I'm not going to waste time rambling, and instead, I'll get right to my latest review. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I think it's safe to say that My Life on the Road by the one and only Gloria Steinem will be the most significant book of 2016.
I wandered past this book a time or two in my local B&N, but it wasn't until I came across a headline on my Twitter account that I put it on my "must read" list. I'm sure every bookworm and Harry Potter fan out there knows Emma Watson has decided to start a book club. If you haven't joined it yet, you can do so here. With all of her work with UN Women, she has compiled a list of empowering novels meant for every woman to not only read, but embrace for her own future as well. I'm going to take it a step further and say that not only women should be joining this group and reading these selections. Men and women alike should pick up copies of the books as they are selected and educate themselves on issues that pertain not only to an entire gender, but also to humankind as a whole. The more you are informed, the more you can benefit from the learned material. I digress...
Gloria Steinem is a name I've heard in passing for years now, but I'm ashamed to say, I never paid close enough attention to the work she has been doing for the last several (and lengthy) decades. Reading her story absolutely blew me out of the water.
Beware. She does tackle serious subject matter. Her experiences deal with so much more than women's liberation and gender equality. I learned more than I ever thought I could about travel and the issues surrounding politics, journalism, sexism, racism, big business, economics, and more. Her knowledge about little nuances when it came the the previously mentioned issues in not only America, but across the globe, left me astounded.
Don't let the severity of the subject matter deter you from grabbing a copy of this book (if you haven't already). With such intense times upon us in 2016, this book is a must must must must MUST-read. Our words and our actions ripple and affect people we didn't even know we could possibly have reached in the first place. Not only will you gain insight to such social and political thoughts and ideas, but you'll learn tolerance and understanding for those unlike yourself. Gloria's thoughts make it nearly impossible to construct an argument as to why she isn't right in her experience and wisdom. She was a first-hand witness to so much, and also backed up events she witnessed with her own eyes with lengthy references (goodness, I'm a nerd for a footnote).
I can't thank Gloria enough for touching on and sharing her years on the road for all of us. Because of her, not only do I want to travel more than I already do, but I also want to continue to learn as much as I can about such significant and profound issues in order to contribute to the progression of a successful society. The fact that events she discussed from forty years ago are still relatable today means we need to keep evolving, changing, and bettering our world instead of repeating history.
Proper words to swoon over this book escape me. I hope these thoughts do it justice for now. If you choose only one book to read this year, let it be this one!
My Final Rating: five of five stars
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