The Public Woman
How are women supposed to make sense of the world today? Women have never had more freedom yet questions of inequality persist from the bedroom to the workplace. A quarter of a century after the publication of her seminal text Misogynies, Joan Smith looks at what women have achieved - and the price they've paid for it. From Amy Winehouse to Pussy Riot, from the veil to domestic violence, a war is being fought over women's bodies and minds. Smith shows how misogyny has assumed new and dangerous forms as we confront an economic, social and religious backlash. But that's only part of the story. The female eunuch has become the public woman, and she isn't going to go quietly. Written with wit and passion, this forensic analysis sets out what we're up against - and how to fight back.
Joan Smith is a novelist, columnist and human rights activist. She has been involved in campaigns for free expression, authors' rights, and literacy in Sierra Leone. She currently speaks for Hacked Off, the organisation which represents victims of phone hacking. She is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society and supports Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state.
