Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975

Daring to Be Bad examines the rise and transformation of radical feminism in America from 1967 to 1975. The book follows the movement's emergence from the New Left and civil rights activism through its major developments and eventual fragmentation. Through extensive interviews and primary source research, Echols documents key organizations, leaders, and conflicts that shaped radical feminist thought and action during this period. The narrative tracks both the national movement and distinct regional developments in cities like New York, Chicago, and on the West Coast. Political tensions, strategic debates, and ideological shifts receive thorough analysis as the author chronicles this pivotal era in feminist history. The book pays particular attention to how radical feminists distinguished themselves from liberal feminists while wrestling with questions of separatism, leadership, and revolutionary change. This historical account reveals the complex interplay between theory and activism that characterized second-wave feminism, while raising enduring questions about social movements, identity politics, and the pursuit of systemic change.

Readers value this book as a detailed historical account of radical feminism's key conflicts and organizational challenges. Multiple reviewers note its thorough documentation and extensive interviews with movement participants. Liked: - Clear explanation of differences between radical and liberal feminism - Coverage of internal debates and power struggles - Neutral tone when discussing controversial topics - Documentation of small feminist groups and publications Disliked: - Dense academic writing style - Focus on organizational politics over lived experiences - Limited coverage of women of color within the movement - Over-emphasis on New York and East Coast groups One reader called it "thorough but dry," while another noted it "reads like a PhD dissertation." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (205 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (15 ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (8 ratings) Multiple academic reviews cite it as a key historical source, though general readers find the writing style challenging.

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🔹 The book's title "Daring to Be Bad" comes from a 1969 manifesto by radical feminist Marilyn Webb, who encouraged women to reject society's expectations of being "good girls" 🔹 Author Alice Echols was herself a participant in the women's liberation movement during the period she writes about, giving her unique firsthand insights into many of the events and figures discussed 🔹 The book reveals how radical feminists deliberately distinguished themselves from earlier "liberal feminists" by rejecting the goal of equality within the existing system, instead calling for a complete transformation of society 🔹 Many of the movement's key organizing meetings and consciousness-raising sessions took place in unconventional spaces like kitchen tables, living rooms, and women's bookstores rather than formal offices or meeting halls 🔹 The radical feminist movement splintered significantly in the mid-1970s over issues of sexuality and lesbian separatism, leading to the end of what Echols calls the "golden age" of radical feminism