I Know This to Be True: Gloria Steinem (I Know This to … (2024)

Listen. I’ll read anything my girl Gloria writes. And this was pleasant to read! But it’s not a BOOK.

An inspirational 73 page book published by the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Having just watched the play, Gloria: A Life, which was amazing, this little book was an additional reminder of the women who have brought us so far in our fight for equality in our country. Gloria Steinem dedicated her life to giving women and their issues a voice.

This is a brilliant little book of hope and empowerment. What a great read to start the new year. It’s very short, but it’s a distillation of some of the wisest observations of the incredible Gloria Steinem. So quotable! A great gift for anyone you want to encourage to pursue matters of social justice.

This is a 60-or-so page interview with Gloria Steinem. It’s great!

a full 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

‘Movements are like rivers.
Dipping into them is never the same twice.’

Gloria Steinem is, as always, absolutely brilliant! (& remains a genius at coming up with a good turn of phrase!)

although it is worth mentioning as other reviews have; this is an interview transcript not a book. but, i went into it fully aware of this which is what helped me avoid this disappointment other readers seem to have experienced.

it being an interview and the way the interview was structured/performed (you can tell the questions where pre-written and that the interviewer wasn’t willing to veer of their script) does stop it from fully getting in and adding, added nuance to points brought up. which is probably what frustrates so many of the other readers of this. this didn’t bother me too much personally because it was expecting this to be pretty simplified due to its cover.

this felt like a bit of a recap of Gloria’s book ‘My Life on the Road’ (which you don’t have to have read to understand this, although it is a book more than worth your time, and a personal favourite book of mine), i enjoyed this factor, because i did greatly enjoy ‘My Life on the Road’ but nothing about this was super new to me.

still 5 stars for me though, for the reminder of a life changing & brilliant book and it being extremely quotable and immensely enjoyable as an interesting quick read. & i’m admittedly very biased toward Gloria Steinem, which i think is fair in MY review.

i would recommend this book to;
- this book/interview would be a very good way to introduce yourself/someone else to Gloria’s work.
- & people who are familiar with Steinem, but looking for a nice little read.

can’t wait to read more Steinem! (once i track more down!)

Fantastic. She’s so brilliant and worth the read.

This rating is for the format and style of this ‘book’. Honestly, what a colossal waste of paper. I feel like it’s one of those books that people buy so they can have it up on their bookshelves to feel better about themselves. I’m I glad I borrowed it from the library (because I haven’t read anything Steinem before) and didn’t actually spend money on this.

- women are empathy sick: the age old adage "treat others the way you would allow yourself to be treated" may be true for men. but perhaps a smarter adage for women would be to treat yourself the way you would treat others.
>> what does it mean to be empathy sick? blackwell defines empathy sick as a situation where one is more aware of the emotions of others than her own.

- tension between empathy and individuality - how do we accept the views of others while maintaining our own opinions, and being able to express ourselves? by listening. speak as much as you listen, and listen as much as you speak (50-50). keep an open mind, but always remember the rationale (interest) behind your position.

- the statement that women have empathy and compassion to bring to boards and committees as leaders: where does this come from? the underlying rationale is that women are raised in an environment which prizes the development of such characteristics. in comparison, most men are raised to value hierarchy/power. it's just a product of upraising. not a categorical classification; just the product of societal upbringing.

great little pocket book/quick read. it includes a brief history of steinem's life and work which is nice and overall, the interview is personal, informative, and thought-provoking.

I hadn't heard of Gloria Steinem before reading this book which is actually an interview. Her works is obviously profound in the area of Women's rights and feminism and it would have been better if the interview touched more on her amazing achievements.

Excellent, inspiring read!

Quick, cute, inspiring read

"...perhaps a smarter adage for women would be to treat yourself the way you would treat others."

It’s not a book so much as an interview but not bad. Very fast read. Literally like an hour

Dreamer