August 2023 Reads for the Rest of Us

PUBLISHED 8/1/2023 by

Each month, we provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.

I particularly enjoy books that are as entertaining as they are informative. Books that I just want to burn through because they are so good. Some call them “unputdownable,” and I dare say that on this list, you’ll find 30 that are just that.  (Another one that’s unputdownable? It’s 50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution, and it’s available for pre-order now.) Happy reading!

What Boys and Men Can Learn from Ken

PUBLISHED 8/1/2023 by

The Barbie movie reveals one of the patriarchy’s dirty little secrets: Not only does the patriarchy exclude and punish women; but it also harms men who don’t meet the very narrow definitions of ‘manhood’ that are most favored.

Millions of men have already seen the movie and enjoyed it immensely. This success is a testament to our ability to laugh at ourselves and some of the less attractive features of male-dominated cultures, without crying foul and embracing an unearned victim status.

War on Women Report: 14 States With Total Abortion Bans; Maternal Mortality Doubled Since 1999; Anti-Abortion Clinic Sued for Failing to Treat Ectopic Pregnancy

PUBLISHED 7/31/2023 by and

U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

This month: Total bans abortion bans are in effect in 14 states; a Massachusetts lawsuit alleges that a local anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center failed to spot an ectopic pregnancy; Dr. Caitlin Bernard fined $3,000 and formally reprimanded in a hearing lasting over 15 hours; in Maine paid and family medical leave become law; domestic abusers are using abortion bans to harm their victims; and more.

Who Do We Call to Solve Our Most Complex Problems? Vice President Harris

PUBLISHED 7/31/2023 by

Vice President Harris and Israeli President Isaac Herzog just announced $70 million in funding—half from the U.S. and half from Israel—for climate-smart agriculture to capture, store, use and protect water resources in the Middle East and Africa. And it’s no accident a project like this was put forward by the first female vice president in United States history who is a woman of color.

Illinois Law Holds Anti-Abortion ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ Accountable for Misinformation and Fraud

PUBLISHED 7/28/2023 by and

On Thursday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) signed “The Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act” (SB 1909) into law, prohibiting anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” from using deception or fraud to interfere with a person seeking access to abortion or other reproductive health services. The law became effective as of signing.

Illinois is the fourth state, following Connecticut, Colorado and Vermont, to enact a law reigning in the deceptive practices of crisis pregnancy centers, which often masquerade as reproductive health clinics to lure vulnerable women, and use lies and disinformation about abortion to pressure them to carry pregnancies to term. In applying to both deceptive advertising and fraudulent practices, the Illinois law goes far beyond the Connecticut, Colorado and Vermont laws, which address advertising and, in Colorado and Vermont, specific standards of practice.

“If the medical provider does not lie,” Rep. Margaret Croak said, “they have nothing to worry about.”

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: How Inequality Affects Women in Film; What Barbie Can Teach Us About the Gender Wage Gap

PUBLISHED 7/28/2023 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer are impossible without actors and writers, and women are still getting paid less in the industry; Christopher Nolan’s film had the opportunity to mention critical women of the atomic age but failed; Emily’s List’s new Madam Mayor program will “serve as a critical touchpoint” for woman mayors to receive support; and more.

The ‘Barbie’ Movie: “More Swipes at ‘The Patriarchy’ Than a Year’s Worth of Ms. Magazine”

PUBLISHED 7/27/2023 by and

With opening weekend now in the rearview mirror (of her pink convertible), Barbie has raked in more than $200 million at the box office—smashing prior records for women-directed and summer blockbusters. Reviews have run the gamut. But it is the Wall Street Journal’s take, in particular, that caught our eye—and reviewer Kyle Smith’s quip that Barbie “contains more swipes at ‘the patriarchy’ than a year’s worth of Ms. magazine.”

To this, we at Ms. say: Hear, hear! We’ve been tackling feminist issues for five decades—including in our forthcoming book, 50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION. So we know firsthand the force behind this magazine and its vast community of readers.  

Girl Bond Summer: Taylor, Barbie and Power of Collective Joy

PUBLISHED 7/27/2023 by

Girls are showing up, shaping popular culture for the better. Their choices tell us about friendship, connection, and how to forge joy in this world.

Of course, the power of girls as consumers and taste-makers isn’t new. And life remains pretty damn hard for young people. But when I see the Swifties in their ecstatic thrall, or the pink-clad Barbie hordes stampeding toward the theater, I think: We could all use a little more of that sincerity and exuberance in our lives.