Best of
Feminism

1961

Breakthrough


Mercedes Valdivieso - 1961
    Met with applause as well as an outcry, the book was a significant step forward for women in Latin America. Challenging the constraints of societal expectation on women at the time it was written, the novel concentrates on a woman who realizes her own abilities to lead her life versus depending on a man.

Sunlight on a Broken Column


Attia Hosain - 1961
    At 15, she moves to the home of a "liberal" uncle in Lucknow. Here, during the 1930s, as the struggle for independence sharpens, Laila is surrounded by relatives and university friends caught up in politics. But Laila is unable to commit herself to any cause: her own fight for independence is a struggle with traditional life as she falls in love with a man not chosen by her family. With its beautiful evocation of India, its political insight and unsentimental understanding of the human heart, this is a classic of Muslim life.

Honoring Menstruation: A Time of Self-Renewal


Lara Owen - 1961
    As well as exploring menstruation as a key to woman's wisdom, there are also sections on natural healing methods for menstrual symptoms, exercises for spiritual rituals, and a radical view of PMS as a natural emotional release for women.