We’re back with our Equality Now Feminist Culture Club, bringing you a round up of recommendations from our staff and supporters of books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts that act as a megaphone for women’s rights. Want to read more? Head to our Feminist Culture Club archive.
Books
Black Disability Politics by Sami Schalk
Drawing on the archives of the Black Panther Party and the National Black Women’s Health Project alongside interviews with contemporary Black disabled cultural workers, Black Disability Politics explores how issues of disability have been and continue to be central to Black activism from the 1970s to the present.
Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne
This book is a timely exploration of misogyny, conceived in terms of the hostilities women face because they are living in a man’s world. It depicts how misogyny may persist in cultures in which its existence is routinely denied—including the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, countries often alleged to be post-patriarchal.
What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian edited by Shailey Hingorani and Varsha Sivaram
Co-authored by Indian women ( and a few men), this book is a collection of 38 personal essays that delve into the experience of living in brown skin while in Singapore.
Caste in my Family by Notes from Allies
This is a collection of narratives that chronicles the experiences of anticaste allies and the implications of going beyond one’s socialization.
Ride or Die: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women by Shanita Hubbard
Written by sociologist and journalist Shanita Hubbard, this book chronicles the personal experiences of black girlfriends. Ride or Die fervently dismantles cultural norms that require Black women to take care of everyone but themselves.
TV Programs
Anatomy of a Scandal
A sexual assault committed by an MP? Followed by an attempted cover-up? Anatomy of a Scandal unpacks the importance of consent and is a sharp commentary on the status quo.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
She-Hulk, starring Tatiana Maslany, is an adaptation of the comic series that follows a 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk. The show tackles the ‘overemotional female’ stereotype without feeling prescriptive.
Films
The Janes
The Janes is a HBO Max documentary that reveals the stories of a group of women activists in Chicago known as The Jane Collective, who provided safe but illegal abortions until the passing of 1973’s Roe v. Wade.
Passing
This Netflix drama, directed by Rebecca Hall, is an adaptation of the 1929 novel by author Nella Larsen. The film explores race, identity, and colorism from a Black point of view.
Joyland
This film chronicles the patriarchal Rana family, who crave the birth of a baby boy. The youngest of the Rana men secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. It is the first Pakistani Punjabi -language drama to feature a trans actor in a lead role and is set to be Pakistan’s entry for the Oscars in 2023.
Podcasts
Ordinary Equality – A Post-Roe World
Hosted by Kate Kelly and Jamia Wilson, the podcast explores the nuance of the women’s rights movement, from the ERA to the history of abortion access. Their latest season deciphers the future of abortion access and explores the stories of survival and resistance in a post-Roe world.
You’re Wrong About
You’re Wrong About is a history and pop culture podcast created by journalist Michael Hobbes and writer Sarah Marshall. Each week, this podcast provides accurate historical context to past events to understand how things actually happened.
Do you have any suggestions for us to share next month? Please send them to us at supporters@equalitynow.org, we’d love to hear from you!
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