This is a complex book.  It combines social theory, several personal stories, and a little bit of memoir into a very readable text.

 

The title certainly catches your attention, as you ask what is an everyday feminist.  The author offers an answer in the first chapter – several answers.

 

She’s an activist. She works for her community, not just herself.  She leads but doesn’t think of herself as a leader.  She is an ordinary woman with a passion for transformational change.  She mostly comes from marginalized communities.  She is politically astute.  She takes risks to do the right thing.  She is transparent and accountable, caring and generous.

 

The author has met a lot of everyday feminists, some of whom she describes in the book and some of whom speak in their own voice.  You may have heard about a few of them, but only a few.  Indeed,  most live in Africa or Asia.

 

That’s largely because the author has lived all over the world, often in charge of philanthropic programs to aid women and girls, a career not predicted by her law degree.  She currently heads the Global Fund for Women.  Her book often addresses “funders,” urging them to do more for girls and women.  

 

She frequently discusses social movements, which she sees has having a natural life cycle.  What funders should do depends in part of where in that life cycle everyday feminists are operating.

 

She describes that life cycle in Chapter 2, as well as the dimensions of movement capacity.

 

Several chapters describe the work of Everyday Feminists, including their work for men and boys.  She makes it clear that these women need more support, and more money, to achieve their goals.

 

The turning point in the author’s own life was the Fourth World Conference on Women, held near Beijing in 1995.  That’s where she was introduced to the concept of the everyday feminist and the work they do.  She’s been looking for ways to support them ever since.

 

 

Jo has finished her book The Second Freedom Summer: Expanding the Southern Electorate before and after the 1965 Voting Rights Act and is looking for a publisher.