To celebrate Barbie Summer, we wanted to give you a list of books that we think Barbie would love. Check them out! You may like them too.
Violence Never Heals by Allison Bloom
One out of every three women experience violence at their partner’s hand. More and more, resources are finally being allocated to give survivors immediate care. Immediate care is essential and necessary, but what happens after that? What happens to women, especially women from marginalized communities, when immediate care and treatment ends? Are they expected to go home and live with the effects of that violence indefinitely? Bloom asks that question and offers a life-course perspective on the long-term effects of systemic and gender-based violence, revealing that these experiences become subtly disabling long before old age. Using her background as a practitioner and extensive ethnographic fieldwork in a Latina program at an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) crisis center, Bloom points out that the effects of IPV don’t heal after treatment. Instead, Bloom provides an aging-focused perspective on IPV and lays out concrete steps to implement this perspective in pursuit of more comprehensive treatment.
Fierce and Fearless by Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and Gwendolyn Mink
This Barbie is a trailblazing legislator.
Fierce and Fearless is the first-ever biography of Patsy Takemoto Mink, best known as the legislative champion of Title IX. Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. Mink was an advocate for women and girls. She tirelessly defended Title IX, allowing girls to participate in school sports at the same level and importance as boys and men. “Every girl in Little League, every woman playing college sports, and every parent—including Michelle and myself—who watches their daughter on a field or in the classroom is forever grateful to the late Patsy Takemoto Mink.”—President Barack Obama, on posthumously awarding Mink the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014. Fierce and Fearless won the 2023 Mary Nickliss Prize in U.S. Women’s and/or Gender History.
Misogynoir Transformed
Misogynoir: Where racism and sexism meet.
Moya Bailey first coined the term misogynoir and defined it as how anti-Black and misogynistic representation in media influences ideas about Black women culturally and in digital spaces. Bailey dives into the concept by highlighting black women’s ability to confront misogynoir on social media sites like Youtube, Facebook, Tumblr, and more. Focusing on queer and trans women, Misogynoir Transformed highlights the importance of carving out digital spaces for black women and creating communities built around black queer creators. This book is a love letter to black women, praising their ability to disrupt mainstream narratives, erase stereotypes, and reclaim their lives.
Why Men Hurt Women and Other Reflections on Love, Violence, and Masculinity by Kopano Ratele
Published by our partner, Wits University Press, this book explores the possibility of a more loving type of masculinity in a society where structural violence and inequalities contribute to male violence. Ratele reflects on his own experiences as a partner, father, psychologist, and researcher in the field of men and masculinities. The book combines academic analysis with personal narratives, shedding light on the complexities of gender, intimacy, power, and the human need for love and care. Ratele argues for the evolution of masculinity and the capacity for men to show genuine loving care for each other and for women.
Coming soon…December 2023
The Pink Wave by William W. Parsons and Regina M. Matheson
I had to end this blog post with what (in my opinion) would be Barbie’s favorite book.
The Pink Wave explores how Trump’s election win and Hillary’s loss in 2016 motivated and inspired many women to enter politics. This book delves into why his victory motivated many women to run for office, the challenges women faced during their political campaigns, and the pink wave’s impact on women’s representation in politics. This book features insights from over 900 women while celebrating their impact and dedication to creating new opportunities for women in office.
