Happy birthday, feminist Susan Brownmiller

It is the birthday of feminist writer Susan Brownmiller (1935), who is best known for her controversial book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (1975), which argues that all men benefit from a culture of rape that keeps women in constant fear. Brownmiller’s sweeping conclusions drew much criticism, especially from the political left wing. Activist Angela Davis took Brownmiller to task over her apparent disregard for black women in the discussion. Brownmiller also wrote Shirley Chisholm: A Biography (1970), Femininity (1984), Waverly Place (1989), Seeing Vietnam (1994), and In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution (1999).