September 11, 2001: Feminist Perspectives

Reviews

September 11, 2001: Feminist Perspectives is an inspiring monument to the many voices of reason, compassion and wisdom that have cried out in dissent of this ongoing madness. It is an invaluable intervention from those who hold up more than half the sky, and is essential reading for all men and women to better inform themselves of the meanings and ramifications of "9/11", the current Terror War, and mass violence in general.

–Arnaud Gallois, Melbourne Journal of Politics

This book provides an important political and academic forum for the inclusion of women’s otherwise marginalised voices in all discussions surrounding the current context of war, globalization, imperialism, and neo-Orientalism, all of which are shaping the post-9/11 order.

–Bethsheba M. Opin, The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences

The women contributing to this book, in their passion and clarity of thought and imagination, have surely given hope to many others where none seemed possible.[It] represents an essential contribution to the vast literature spawned by the events on that day in New York. 

–Liz Crock, Canadian Woman Studies/Les Cahiers de la femmes

In its goal [to make feminist sense of international events], the book succeeds admirably … Taken as a whole, the pieces provide an important corrective to views available in mainstream media … The book demonstrates how active feminists are as public intellectuals around the world; how they have contributed to our understanding of the current global situation, and insisted on peace as the only way out.

–Manisha Desai, Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program, H-Gender-MidEast

A fine and authentically diverse collection that presents a terrible (but terribly accurate, textured and nuanced) account of the terrorism of September 11, 2001, the terrors that followed it, and the terrors that follow it still. … the result is a successful deconstruction of the logic and rhetoric of expositions about September 11, and a powerful commentary on the motives behind the violence perpetrated on the world by all current combatants. Anyone interested in women's struggles, third-world conflicts, and the host of issues related to imperialism and its symbiotic partner, terrorism, will learn much from this book and will learn to find the heart of feminism where it truly resides, in women like those who contributed to this book.

–Howard A. Doughty, College Quarterly, Spring 2004 - Volume 7 Number 2

'... this retrospective on what might have been—or rather what should have been—is a powerful tonic.' Rick Taylor, Feminist Review

'More than a textbook, September 11: Feminist Perspectives is a good thing with brains. Don’t be afraid of the title.'

–Matt Giles, Grok Magazine

'September 11, 2001 is a treasure trove of information and viewpoints which send out a message that must be at the centre of the anti-war movement: fighting this war is a feminist issue of the first order.'

–Debbie Brennan, Freedom Socialist Bulletin

'As for standout pieces? It’s hard to say. Poetry, speeches, essays, letters, emails, declarations, reflections, interviews, lyrics – you name it, it’s all here: 86 pieces packed cover to cover. They are critical, reflective, tragic, angry, sometimes surprising, always engaging. And the bonus? Most of them are short enough to devour on your tram trip to the next peace march ... This book is a moving testimony to war and its unspoken casualties.'

–Kayte Fairfax, Postgraduate Review

'… the merit of this book lies … in the quality of the writing and the compassion of its perspectives. The writers consistently resist the nationalist and aggressive response that is embodied in the movement to war on Afghanistan and Iraq.'

–Andrew Hamilton, Eureka Street

'An extremely compelling collection of essays and feminist writings on the events of September 11 … Essential reading.'

–Voiceworks

'This book is essential reading for anyone who is interested in understanding the ways women are positioned by the global events unfolding around us and shaping the contexts in which women experience everyday life.'

–Amanda Third, Australian Women's Book Review

'Unsurprisingly, many Afghan women regard the new political order as a false dawn … Their concerns, together with some of the best literary responses … have been consolidated in an excellent book of diverse feminist perspectives, edited by Susan Hawthorne and Bronwyn Winter.’

–Scott Burchill, The Age