ANGRY GIRLS WILL GET US THROUGH

Shamir’s adaptation of a variety of Traister’s writings is an accessible primer on the history of women’s activism in the United States.

Organized into three parts (“Colonial Period-1920,” “1920-2016,” and “Resistance”) plus an introduction and conclusion, this work covers immense ground, starting with restrictive and horrifying marriage laws in Colonial America. The book shines a spotlight on Black women’s activism, deftly connecting the fight for the abolition of slavery with women’s rights advocacy. Sarah and Angelina Grimké, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone are among the early suffragists who appear. Readers learn that labor activism was often led by women organizers, including Mother Jones, Ella Reeve Bloor, Clara Lemlich, Rose Schneiderman, and Margaret Haley. The section on second-wave feminism explores Florynce Kennedy’s work and her connection to Gloria Steinem, positioning Kennedy’s activism as a particularly powerful form of effective anger, especially in the fight to legalize abortion. Traister shows how groundbreaking some women politicians—Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Lee, Patricia Schroeder, Carol Moseley Braun—were in challenging gender barriers to gain access to political office. This inclusive work also touches on the Chicago underground abortion network the Jane Collective and the involvement of trans women and lesbians at the Stonewall uprising. Ending with the #MeToo movement and 2024 presidential election, this book is comprehensive, engaging, and motivating. The focus on earlier history is especially significant because it encourages readers to reflect on how far women organizers have come.

A brilliant overview of essential history.