Sisterhood Is Powerful

An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement

Plot

It is the first comprehensive collection of writings from the then-newborn contemporary wave of feminism. It became a best-seller in both cloth and paperback, its red-and-white cover with the feminist symbol (designed by Morgan) becoming a recognizable graffito around the world.

Sisterhood Is Powerful engendered arguments, divorces, marches, legislation, and entire fields of scholarship—as well as ridicule and derision in some of its original reviews (“shrewish,” “strident women,” “malcontent libbers”). Yet thousands of letters poured in to Morgan and the publishers, each claiming that the fat little book had, in what would become a familiar refrain, “changed my life.” The book remained in print for more than three decades, and still is available from out-of-print sources. (Morgan decided against updating it when she opted to compile Sisterhood Is Forever instead.)

The ultimate “review” was bestowed by history.