Revolution From Within: A Book of Self-Esteem

Rating:
Summary: The Deepest Revolution
Review: Over the past forty years, Gloria Steinem has been on the forefront of a historical, life-giving revolution: modern feminism. She has accomplished herself as both an activist and a writer, making her name commonplace in household discussion. She has dedicated her life to giving women a voice in politics where they otherwise would have had no voice; she is greatly admired and revered by men and women alike. As one of the most influential women of the last century, she has worked hard to topple the prejudice of our patriarchal society -- and only now as we enter the twenty-first century are we finally beginning to see it come crashing down as women become more enlightened and empowered. Steinem has penned her favorite memoirs from these past forty years in a book called "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions," which focuses primarily on feminism's global revolution. In "Revolution From Within," however, Steinem turns the tables: before someone can become completely engaged in a political revolution, they must first complete a miniature revolution within themselves, a revolution just as important as any other. Perhaps this revolution is even more important because it directly influences the way we view ourselves, and in turn, the level of happiness in our life.

There were many times in recent history when minorities were raised to feel ashamed of who they were. Not more than 50 years ago, African Americans were still raised to feel inferior to Caucasians. Not more than 30 years ago, women were raised feeling inferior to men. And at this very moment, gays and lesbians secretly growing up in homophobic households believe that they are worthless simply because they were born with a different sexual orientation. Steinem says that all minorities at some point or another had to assert their self worth before they began to fight for their rights. They had to have the courage to stand up in the face of considerable danger for their dignity and their equality because they knew they were valuable. They all took it upon themselves to change their world, knowing that they would be mocked and ridiculed for doing so. They couldn't have done it -- and these external revolutions couldn't have happened -- without self-esteem. The biggest barriers to happiness in a person's life aren't external; they're internal. Steinem says that when she traveled, she saw women who were smart, courageous, and valuable who didn't think they were smart, courageous, or valuable. Once someone can come out of bondage to say that yes, they are smart, or yes, they are valuable, real life can begin. It happens when African Americans realize that the color of their skin will not rule their lives. It happens when women realize that their anatomical sex will not limit the kind of person they become. It happens when gays and lesbians realize that they can lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives, just as any heterosexual can. When these minorities experience a revolution from within, they gain self-esteem and learn that they are beautiful just as they are -- a feeling that no human individual should be denied.

Speaking as someone who hasn't always had self-esteem or much confidence in myself because I am both gay and mildly disabled, Steinem's book has been invaluable to me. Steinem's words have left me with some indelible advice: always do what feels right to you, and don't let others make you feel ashamed of being yourself. As she says in her closing remarks, there is always one true inner voice -- trust it. I highly recommend "Revolution From Within" to others that believed at some point in their lives that they were not valuable or acceptable as their true selves. This book's inspirational, healing power will never make up for the damage done by low self-esteem in the past, but it can do something about the future. Along with external revolutions such as feminism, self-esteem will allow us all to live fully, graciously, peacefully. It will, after years of suffering, transform life into an event finally worth experiencing. There can be no greater or deeper revolution than the one that comes from within, and there is perhaps no one more qualified to guide you on this personal journey than Gloria Steinem.

Rating:
Summary: The Deepest Revolution
Review: Over the past forty years, Gloria Steinem has been on the forefront of a historical, life-giving revolution: modern feminism. She has accomplished herself as both an activist and a writer, making her name commonplace in household discussion. She has dedicated her life to giving women a voice in politics where they otherwise would have had no voice; she is greatly admired and revered by men and women alike. As one of the most influential women of the last century, she has worked hard to topple the prejudice of our patriarchal society -- and only now as we enter the twenty-first century are we finally beginning to see it come crashing down as women become more enlightened and empowered. Steinem has penned her favorite memoirs from these past forty years in a book called "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions," which focuses primarily on feminism's global revolution. In "Revolution From Within," however, Steinem turns the tables: before someone can become completely engaged in a political revolution, they must first complete a miniature revolution within themselves, a revolution just as important as any other. Perhaps this revolution is even more important because it directly influences the way we view ourselves, and in turn, the level of happiness in our life.

There were many times in recent history when minorities were raised to feel ashamed of who they were. Not more than 50 years ago, African Americans were still raised to feel inferior to Caucasians. Not more than 30 years ago, women were raised feeling inferior to men. And at this very moment, gays and lesbians secretly growing up in homophobic households believe that they are worthless simply because they were born with a different sexual orientation. Steinem says that all minorities at some point or another had to assert their self worth before they began to fight for their rights. They had to have the courage to stand up in the face of considerable danger for their dignity and their equality because they knew they were valuable. They all took it upon themselves to change their world, knowing that they would be mocked and ridiculed for doing so. They couldn't have done it -- and these external revolutions couldn't have happened -- without self-esteem. The biggest barriers to happiness in a person's life aren't external; they're internal. Steinem says that when she traveled, she saw women who were smart, courageous, and valuable who didn't think they were smart, courageous, or valuable. Once someone can come out of bondage to say that yes, they are smart, or yes, they are valuable, real life can begin. It happens when African Americans realize that the color of their skin will not rule their lives. It happens when women realize that their anatomical sex will not limit the kind of person they become. It happens when gays and lesbians realize that they can lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives, just as any heterosexual can. When these minorities experience a revolution from within, they gain self-esteem and learn that they are beautiful just as they are -- a feeling that no human individual should be denied.

Speaking as someone who hasn't always had self-esteem or much confidence in myself because I am both gay and mildly disabled, Steinem's book has been invaluable to me. Steinem's words have left me with some indelible advice: always do what feels right to you, and don't let others make you feel ashamed of being yourself. As she says in her closing remarks, there is always one true inner voice -- trust it. I highly recommend "Revolution From Within" to others that believed at some point in their lives that they were not valuable or acceptable as their true selves. This book's inspirational, healing power will never make up for the damage done by low self-esteem in the past, but it can do something about the future. Along with external revolutions such as feminism, self-esteem will allow us all to live fully, graciously, peacefully. It will, after years of suffering, transform life into an event finally worth experiencing. There can be no greater or deeper revolution than the one that comes from within, and there is perhaps no one more qualified to guide you on this personal journey than Gloria Steinem.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Believe the Hype
Review: Perhaps it was merely the same old game of mass media trivializing an important cultural development, but the so-called "recovery" movement that reached its peak in the early 1990s has yet to recover from its widely-held reputation as a soft-headed, touchy-feely, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit people like me," New Age sort of deal. Since everyone knew that pop-cultural conceptionalizations of important psychological concepts such as self-esteem cynically had been turned into little more than vehicles to get us to our private promised lands of personal and public success--while gleaning for their authors and designers massive amounts of money from people in pain--the recovery movement, almost from the get-go, was suspect: This is your brain...This is your brain on Faith Popcorn and Tony Robbins...Any questions?

And, after all that prattle about co-dependency and "inner children," what seemed to be missing? Susan Powter's hairstylist? Think again.

According to Gloria Steinhem, one of modern feminism's most controversial figures, the recovery movement has never managed to fully examine and explore the crucial, culture-wide roots of poor self-esteem and what she calls "an inauthentic self." Like a mechanic diagnosing the machinery of oppression in our corner of the world with tools borrowed from the recovery movement and self-help therapy, Steinhem cogently argues that when individuals--such as the poor, or women, or racial minorities--are continually marginalized, suppressed, ridiculed and ignored by a culture that holds a huge stake in their invisibility, they sink into a sense of obliviousness and apathy. After all, how is a single diabetic mother on welfare supposed to relate to the standards of beauty fostered by Jane Fonda and Heather Locklear? And, if these "outer" roots of poor self esteem are not rooted out of the "inner" self, any possiblity of changing the status quo--whether within the scope of our own lives or in the wider scope of political, social or cultural life--diminish and disappear. In other words, if we don't end oppression in our "inner lives," how can we end it in the greater world? Using examples from her private life and her childhood, and gathering a wide array of theraputic and sociological evidence--as well as snippets of history and current events--Steinhem makes a strong, commonsense case for her arguments that is both easy to read and unencumbered by the dippy Marxist rulemaking and ideological hair-splitting that, even now, continues to marginialize and disempower feminism. And, for those who don't quite understand the rage behind feminism (or who only think we do), "Revolution From Within" is a compassionate and helpful survey of feminist thinking replete with hundreds of references and suggestions for further reading.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: This book addresses the problem of self-esteem in general, but it is particularly suited for women. While every woman will not agree with all of Gloria Steinem's views, this book has become a classic. It addresses a fundamental problem in the female life cycle. The author has developed a clear insight into her own inner struggles, and has a remarkable ability of introspection. One may have the genes, the education, the financial security, and many other advantages in life, but if a woman is lacking in self-esteem their talents are wasted. The author has seen if happen among women, and obviously felt compelled enough to write a book about the problem. Gloria Steinem is a voice, one voice, but what a voice!

Rating:
Summary: A BOOK OF SELF-ESTEEM?
Review: This book is Ms. Steinem's psychological autobiography. She certainly is a very intelligent and independent thinker but certain things, it seems, remain impossible for her to comprehend. When she writes, "marriage is like a little death" you immediately sense you are in the hands of a radical feminist. You can see your way clear to supporting her support of fat women(even though doctors tell us this not healthy) and lesbians, perhaps, but at certain point it becomes clear she is more anarchist than thoughtful intellectual. When she say: "overthrow the whole f...ing. patriarchy" you want to step back and think about what road she is actually taking you, the reader, down. The book is about self-esteem(something force fed to young black males in the 60's just before their rate of incarceration shot from near 0 to 50%) but does she really know what she means. Would she have us say to our children, "you are the product of a little death" to build their self-esteem? Or is she thinking of her perfect world in which there is no marriage? She fully reveals her extremely sad and unhappy childhood but nevertheless seems to have learned so little from it. If fact, men and women created each other through the forces of evolution for compatibility but she insists on ignoring this basic biology in favor of her own personal politics which seems little more than an extension of the disappointment she suffered at her father's hand. There are many books like: His Needs,Her Needs and The 91% Factor:Why Women Initiate 91% Of Divorce, which treat men and women as equal, and fundamentally compatible. They proceed on the safe, intellectually supportable, and civilized assumption that peace and love between the sexes is prefered to Ms. Steinem's constant battle of the sexes which seemingly can never be won.

Rating:
Summary: Love this book! I've listened to the audio countless times!
Review: This is one of those books I wish I could get everyone to read. I love Gloria Steinem and all of her books, but this is definitely my favorite. I've read it twice and have listened to the audio countless times. Just listening to her is comforting. This book reminds us to question the status quo and listen to our true selves more. We are so used to doing things a certain way that we don't stop to question why some things are the way they are. Women are taught to think and act a certain way and so are men. Anyone who strays from the course is ostracized. Most people underestimate the importance of self-esteem. But if more people felt better about themselves, they wouldn't do or say the things they do. If you felt stronger, more comfortable and happier with yourself, not only could you deal with any abuse from others, you would be less likely to dish it out yourself. Please read this book or listen to the audio.

Rating:
Summary: Self-esteem = Responsibility
Review: We are the same age, in the same generation of the "transitional women." I related very much to Ms. Steinem's odyssey, as in principal it was my own. I am glad that our #1 spokesperson has published what I found out myself: we have power, we needn't ask for it or demand it, and we must guard it and use it responsibly. Even my mother, who despaired of me, has turned into a Steinem fan after she read the book! Ms. Steinem is a leader, an extremely intelligent and feminine woman. I am gratified to have her as a mirror and an articulate commentator on what it is to be a women in America.