Lynn Povich was one of the women involved in the two class action lawsuits that occurred in the early days of the second wave feminist movement. She was a researcher, a reporter, a writer, and moved all the way up to the number 3 spot as an editor. She recounts the story in vivid detail, sometimes a little too gossipy. Katherine Graham might seem like a publishing titan today, but back when she first took over The Post Company (Newsweek was owned by the same owners as the Washington Post), she was just oblivious to how to run, react, and diffuse conflict. She came across as really dim-witted heiress.

The women who joined Povich in the lawsuits get good page time, along with their bad ass lawyers; first was Eleanor Holmes Norton, then assistant director over at the ACLU. When the Newsweek women needing mentoring, she was their number one coach. When the women needed a kick in the pants, she was the star kicker. The second lawyer was Harriett S. Rabb; she was a dog with a bone when it came to holding Newsweek's feet to the fire.

The book was very much to the point of who, why, and when, which is not surprising since Povich is a reporter at heart; the NOOK edition I read was 205 pages. There is context as background and how the lawsuits fit in the bigger narrative of the revolutionary 1960s and early 1970s. She does address race and that the black researchers were asked to join the lawsuit but they had declined and she gave reasons why they declined. I like the way Povich also spotlights the women working at Newsweek today (Newsweek is now a joint publication with The Daily Beast) and their efforts to fight back on discrimination that is still on-going at Newsweek.  

To all my fellow Americans...

We have plans to have our holiday meal at a friend's house with other military families. Today I baked 3 pumpkin pies, 1 apple crisp, and defrosted one pecan pie (requested by my friend's husband and courtesy of my friend Marie Callendar). The rest of the weekend will be spent reading and watching movies - I DO NOT DO BLACK FRIDAY. I worked at Wal-Mart prior to going into the military and worked 3 BFs - honestly I would rather go back to Iraq than ever participate in the BF madness.

Here's the reading I hope to get done by the end of November:

1. Through Waters Deep (Waves of Freedom #1) by Sarah Sundin (for the second square)

2. Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich (for the first square- black and white cover)

3. The Toymaker by Kay Springsteen (for the first square - heroine is named Ivy)

4. Bloom by Kelle Hampton (Pop Sugar challenge and hoping to fill in another square on the 16 Tasks)

This book should have been a favorite for me--a fascinating true story of women working together and fighting sexism plus some mid-century details.  Instead, I read the whole book without feeling anything other than an academic interest in the fates of the protagonists, including the writer/narrator.  

This is my first Top Ten Tuesday! 

I've always been a bit of a history nerd, but as I became comfortable with calling myself a feminist, I realized I didn't know nearly enough about women in history. Or women's accomplishments in general. Or about people who don't identify as women or men. Or that people even existed that didn't identify as women or men. Or how bad the struggle still is all around the world. 

As I delved into feminist ideology, I also found the herstory genre. Here are my top ten herstory books for new (or any) feminists!

1. The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace - Lynn Povich  This was a great one for me becaue I have always thought of myself as a good girl too. I don't want anything special, just not to be held back by someone else's antiquated ideas about what I'm capable of. These girls loved their jobs and where they were working, they just wanted to be treated fairly and they were willing to go after that together. Loved it!
2. At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power - Danielle L. McGuire  I had learned a lot of the things covered in this book in Black History Month specials in middle and elementary school, but history just wasn't real to me back then. Of course, all these stories also get sanitized for children in schools so it's never as poignant as it should be. By the time we get to high school, we can recite the key points but it almost feels too late to actually digest and understand it. Then I read this book and it was like I heard it for the first time. More than the key points, this is a peak behind the curtain. It all finally made sense in a way that I never thought it could. 
3. The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution - Jonathan Eig I'd had no idea how bad it was before the mighty pill. I took it for granted. That'll never happen again. There are just too many things that we don't have to deal with or worry about or can take a stand against now that I can't even begin to explain the impact that little pill has made. Reading about it coming to fruition was fascinating. 
4. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Christina Lamb,Malala Yousafzai I have been in awe of Malala since I first heard her story. She is an amazing young woman who has already done more with her life than most. What do you do after being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize? I can't wait to find out.
5. Narrative of Sojourner Truth (Dover Thrift Editions) - Sojourner Truth,Olive Gilbert  I had heard the name of Sojourner Truth countless times. I knew it from those same February showcases mentioned above. I just never knew much about her. It wasn't until I listened to one of the many famous actresses recite her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech that I realized I had to read her narrative. I love that speech. You can find it here, read by my favorite of the actresses who has done so. 
6. Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots - Deborah Feldman I never knew much about Hasidic Jews but this had sounded interesting when I first saw it and it was. I know it isn't the picture of modern Jewish life and probably doesn't paint the kindest of pictures about being a Hasidic Jew, but it was still interesting to read about a world that was so foreign and yet not so far from where I am. 
7. Fragments Of Gender - Lisa Lees This is a collection of essays that explore life along the gender spectrum, rather than stuck on one side of it or the other. I knew relatively little about transgender and non-binary gendered people, so this was a revelation at just the right time. Don't get me wrong, I still don't have all the answers and make faux pas around people about this sort of thing, but I know more than the average cisgendered person, I think. I hope. I'm still learning, but as I said at the beginning, this was a great place to start. It gave me that first idea about what people went through and that was invaluable. 
8. Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War - Leymah Gbowee  Another Nobel Laureate, Gbowee has accomplished great feats by what seems like sheer will. She is amazing beyond belief and hearing her story was remarkable. She just understands so much about everything, especially healing. If you have ever doubted what women could be capable of if we just stuck together, pick up this book! 
9. Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World - Rachel Swaby I LOVE a good anthology! I've even talked about it a few Femme Fridays ago. The thing about these anthologies is that they prove that while we may not have been prevalent, we have always been present in STEM and war and other places some say we don't belong. This book has one woman for every week to learn about that did great things in science. I tore through it much faster than that, though. It's one of my favorites. 

Ok, I only had nine of my herstory books that I could honestly put on this list. The others that are on my shelf are good, but I don't feel like they exemplify parts of the experience quite the same way these do. While I strive for diversity in my reading, I also realized that I don't reach all groups. 

I had hoped to read Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by the time of this post, but it wasn't meant to be. I connected it anyway because what I saw in the table of contents led me to believe that I'll wish I had when I do get to read it. 

For more Top Ten Tuesday posts, check out the originator The Broke and the Bookish!

I have not been keeping up on TBR Thursdays* since at least the start of the year. I will pick it up again in April. Some of the books listed are from Harlequin's big sale late last year. Here are the books I picked up since the start of the year:

1. Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revoluntary by Anita Anand.

     Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast had an episode on Princess Sophia. I wanted more after listening.

2. The Sport of Baronets by Theresa Romain.

    A DABWAHA tournament nominee. Free novella, so I am taking the opportunity to read a new to me author. The author was hilarious when she was "trash talking" her competitors on Twitter.

3. True Pretenses by Rose Lerner.

     Lerner tends to feature working class and middle class MCs, which is nice break from the constant earl/duke/viscounts found in historical romance.

4. Far From Home by Neve Cottrell.

    Free from the NOOK store. Contemporary romance about politics.

5. Paddy Whacked by T.J. English.

    Non-fiction about the Irish Mafia.

6. The Stonemason and the Lady by Elizabeth McGlone

     Free from the NOOK store.

7. A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman.

   A long-time member of my wish list. Set in 1920s, so another nice break from Regency.

8. Mission to Murder (Tourist Trap #2) by Lynn Cahoon.

    The final piece needed to read through the series.

9. Succubus Lost (Files from the Otherworld Enforcement Agency #2) by Tiffany Allee

10. Lycan Unleashed (Files from the Otherworld Enforcement Agency #3) by Tiffany Allee

11. Vampire Games (Files from the Otherworld Enforcement Agency #4) by Tiffany Allee

      I picked up and read the first book (Banshee Charmer) in the series (free from the NOOK store) and liked it so much I picked up the rest of the series.

12. A Winter Wedding by Amanda Forester.

13. Listen to the Moon by Rose Lerner

14. Sisters in Law by Linda Hirshman

      Non-fiction book about Ruth Bader-Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor and their relationship on and off the bench.

15. Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill.

      Another wish list item. Seems everyone is reading this book.

16. Red: A History of the Redhead by Jacky Colliss Harvey.

      I blame Rebecca from Book Riot for mentioning this book in one of the podcasts. I love micro-history.

17. The Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich.

      One of the most important cases that started the second wave of feminism in the US.

18. The Nightingale Nurses (The Nightingales #3) by Donna Douglas

      Final book needed to read through the series. The series is really popular here in England.

19. Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon.

     Because I am still in mourning after DA is finished.

20. Dangerous Allies by Renee Ryan.

      WWII spies sent to spy on each other and the enemy. YES!!!

21. Her Holiday Family by Winnie Griggs

22. My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin.

23. The Bootlegger's Daughter by Lauri Robinson.

24. A Dance with Danger by Jeannie Lin.

25. The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin.

26. The Soldier's Dark Secrets by Marguerite Kaye.

27. A Lady for Lord Randall by Sarah Mallory.

28. A Mistress for Major Bartlett by Annie Burrows.

29. A Rose for Major Flint by Louise Allen.

Edited to add:

30. Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole. Romance set in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

31. Be Not Afraid by Alyssa Cole. Romance set in the American Revolution era.

*TBR Thursdays bookish meme created by Moonlight Reader