Reimagining Equality

In the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis, Hill (social policy, law, & women's studies, Brandeis Univ.; Speaking Truth to Power), who became famous overnight 20 years ago for speaking of sexual harassment in the Clarence Thomas hearing (not mentioned in this book), here writes compellingly on the topic of home and just what it means in America. In an approach that is both sweeping and engaging, Hill examines the role of gender and race in access to housing and the accompanying opportunities. She brings to bear her considerable skills as a scholar—the slim volume is chockablock with relevant case law and trenchant arguments regarding social policy—while invigorating her scholarship with compelling narratives from her own family's history, from the lives and work of important historical figures (from Abigail Adams to Nannie Helen Burroughs and Ida B. Wells), and from contemporary American women affected by the housing crisis.