Thursday, January 3, 2013

The Good Girls Revolt Written by: Lynn Povich


Hello Readers, a Happy New Year and now in celebration of new and change I looked to the past and the present. The Good Girls Revolt, how the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses And Changed the Workplace. Written by: Lynn Povich was quite a powerful book. This book mostly focused on the feminist movement dealing with only Newsweek, but it allowed me as a reader glimpse more of what was going on less than a generation before my birth and just how daunting the male atmosphere was during the turbulent times called the 60's, 70's, and even up until present. This book just compelled you to want to read as it is accurate, a hands on encounter, and Lynn Povich shows us that really the feminist movement has just begun. I was born in 1985 so growing up I was told I could be anything I wanted to be the concept of not being able to be a police officer, manager, Dr., Senior Editor, Fire Fighter, etc... were quite foreign to me as a child and I was never told reading, playing sports, wearing guys clothes, etc.. would make it so I would never Marry. I wasn't  the generation of "We wore hats and gloves. We couldn't go to proms and parties without dates and the men had to do the asking. We also didn't have many role models in the working world." Most of us had graduated from college in the 60's, when half of our classmates earned their "M-R-S" and got married when they graduated in June. "Our generation was raised to be attractive and smart but not too smart," said Pat Lynden. "We were to be deferential to men, to get married, raise children, and be ornamental wives dedicated to our husband's careers." Yeah, no thanks if you want that life fine, but it is so not a life for me. So, to read this book and see how women put themselves and their careers on the line and generally didn't benefit from their actions themselves was quite inspiring. I am a feminist and proud of the fact I believe in equality in all its forms and that the only thing that should hold a person back is themselves if that is what they wish. But, to see how the world is today yes it is true we have come a far way especially compared to what I read in this book there are so many pages I highlighted and marked I wish I could share them with you the readers of this blog, but I think it would be best if you dove into the Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich and found out for yourself what a talented writer and just how strong a character the author is as was her fellow Newsweek co-workers. This book also shows how the civil rights movement bled into the feminist movement and so forth. It is interesting that in school we learned about these movements, but when you're a young child and have MTV and women in every part of the world working force well these movements just seemed so long ago. I just cannot imagine interviewing on a job as a man and having my editor say to me. "The best part of the job is that you get to screw the researchers." That, "he went on, "reflected the position of women as the news magazines  both literally and figuratively. It reinforced in young women that that's their position it's underneath. That's as far as they can get." Ok, that quote just made me "INSTANT FUME!" But, it shows just how a lot of people both men and women thought back then. The fact checkers and researchers at Newsweek were women and they were smart and well educated women in fact on par or above most of their male counterparts and superiors. These women were frustrated they were never given chances to advance due to "50 years of Newsweek tradition." So, in bathrooms and in secret these women gathered and brought their case forward and into the spot light. This story I had never heard of as had many people it seems but three current ladies at Newsweek brought this to the light and Lynn Povich gathers all of this historical data, information, and memories into a very cohesive and informative book. I absolutely loved and loathed this book. Loved because this is a tale of success but loath because we see the world even America after this current political race still has quite a long way to go. So a wonderful read and I tip my hat and remove my gloves in praise for this glimpse into the past and present.

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