Inside Ms

the long version

Author Mary Thom was with the magazine from its earliest days, and as she introduces the striking personalities that shaped Ms., she traces the rise of one of the most transforming movements of twentieth-century America. From the energy and enthusiasm of founding editors Gloria Steinem and Pat Carbine and the talented writers who would go on to become household names, through the struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment, the backlash against feminism in the Reagan years, and the battles Ms. fought with advertisers, Inside Ms. brings us within this groundbreaking institution. Thom frankly assesses the ups and downs of the magazine as it became the vehicle through which women across the nation realized their shared experience - as well as some of their differences. Spanning the last quarter century, Inside Ms. chronicles the vibrant collaboration among Ms. editors, led by Suzanne Levine, its gifted contributors, including Alice Walker, Mary Gordon, Barbara Ehrenreich, Robin Morgan, and Mary Kay Blakely, and many eloquent readers. Thom's work on the project began with the oral histories of many longtime associates of Ms., and their personal voices form the core of this book, a collective memoir of a continuing venture in social change.