Reckoning

April 15, 2019
In this inspiring but not unrealistically optimistic history, lawyer and cultural historian Hirshman (Sisters in Law) narrates the rise of what has become the #MeToo movement. The groundwork was laid in 1975, when law student Catharine MacKinnon made the case for sexual harassment to be deemed a violation of the Civil Rights Act, clearing the way for Meritor vs. Vinson, a landmark 1986 Supreme Court case decided in favor of a sexual harassment victim. Hirshman’s analysis of the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings and Bill Clinton’s treatment of Monica Lewinsky take Democrats to task for their uneven record on women’s issues: Joe Biden, she writes, failed utterly in his duty as committee chair at the Thomas hearing, while Clinton took advantage of Lewinsky’s naiveté and his own position of power. The book’s second half focuses on the online feminist activism that facilitated the eruption of #MeToo, including a breakdown of the New York Times and New Yorker reporting on Harvey Weinstein, and ends with the 2018 confirmation hearing for Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh, portrayed as an “eerie reenactment” of the Thomas hearing. Those seeking a tightly constructed narrative about how #MeToo became a cultural phenomenon will find it here, along with a celebration of the bold women who stood up for themselves to earn legal victories against harassment.

June 1, 2019

Author of the New York Times best-selling Sisters in Law, Hirshman here chronicles events that backstoried the #MeToo movement, starting with complaints about workplace harassment in the 1970s. With a 40,000-copy first printing.

Starred review from May 15, 2019
In this review of selected political, social, and legal scenarios that presaged the #MeToo movement, social-change chronicler and podcaster Hirshman (Sisters in Law, 2015) revisits pivotal events that catapulted sexual harassment, often a source of private shame, into the public arena. Hirshman begins by reminding readers about Mary Jo Kopechne's 1969 drowning at Chappaquiddick as an example of the ingrained, misogynistic atmosphere that long prevailed in U.S. politics. Set against this chilling backdrop, Hirshman presents the struggles of sex-abuse victims seeking justice, seen through the lens of such events as Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the movie classic 9 to 5, internet-supported grass-roots activism, contemporary newsmakers (Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, Harvey Weinstein), the Women's March, the huge international response to Alyssa Milano's original #MeToo tweet, and the resulting tsunami of testimonials. Hirshman documents behind-the-scenes details, political maneuvering, evidence that was presented or suppressed, truths that became apparent long after decisions went into effect, and how these developments affect current events. The unabated, continuing public outcry against sexual harassment is a reminder that resolution is long overdue.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2019

Hirshman (Sisters in Law) chronicles key events during a 50-year time span, from the time the phrase "sexual harassment" was coined in the 1970s and the 1980s workplace harassment cases of Paulette Barnes and Mechelle Vinson to the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and the rise of #MeToo. The author has an acute understanding of the intersections of sexual harassment and abuse, legal and political influence, and feminism, with sharp observations and sharper words for the people and politics, including liberal politics, who failed victims of harassment while giving leeway to perpetrators. While not every aspect of the book is given the same intersectional nuance--an early section lauds radical feminist Catharine MacKinnon's antipornography stance with no mention that the Canadian implementation of a MacKinnon-style ordinance resulted in years of difficulties for that country's LGBT communities--its critical eye and its highlighting of key roles played by women of color in the fight against abusers and harassers make it a valuable addition to the current literature on the topic. VERDICT An intense, harsh view of a long struggle; well worth a look for anyone curious about where #MeToo came from--and where it should go next. [See Prepub Alert, 12/3/18.]--Kathleen McCallister, William & Mary Libs., Williamsburg, VA

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