-paced narrative--as well as a heartening account of women's power and persistence in the face of seemingly insurmountable forces.

Pub Date: June 6, 1988

ISBN: 093531279X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Feminist Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1988

Categories: NONFICTION