Posts 1 & 2 - Gloria Steinem: My Life on the Road
Gloria Steinem: My Life on the Road
Post 1
I chose to read Gloria Steinem's "My Life on the Road" because I was familiar with her name and had a general understanding of her career as a women's rights activist, but had never delved deeper into her life story. Anyone who achieves fame for driving social or political change is certainly worthy of further examination. This book provides the opportunity to do just that.
It explains how her patterns of living with her parents as a child shaped her patterns of living as she grew older - in all stages, she tended to never stay in one place for too long. Traveling changed her perspective, allowed her to meet a great diversity of people, and learn from the constancy of novel experiences. This upbringing and chosen way of life are what allowed her to become an activist figurehead in women's rights and other social movements - it has also provided the stories which fuel her successful writing career.
Post 2
Of all the chapters in this book, the one that resonated with me the most was Chapter 3, entitled "Why I Don't Drive". It explains how she became a "communal" traveler - someone capable of finding her way across continents without ever gripping a steering wheel. While she may have missed out on the comforts of owning her own car, her life was enriched by the people she met throughout these experiences and they helped to shape her own worldview.
She begins the chapter by explaining that, as a teenager, she saw driving and owning a car as a symbol of individualistic freedom. She also saw it as a way of drawing a distinction between her mother - "a passive passenger" - and herself. She goes on to say the following:
"In the words of so many daughters who don't yet know that a female fate is not a personal fault, I told myself: I'm not going to be like my mother."
I found these words incredibly thought-provoking, especially because of how casually she writes them. The sentence is mid-paragraph. It's not an attention-grabbing hook or a cliff-hanging conclusion, it's just a profoundly truthful statement that encapsulates the multigenerational frustration of millions of women. Steinem's "My Life on the Road" gave me the opportunity to empathize with the female experience more than any other book I've read. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to do the same.
This book sounds super interesting. It seems like it has tons of cool written experiences.
ReplyDeleteI thought the quote you chose was very memorable. I tend to forget how drastically different the female experience is sometimes. Simple things like traveling on public transportation can be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to point out how nicely setup your blog is. Incorporating both your first and second both was interesting to see how you progressed. Your analysis was short and sweet, still capturing my attention. I wish you elaborated more on what you meant by being able to empathize with women, but maybe I just need to read the book on my own!
ReplyDeleteHi Joseph. Your blog is so well organized! I really love your choice to share that particular quote. It's very interesting to try and process it as a girl who has occasionally felt damned by her female identity in this world. I think it would resonate with nearly every girl in relation to their mother. Us gals seem to go through a phase when we become sworn enemies with our mothers for a bit until we figure out our own identities. I think I may have to read this book next just to understand it's context.
ReplyDeleteHi Joseph, I think it's interesting that she made it across countries without gripping a steering wheel. I can see how it can help her gain more experiences by meeting new people along her journey though.
ReplyDeleteI also read Gloria's book and laughed aloud at that sentiment because it's just so relatable. It's also interesting that this sentiment seems mostly exclusive to mothers and daughters. If you've heard otherwise I'd be interested to hear it but I don't know any sons who've ever fervently declared they'd be nothing like their father. I'm also happy to hear that her book opened your eyes to the necessity of the feminist movement and the feminine experience; we need more men who are willing to do that learning!
ReplyDeleteThis book seems super interesting, especially the part about her traveling communally. I don't know what I would do without my car, but it does make me think about how if you are scrappy enough, you can find your own way around with transportation.
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