Dear Princess Grace, Dear Barbie, Dear Betty

Synopsis

DEAR PRINCESS GRACE, DEAR BARBIE, DEAR BETTY is a candid and insightful memoir by the feminist writer and social critic Alida Brill (co-author of DANCING AT THE RIVER’S EDGE: A Patient and Her Doctor Negotiate Life With Chronic Illness) that spans her life from the onset of the modern women’s movement in the early 1960’s through the second wave in the 70’s and 80’s in which she became a leading figure and spokesperson. Her story begins in a post-war suburban town in Orange County, California when, as a young girl, she wrote a letter to her idol, Princess Grace of Monaco, who at the time seemed to her the embodiment of femininity,and whose life seemed a fairy tale come true; and, to her astonishment, she received a reply. Following this cornerstone event of her young years came the arrival of Barbie, in 1959, who represented an entirely different kind of woman in her stylish looks, suitcase and zebra-striped swimsuit. Then, in 1964 the publication of “The Book” (her term for “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan) caused a seismic shift first in her mother’s generation, and then her own, propelling Alida into a life of writing and activism, first in Berkeley, California in the and later in New York, where she worked as a board member of the Feminist Press, and became an early proponent of the National Organization of Women (N.O.W) alongside Bella Abzug. Along the way she became the close personal friend and confidante of Betty Friedan, one of the most powerful influences and inspirational figures in her life. The two of them shared a bond not only due to their personal beliefs but also because both suffered from chronic illness; Friedan with chronic asthma, and Alida Brill with a rare auto-immune disease that she has battled since adolescence and which irrevocably changed her life in all aspects. However, as Alida poignantly reflects in this memoir, it was due to and despite her chronic condition that she has been able to forge an indomitable self-image, and out of which her personal philosophy as a “romantic feminist” has evolved. This book is sure to join the conversation sparked by recent bestsellers like Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist and Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl in its inspirational message and quiet wisdom obtained from the author’s four decades at the heart of the women’s movement.

Copyright:

2016

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781936182862

Publisher:

Schaffner Press, Inc.

Date of Addition:

04/09/18

Copyrighted By:

Alida Brill

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Social Studies

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.