The Secret History of the Rape Kit is stunning: part thriller, part feminist reclamation, part personal journey, fully a page-turner. How did we not know about Marty Goddard?--Peggy Orenstein author of Girls & Sex and Boys & Sex

In 1972, Martha Marty Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline, counseling girls who had been molested by their fathers, their teachers, their uncles. Soon, Marty was on a mission to answer a question: Why were so many sexual predators getting away with these crimes? By the end of the decade, she had launched a campaign pushing hospitals and police departments to collect evidence of sexual assault and treat survivors with dignity. She designed a new kind of forensics tool--the rape kit--and new practices around evidence collection that spread across the country. Yet even as Marty fought for women's rights, she allowed a man to take credit for her work.

When journalist Pagan Kennedy went looking for this forgotten pioneer, she discovered that even Marty Goddard's closest friends had lost track of her. As Pagan followed a trail of clues to solve the mystery of Marty, she also delved into the problematic history of forensics in America. The Secret History of the Rape Kit chronicles one journalist's mission to understand a crucial innovation in forensics and the woman who championed it. As Pagan Kennedy hunts for answers, she reflects on her own experiences with sexual assault and her own desire for justice.

Here, archaeologically documented, is the story of the religion of the Goddess. Under her, women's roles were far more prominent than in patriarchal Judeo-Christian cultures. Stone describes this ancient system and, with its disintegration, the decline in women's status. Index; maps and illustrations.

With a new foreword by Moira Donegan, this long-awaited reissue of Dworkin's iconic study of women in American conservatism is paired with a bold, modern package to match Dworkin's visionary perspective and style.

Andrea Dworkin wrote Right-Wing Women in 1983--a crucial and deeply illuminating analysis of the right's position on abortion, homosexuality, antisemitism, female poverty, and antifeminism. Forty years later, the book feels more vibrant, clear-eyed, and visionary than ever, especially as these issues get relitigated in both legal and public forums. In addition to her revelatory and nuanced portraits of figures like Anita Bryant and Phyllis Schlafly, and an examination of the roots of a distinctly woman-led brand of American conservatism, Right-Wing Women will give readers the thrill of rediscovering the force and elegance of Dworkin's arguments and her skill as one of our most adept and prophetic feminist thinkers.

Why do women equate self-denial with being good?

We congratulate ourselves when we resist the donut in the office breakroom. We celebrate our restraint when we hold back from sending an email in anger. We feel virtuous when we wake up at dawn to get a jump on the day. We put others' needs ahead of our own and believe this makes us exemplary. In On Our Best Behavior, journalist Elise Loehnen explains that these impulses--often lauded as unselfish, distinctly feminine instincts--are actually ingrained in us by a culture that reaps the benefits, via an extraordinarily effective collection of mores known as the Seven Deadly Sins.

Since being codified by the Christian church in the fourth century, the Seven Deadly Sins--pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth--have exerted insidious power. Even today, in our largely secular, patriarchal society, they continue to circumscribe women's behavior. For example, seeing sloth as sinful leads women to deny themselves rest; a fear of gluttony drives them to ignore their appetites; and an aversion to greed prevents them from negotiating for themselves and contributes to the 55 percent gender wealth gap.

In On Our Best Behavior, Loehnen reveals how we've been programmed to obey the rules represented by these sins and how doing so qualifies us as good. This probing analysis of contemporary culture and thoroughly researched history explains how women have internalized the patriarchy, and how they unwittingly reinforce it. By sharing her own story and the spiritual wisdom of other traditions, Loehnen shows how we can break free and discover the integrity and wholeness we seek.

Men dominate history because men write history. There have been many heroes, but no heroines. Here, in Who Cooked the Last Supper?, is the history you never learned--but should have

Without politics or polemics, this brilliant and witty book overturns centuries of preconceptions to restore women to their rightful place at the center of culture, revolution, empire, war, and peace. Spiced with tales of individual women who have shaped civilization, celebrating the work and lives of women around the world, and distinguished by a wealth of research, Who Cooked the Last Supper? redefines our concept of historical reality.

A must-read investigation of reproductive health under fire in Post-Roe America.

I'm Sorry for My Loss delves into the abyss of pregnancy loss, a topic that is misunderstood and full of guilt and shame. It is written with emotional resonance and humor by authors who have both been through it themselves. Rebecca Little and Colleen Long, childhood friends who grew up to be journalists, enlighten readers on the deep, sometimes mystifying history behind how we view pregnancy and loss, including:

• The hidden links that bind together abortion, miscarriage, terminations for medical reasons, and stillbirth
• How the history of pregnancy loss in America shapes our views today
• Recent cultural and political changes that are leading to dangerous medical care for women
• And much more

The authors interviewed more than one hundred people who have lost a pregnancy, along with dozens of historians, linguists, midwives, doctors, and therapists to create a comprehensive work that examines pregnancy loss from every angle, from the inadequacy of the words we use to the legal and medical maelstrom, and the ways in which parents have created their own mourning rituals in a culture that lacks them. I'm Sorry for My Loss is an approachable and deeply readable book about a traditionally unapproachable topic.

Twenty thousand years ago, women were making and wearing clothing created from spun fibers. In Women's Work, archaeologist-linguist Elizabeth Wayland Barber weaves the strands of mythology and literature, ethnology and documented history into a rich tapestry (John Noble Wilford, New York Times Book Review), illuminating the vital role women held in pre-industrial societies. With a distinctive and innovative approach to ancient remains, Barber examines ancient textiles from Stone Age string skirts and ancient Egyptian sleeved tunics to intricate Neolithic Swiss linens and colorfully patterned Minoan dresses, offering us captivating glimpses into the daily lives of women through the cloth they made and wore.

Reissued with a bold, modern package, Andrea Dworkin's debut book Woman Hating argues that a deep-rooted hatred of women in history, art, politics, and beyond has reigned--and influenced and formed culture--for centuries.

A classic work in the canon of radical feminist thinking, Andrea Dworkin's 1974 debut Woman Hating is a stunning exploration of how women, and the idea of women, have been treated through the centuries. From fairy tales to erotic novels to medieval witch burnings, Dworkin uncovers the ways in which a rhetoric of hate and violence against women has been historically normalized, leading to a history of degradation, mutilation, and even killing.

A Must-Read: Vogue, Nylon, Chicago Review of Books, Literary Hub, Frieze, The Millions, Publishers Weekly, InsideHook, The Next Big Idea Club,

[Lauren] Elkin is a stylish, determined provocateur . . . Sharp and cool . . . [Art Monsters is] exemplary. It describes a whole way to live, worthy of secret admiration. --Maggie Lange, The Washington Post

Destined to become a new classic . . . Elkin shatters the truisms that have evolved around feminist thought. --Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick and After Kathy Acker: A Literary Biography

What kind of art does a monster make? And what if monster is a verb? Noun or a verb, the idea is a dare: to overwhelm limits, to invent our own definitions of beauty.

In this dazzlingly original reassessment of women's stories, bodies, and art, Lauren Elkin--the celebrated author of Flâneuse--explores the ways in which feminist artists have taken up the challenge of their work and how they not only react against the patriarchy but redefine their own aesthetic aims. How do we tell the truth about our experiences as bodies? What is the language, what are the materials, that we need to transcribe them? And what are the unique questions facing those engaged with female bodies, queer bodies, sick bodies, racialized bodies?

Encompassing a rich genealogy of work across the literary and artistic landscape, Elkin makes daring links between disparate points of reference--among them Julia Margaret Cameron's photography, Kara Walker's silhouettes, Vanessa Bell's portraits, Eva Hesse's rope sculptures, Carolee Schneemann's body art, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's trilingual masterpiece DICTEE--and steps into the tradition of cultural criticism established by Susan Sontag, Hélène Cixous, and Maggie Nelson.

An erudite, potent examination of beauty and excess, sentiment and touch, the personal and the political, the ambiguous and the opaque, Art Monsters is a radical intervention that forces us to consider how the idea of the art monster might transform the way we imagine--and enact--our lives.

In the tradition of confessional and lyrical poets like Cynthia Cruz, Linda Gregg, Sylvia Plath, and Franz Wright, Another Woman explores female sexuality, anguish, and abjection within the decline of a romantic relationship as well as through biblical, mythical, or pop cultural figures such as Delilah, Aphrodite, or Karen Carpenter. Through compressed prose and a fierce attentiveness to the natural landscape, Another Woman depicts the atomization of heartbreak with, what Dwight Garner writes of Frank Stanford's poetry, a dirt-flecked urgency. The collection culminates in new gradations and understandings of what it means to be a woman-and the multiplicity of selves that live within one body.

Manne examines recent and current events such as the Isla Vista killings by Elliot Rodger, the case of the convicted serial rapist Daniel Holtzclaw, who preyed on African-American women as a police officer in Oklahoma City, Rush Limbaugh's diatribe against Sandra Fluke, and the misogyny speech of Julia Gillard, then Prime Minister of Australia, which went viral on YouTube. The book shows how these events, among others, set the stage for the 2016 US presidential election. Not only was the misogyny leveled against Hillary Clinton predictable in both quantity and quality, Manne argues it was predictable that many people would be prepared to forgive and forget regarding Donald Trump's history of sexual assault and harassment. For this, Manne argues, is misogyny's oft-overlooked and equally pernicious underbelly: exonerating or showing himpathy for the comparatively privileged men who dominate, threaten, and silence women.

An incisive yet personal look at the science and history of the most common surgery performed in America--the cesarean section--and an exposé on the disturbing state of maternal medical care

When Rachel Somerstein had an unplanned C-section with her first child, the experience was anything but routine. A series of errors by her clinicians led to a real-life nightmare: surgery without anesthesia. The ensuing mental and physical complications left her traumatized and searching for answers about how things could have gone so wrong.

In the United States, one in three babies is born via C-section, a rate that has grown exponentially over the past fifty years. And while in most cases the procedure is safe, it is not without significant, sometimes life-changing consequences, many of which affect people of color disproportionately. With C-sections all but invisible in popular culture and pregnancy guides, new mothers are often left to navigate these obstacles on their own.

Somerstein weaves personal narrative and investigative journalism with medical, social, and cultural history to reveal the operation's surprising evolution, from its early practice on enslaved women to its excessive promotion by modern medical practitioners. She uncovers the current-day failures of the medical system, showing how pregnant women's agency is regularly disregarded by providers who, motivated by fear of litigation or a hospital's commitment to efficiency, make far-reaching and deeply personal decisions on behalf of their patients. She also examines what prevailing maternal and medical attitudes toward C-sections tell us about American culture.

Invisible Labor lifts the veil on C-sections so that people can make choices about pregnancy and surgical birth with greater knowledge of the risks, benefits, and alternatives, with information on topics including:

VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and repeat c-sectionPain and pain management during childbirthHow C-sections can affect family planningThe valuable role of midwives and doulas in the birth experienceThe myths behind natural childbirth How limitations put on reproductive rights impact pregnant people

With deep feeling and authority, Somerstein offers support to others who have had difficult or traumatic birth experiences, as well as hope for new forms of reproductive justice.

A fresh feminist appraisal of the pop culture canon. --Publishers Weekly

How bitches, trainwrecks, shrews, and crazy women have taken over pop culture and liberated women from having to be nice.

Female characters throughout history have been burdened by the moral trap that is likeability. Any woman who dares to reveal her messy side has been treated as a cautionary tale. Today, unlikeable female characters are everywhere in film, TV, and wider pop culture. For the first time ever, they are being accepted by audiences and even showered with industry awards. We are finally accepting that women are--gasp--fully fledged human beings. How did we get to this point?

Unlikeable Female Characters traces the evolution of highly memorable female characters, examining what exactly makes them popular, how audiences have reacted to them, and the ways in which pop culture is finally allowing us to celebrate the complexities of being a woman. Anna Bogutskaya, film programmer, broadcaster, and co-founder of the horror film collective and podcast The Final Girls, takes us on a journey through popular film, TV, and music, looking at the nuances of womanhood on and off-screen to reveal whether pop culture--and society--is finally ready to embrace complicated women.

Praise for Unlikeable Female Characters:

Fascinating, insightful, and kick-ass. --Emma Jane Unsworth, internationally bestselling author of Grown Ups and Animals

Beautifully written. --Chelsea G. Summers, author of A Certain Hunger

Part-cultural exposé, part-Taylor Swift album. --Clarisse Loughrey, Chief Film Critic at The Independent

Brilliant masterpiece breaking down the tired tropes of TV and beyond. --Aparna Shewakramani, author of She's Unlikeable and star of Indian Matchmaking

A must-read investigation of reproductive health under fire in Post-Roe America.

I'm Sorry for My Loss delves into the abyss of pregnancy loss, a topic that is misunderstood and full of guilt and shame, written with emotional resonance and humor by authors who have both been through it themselves. Rebecca Little and Colleen Long, childhood friends who grew up to be journalists, enlighten readers on the deep, sometimes mystifying history behind how we view pregnancy and loss, including:

• The hidden links that bind abortion, miscarriage, terminations for medical reasons, and stillbirth together
• How the history of pregnancy loss in America continues to affect our view of it today
• Recent cultural and political changes that are leading to dangerous medical care for women
• And much more

The authors interviewed more than one hundred people who have lost a pregnancy, along with dozens of historians, linguists, midwives, doctors, and therapists to create a comprehensive work that examines pregnancy loss from every angle, from the inadequacy of the words we use to discuss pregnancy loss to the legal and medical maelstrom, and the ways in which parents have created their own mourning rituals in a culture that lacks them. I'm Sorry for My Loss is an approachable and deeply readable book about a traditionally unapproachable topic. For those who have experienced loss, the book aims to comfort but not pander. For everyone else, it is a valuable resource to understand this particularly painful, and often private, loss, and why conversations around pregnancy loss and women's healthcare are vital for everyone.

A powerful tapestry of letters between Black and White women, interwoven with stories of pain, forgiveness, and the transformative power of compassion. This collection aims to bridge the divide between women and start the healing of a nation's soul.

In the summer of 2020, Bonita T. Hampton Smith's life was upended. Like millions around the world watching the brutal killing of George Floyd unfold, Smith watched in horror as Floyd took his final breath. In the years following that injustice, Dear White Woman, Dear Black Woman: A Tapestry of Letters for Hope and Healing was borne.

Inspired by Coretta Scott King's words, Women, if the soul of a nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul, and recognizing women's unique ability to change the trajectory of our nation, Smith invited White women to write letters to Black women, and Black women to write letters to White women. Through these heartfelt letters, women of diverse backgrounds share raw stories mixed with pain and love.

Dear White Woman, Dear Black Woman is a powerful collection that candidly unpacks difficult topics around inequality, privilege, and resentment. Through these heartfelt letters, we discover that the journey toward innerstanding and unity starts with honest dialogue - even when it's uncomfortable.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In her book, Melinda tells the stories of the inspiring people she's met through her work all over the world, digs into the data, and powerfully illustrates issues that need our attention--from child marriage to gender inequity in the workplace. -- President Barack Obama

The Moment of Lift is an urgent call to courage. It changed how I think about myself, my family, my work, and what's possible in the world. Melinda weaves together vulnerable, brave storytelling and compelling data to make this one of those rare books that you carry in your heart and mind long after the last page. -- Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Dare to Lead

Melinda Gates has spent many years working with women around the world. This book is an urgent manifesto for an equal society where women are valued and recognized in all spheres of life. Most of all, it is a call for unity, inclusion and connection. We need this message more than ever. -- Malala Yousafzai

Melinda Gates's book is a lesson in listening. A powerful, poignant, and ultimately humble call to arms. -- Tara Westover, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Educated

A debut from Melinda French Gates, a timely and necessary call to action for women's empowerment.

How can we summon a moment of lift for human beings - and especially for women? Because when you lift up women, you lift up humanity.

For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.

In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she's learned from the inspiring people she's met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, That is why I had to write this book--to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.

Melinda's unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention--from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and finding her voice. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world--and ourselves.

Writing with emotion, candor, and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another.

When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.

If only one book about women in the West were available, this certainly would be an appropriate choice.--Westerners Bookshelf

Pioneer Women provides a rare look at frontier life through the eyes of the pioneer women who settled the American West. Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith vividly describe the hardships such women endured journeying west and making homes and communities on the frontier. Their hopes and fears and, most of all, their courage in the face of adversity are revealed in excerpts from journals, letters, and oral histories. Illustrated with a fascinating collection of seldom-seen photographs, Pioneer Women reveals the faces as well as the voices of women who lived on the frontier.

The authors portray a wide variety of women, from those who found liberty and confidence in undertaking men's work to those who felt burdened by the wind, the weather, and the struggle of frontier life.