Staff Pick
My Life on the Road is a wonderful memoir told through moving and humorous anecdotes that cover everything from Steinem's family, her organizing activist life, and her political campaign work. As a product of the '70s, I had heard Gloria Steinem's name brought up and knew she was considered a feminist, though I had no clue as to her full impact on society then and now. Her compassion for everyone and ability to sit and listen to those she interacted with really shaped who she became and what she in turn taught to others. Reading about her history and take on life has thoroughly changed how I want to live out the rest of my life. Gloria Steinem has truly led an amazing wanderlust-filled life, touched many hearts, and changed history for all women. "...Adventure starts the moment I leave the door." Recommended By Mecca A., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Gloria Steinem — writer, activist, organizer, and inspiring leader — now
tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of her life as
a traveler, a listener, and a catalyst for change.
When people ask me why I still have hope and energy after all these years, I always say: Because I travel.
Taking to the road — by which I mean letting the road take you — changed
who I thought I was. The road is messy in the way that real life is
messy. It leads us out of denial and into reality, out of theory and
into practice, out of caution and into action, out of statistics and
into stories — in short, out of our heads and into our hearts.
Gloria Steinem had an itinerant childhood. When she was a young girl,
her father would pack the family in the car every fall and drive across
country searching for adventure and trying to make a living. The seeds
were planted: Gloria realized that growing up didn’t have to mean
settling down. And so began a lifetime of travel, of activism and
leadership, of listening to people whose voices and ideas would inspire
change and revolution.
My Life on the Road is the moving,
funny, and profound story of Gloria’s growth and also the growth of a
revolutionary movement for equality — and the story of how surprising
encounters on the road shaped both. From her first experience of social
activism among women in India to her work as a journalist in the 1960s;
from the whirlwind of political campaigns to the founding of Ms.
magazine; from the historic 1977 National Women’s Conference to her
travels through Indian Country — a lifetime spent on the road allowed
Gloria to listen and connect deeply with people, to understand that
context is everything, and to become part of a movement that would
change the world.
In prose that is revealing and rich, Gloria
reminds us that living in an open, observant, and “on the road” state of
mind can make a difference in how we learn, what we do, and how we
understand each other.
Review
"Like Steinem herself, [My Life on the Road] is thoughtful and
astonishingly humble. It is also filled with a sense of the momentous
while offering deeply personal insights into what shaped her." O: The Oprah Magazine
Review
"A lyrical meditation on restlessness and the quest for equity...Part of the appeal of My Life
is how Steinem, with evocative, melodic prose, conveys the air of
discovery and wonder she felt during so many of her journeys....The
lessons imparted in Life on the Road offer more than a reminiscence. They are a beacon of hope for the future." USA Today
Review
"A warmly companionable look back at nearly five decades as itinerant
feminist organizer and standard-bearer. If you’ve ever wondered what it
might be like to sit down with Ms. Steinem for a casual dinner, this
disarmingly intimate book gives a pretty good idea, mixing hard-won
pragmatic lessons with more inspirational insights." The New York Times
Review
"Steinem rocks. My Life on the Road abounds with fresh insights and is as populist as can be." The Boston Globe
About the Author
Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, editor, and feminist activist. In 1972, she co-founded Ms. magazine, and she remained one of its editors for fifteen years. In 1968, she helped found New York magazine, where she was a political columnist and wrote feature articles. Her books include the bestsellers Revolution from Within, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, Marilyn: Norma Jeane, and As if Women Matter (published
in India). Steinem has received the Penney-Missouri Journalism Award,
the Front Page and Clarion awards, the National Magazine Award, the
Women’s Sports Journalism Award, the Lifetime Achievement in Journalism
Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society of
Writers Award from the United Nations, the James Weldon Johnson Award
for Journalism, and many others. In 2013, she received the Presidential
Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.