HUDDLE

How women find support by banding together.

Inspired by the Women’s March of 2017—“the largest single-day protest on American soil”—CNN news anchor Baldwin traveled around the country interviewing women who have found “comfort, strategy, and stamina” from close camaraderie: what the author calls a huddle. “A huddle,” she writes, “is a place where women can become energized by the mere fact of their coexistence.” As a journalist in a male-dominated industry, Baldwin reveals her personal experiences in finding support from female mentors, sponsors, and her own huddle of friends. Women, she discovered, are each other’s “most valuable asset.” Conversations with women—some famous, such as Ava DuVernay, Stacey Abrams, and Gloria Steinem, and many others lesser-known—have convinced Baldwin that a “new, intersectional women’s movement” is thriving. In Houston, for example, she discovered the Black Girl Magic judge huddle, a group comprised of Black women supporting one another in their efforts to attain judgeships: In 2018, an unprecedented 19 were elected. Some of the huddles have had national impact: the #MeToo movement, for one, and Time’s Up, an initiative to raise money and public awareness for combatting sexual assault, harassment, and inequality in the entertainment and other industries. Other huddles emerge from various needs: Girls on the Run, a female-led nonprofit to support runners; Kode with Klossy, a coding camp for teenage girls; Hello Sunshine Filmmaker Lab for Girls, Reese Witherspoon’s project for empowering young aspiring filmmakers; GirlTrek, “America’s largest health movement for Black women”; and “the Badasses,” a text chain among newly elected Congresswomen. Besides huddles, Baldwin celebrates women who dedicate themselves to amplifying women’s stories and lifting up others. “When multiple women command respect,” Baldwin writes, “they provide a foundation for all women to demand respect.” Though the author uncovers little groundbreaking news, the stories are encouraging and often inspiring.

A celebration of female empowerment and empathy.