Susan Brownmiller

Susan Brownmiller (born February 15, 1935) is an American feminist , journalist, author, and activist. She is best known for her pioneering work on the politics of rape in her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape [1] Brownmiller argues that rape had been hitherto defined by men rather than women; and that men use, and all men benefit from the use of, rape as a means of perpetuating male dominance by keeping all women in a state of fear. The book received criticism from Angela Davis , who thought Brownmiller disregarded the part that black women played in the anti-lynching movement and that Brownmiller's discussion of rape and race became an "unthinking partnership which borders on racism". In 1995 The New York Public Library selected Against Our Will as one of 100 most important books of the Twentieth Century. Brownmiller also participated in civil rights activism, joining CORE and SNCC during the sit-in movement and volunteering for Freedom Summer in 1964, where she worked on voter registration in Meridian, Mississippi. Returning to New York, she began writing for The Village Voice and became a network TV newswriter at the American Broadcasting Company, a job she held until 1968. She first became involved in the Women's Liberation Movement in New York City in 1968, by joining a consciousness-raising group in the newly-formed New York Radical Women organization. Brownmiller went on to co-ordinate a sit-in against Ladies' Home Journal in 1970, began work on Against Our Will after a New York Radical Feminists speak-out on rape in 1971, and co-founded Women Against Pornography in 1979. She continues to write and speak on feminist issues, including a recent memoir and history of Second Wave radical feminism. In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution (1999).

Susan Brownmiller (born 15 February 1935) is an American feminist journalist, author, and activist best known for her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape . Brownmiller argues that rape had been previously defined by men rather than women, and that men use, and all men benefit from the use of rape as a means of perpetuating male dominance by keeping all women in a state of fear. In 1995, the New York Public Library selected Against Our Will as one of 100 most important books of the Twentieth Century. Brownmiller also participated in civil rights activism, joining CORE and SNCC during the sit-in movement and volunteering for Freedom Summer in 1964, wherein she worked on voter registration in Meridian, Mississippi . Returning to New York, she began writing for The Village Voice and became a network TV newswriter at the American Broadcasting Company , a job she held until 1968. She first became involved in the Women's Liberation Movement in New York City in 1968, by joining a consciousness-raising group in the newly formed New York Radical Women organization. Brownmiller went on to coordinate a sit-in against Ladies' Home Journal in 1970, began work on Against Our Will after a New York Radical Feminists speak-out on rape in 1971, and co-founded Women Against Pornography in 1979. She continues to write and speak on feminist issues, including a recent memoir and history of Second Wave radical feminism. In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution (1999).

Susan Brownmiller (born February 15, 1935) is an American feminist journalist, author, and activist best known for her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape . Brownmiller argues that rape had been previously defined by men rather than women, and that men use it as a means of perpetuating male dominance by keeping all women in a state of fear. The New York Public Library selected Against Our Will as one of 100 most important books of the 20th century.

American journalist, author, and feminist activist (born 1935) Susan Brownmiller (born Susan Warhaftig ; February 15, 1935) is an American journalist, author and feminist activist best known for her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape , which was selected by The New York Public Library as one of 100 most important books of the 20th century.

American journalist, author and activist (1935–2025) Susan Brownmiller (born Susan Warhaftig ; February 15, 1935 – May 24, 2025) was an American journalist, author and feminist activist, best known for her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape , which was selected by The New York Public Library as one of the 100 most important books of the 20th century.