The World Split Open

"Some revolutions are hard to recognize: no cataclysms mark their beginnings or ends, no casualties are left lying in pools of blood. Though people may suffer, their pain is hidden from public view. Such was the case with the modern women's movement. In her extraordinary new work Ruth Rosen takes us on an unforgettable journey through the last half of the twentieth century, charting the accomplishments and failures of a movement that transformed our politics, our culture, and our lives. The World Split Open evokes a "you are there" sense of the past. Suddenly, the years roll back, and we experience the stigma faced by early pioneers, the heady nights of sexual adventure, the angry days of protest, the early euphoria of sisterhood, the bitter pain of betrayal. Here are the famous and unknown women whose collective outrage, indignant protests, zany humor, and gritty determination forced Americans to rethink what kind of society we would want--if women really mattered. The World Split Open debunks media-generated myths and surprises us with stories from a freshly excavated past. Feminists never burned their bras but were haunted by aprons; African-American women supported the movement more than their white counterparts; the FBI hired hundreds of women to infiltrate the women's movement; and, despite the media's repeated announcement of the death of the women's movement, feminism actually proliferated and burrowed deeply into American culture. Weaving together ten years of archival research and interviews, Rosen turns the complicated history of the women's movement into a compelling and coherent narrative. Writing with vigor and grace, she has created the balanced, meticulously documented, and evocative history that we expect from a distinguished scholar and activist. With uncompromising integrity, The World Split Open challenges us to understand how the women's movement has forever altered our lives and why the revolution is far from over. This extraordinary achievement and long-awaited history will attract men and women, entice educators and students, beguile movement veterans. and captivate those who came of age in the wake of this revolution."--Jacket.