The Portable Feminist Reader

For Gay (Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business), feminism is a both/and proposition—something that defines her, even as she defies, denies, or denudes it. In her introduction to this collection of historical and recent feminist texts, she suggests that such complexity is woven into the stories people tell themselves about feminism and feminists. Designed to be an expansive—not definitive—feminist canon, the volume includes writings from various genres and authors of varied backgrounds. Highlights of the book include Kimberlé Crenshaw’s “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex” and Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” The book also situates texts by widely recognized feminists, such as bell hooks, Gloria Steinem, Audre Lorde, and Angela Davis, alongside standout essays by less-0famous authors, such as Franny Choi’s “To the Man Who Shouted ‘I Like Pork Fried Rice’ at Me on the Street.” This book makes feminism urgent, perhaps more than ever before.