Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future » (First Edition)

Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards are the coauthors of Manifesta (FSG, 2000) and Grassroots (FSG, 2005) and the owners of the feminist speaker’s bureau Soapbox, Inc.: Speakers Who Speak Out. Both live in New York City.

In the year 2000, girl culture was clearly ascendant. From Lilith Fair to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the WNBA, it seemed that female pride was the order of the day. Yet feminism was also at a crossroads; “girl power” feminists were obsessed with personal empowerment at the expense of politics, while political institutions such as Ms. and NOW had lost their ability to speak to a new generation. In Manifesta, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards brilliantly revealed the snags in each feminist hub, all the while proving that these snags had not imperiled the future of the feminist cause. The book went on to inspire a new generation of female readers, and has become a classic of contemporary feminist literature.

In the decade since Manifesta was published, the world has changed in ways both promising and disheartening for the feminist cause. Despite major strides forward, the wage gap remains vast; many feminist publications have died; shame around abortion has lingered and ’90s-style anti-abortion terrorism has reemerged. Many of the points first raised so bravely in Manifesta remain urgent—namely, why it’s still critical for today’s young women to focus on gender. This tenth anniversary edition of Manifesta, complete with updated back matter, commentary from the authors, and a provocative new preface, shows why the issues first raised by Baumgardner and Richards remain as timely as ever.

Bust Magazine

[I]f you're looking for a thoroughly researched and well-written overview of the state of feminism, especially that of the past ten years, no one can break it down better than these two.

Manifesta is another step toward the empowerment of women. If caring about women matters, this book matters.