Women of the revolution

Forty years of feminism

Kira Cochrane (ed), Guardian Books, 396 pages, paperback, £9.99

When hundreds gathered in 1970 for the UK’s first women’s liberation conference, a movement burst into action that was to transform the way we think, act and live.

In the 40 years since then, the feminist movement has won a number of triumphs and endured many trials.

The Guardian newspaper has followed its progress throughout, carrying interviews with, and articles by, the major figures. This collection brings together the best of The Guardian’s writing on women’s liberation.

Starting in the 1970s, there is Anna Coote, now head of social policy for the New Economics Foundation, writing about May Hobbs a night cleaner and union militant, or Leicester Asian women workers striking against low pay without the backing of their union.

And there’s Jill Tweedie on why feminists need to be angry, Polly Toynbee on violence against women and Hannah Pool on black women and political power.

If you want to take stock of where we are today, this book is a good starting point.

Many of the themes from the 1970s and 1980s — low pay, gender inequality, domestic violence — remain high on the agenda today.

This book, a portrait of an ongoing revolution, shows there is a long tradition of fighting for women’s rights.

Reviews contributed by the Bookmarks socialist bookshop. Order online at www.bookmarksbookshop.co.uk