How to Raise a Feminist
'We are all equally fascinating, equally valuable, equally capable of altruism, equally able to change the world for the better.
That's feminism, isn't it? And it's what every parent wants for their kids . . . every parent that's not a d*ck, that is.'
Growing up in the '70s, neither Allison Vale nor Victoria Ralfs reckoned they needed feminism. But years of settling for the smallest chops at the dinner table, getting battered in British Bulldog, and negotiating the flasher down the lane, left them feeling uneasy: had feminism been the missing link?
In How to Raise a Feminist, they join forces as mothers, educators, story-tellers and women, to tell the riotous story of how they came to put feminism at the core of their parenting.
Real feminism is:
· NOT angry or man-hating
· common sense
· the way to raise happily flawed, robust sons and daughters
Real parenting is:
. mostly without a script
. often a bit terrifying
. entirely amazing
How to Raise a Feminist is the ideal read for anyone, anywhere, unnerved by the pressure to be perfect; a 'good enough' guide to raising your children into gloriously gutsy, empathetic, likeable young people, irrespective of their gender.
Allison Vale has written more than a dozen books, many of which betray an unhealthy curiosity with obscure and unsettling aspects of the lives of women in history, such as, The Lost Art of Being a Lady; How to Push a Perambulator, and Amelia Dyer: Angel Maker, a biography of the murderous, 30-year career of Britain's most prolific baby farmer. She lives near Bristol with her husband and their two children, and though she has not yet read anywhere near enough of Virago's backlist, she's desperately hoping her Caitlin Moran obsession more than compensates.
Victoria Ralfs (Author)
Victoria Ralfs discovered a borderline inappropriate ease in discussing life, love and relationships with her secondary school students early on in her career. This gained momentum in the field of learning disability where she wrote, spoke and trained nationally and (occasionally) internationally on Sexuality & Relationships Education. Her husband and two, now adult, children have happily and healthily survived the Velcro penises in their study in Bristol. Victoria's wider family would probably describe her as an 'annoying, gobby do-gooder type', hence her desire to include them unflatteringly in this, her first book.