VFA Recommended Books

Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future
Barbara J. Berg

The news in 2008 was that women had taken huge strides forward. Feminists’ decades-long struggle finally seemed to be paying off, not only in boardrooms, classrooms, and kitchens but also at the very top—in presidential politics. But what is the truth behind the headlines?

In Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future, renowned feminist author Barbara J. Berg debunks the many myths about how far women have come and the pervasive belief that ours is a postfeminist society. Combining authoritative research and compelling storytelling, Berg traces the assault on women’s status from the 1950s—when Newsweek declared “for the American girl, books and babies don’t mix”—to the present, exploring the deception about women’s progress and contextualizing our current situation. All women are hurt by a society lauding their attributes in speeches while scorning them in public policy and popular culture, and the legacy of the women’s movement is being short-circuited in every aspect of their lives.

Passionate, extensively documented, humorous, and persuasive, Sexism in America is simultaneously enlightening, frightening, and revitalizing. Berg, an ardent optimist, helps women understand where they are and why and how they can move beyond the marginalizing strategies. It is exactly the right book at exactly the right time.

"Sexism in America is a powerful and passionate analysis of the systematic degradation of feminist accomplishments-in education, employment, athletics, and elsewhere-and the virulent resurgence of sexism. In this convincingly argued and poignantly written analysis, Berg assiduously documents the conservative politics, policies, and practices that have caused American women and girls unremitting harm since the Reagan era-and especially under George Bush. Berg's is an undaunted vision of an anti-feminist past and its disastrous influence: an insecure present and uncertain future for females. Reminding us that the "personal is political," this book will provide women with an unambiguous understanding of a broader pattern of gender inequality. The daily incidents, insults, assaults, and setbacks that feel unfair to women and girls, turn out to be, deliberately unjust." -Miriam Forman-Brunell, Professor of History at University of Missouri-Kansas City.

About Barbara
Research and writing have always been essential aspects of Barbara's career. Her books are widely respected and quoted. She has also written for THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE BALTIMORE SUN. Her feature articles have appeared in both scholarly and popular magazines, PARENTS, MS., WORKING WOMAN and LADIES' HOME JOURNAL among them. 

Barbara has repeatedly been engaged in nationwide speaking tours, discussing such topics as women's health, parenting, balancing family and work, childbirth and adoption. Her extensive television appearances throughout the United States and Canada have included the morning talk shows in most major cities, CBS MORNING SHOW, THE DONAHUE SHOW, CNN and OPRAH. 

She has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, Yale Medical School, Columbia University's Physicians and Surgeons, The Academy of Medicine, Marymount College and The Horace Mann School where she started a women's history program. As a consultant to PBS, the National Endowment for Humanities, The Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, and The Rockefeller Foundation, Barbara has worked to get women's issues the attention they deserve. 

The recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, her biography is included in the recent book, FEMINISTS WHO CHANGED AMERICA (University of Illinois Press, 2006). 

Visit Barbara Berg's Website: www.barbarajberg.com

Contact Barbara Berg: barbara_berg@msn.com