The central theme of the book is the critique of white feminism and its failures to address the intersectional issues faced by women of colour and other marginalized groups. Schuller brings to life the counter-history of those women who have consistently pushed against the boundaries set by mainstream feminism, advocating for a more inclusive and intersectional approach.

One of the book's primary strengths is its thorough historical research and the way it brings marginalized voices to the forefront. Schuller's ability to weave together personal anecdotes with broader historical trends provides a rich, multifaceted perspective. However, some readers might find the book's critique of mainstream feminism to be harsh or polarizing. Nevertheless, "The Trouble with White Women" is a crucial read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of feminist history and the ongoing struggles for genuine inclusivity.

In conclusion, Kyla Schuller's "The Trouble with White Women" is a thought-provoking and essential contribution to feminist literature, offering a necessary critique of the movement's history and urging a more intersectional and inclusive future.

I adored this book. It accomplished a difficult task of interrogating historical figures with nuance and elevating the stories of women who have been obscured by white supremacist historical practices. I learned so much about some incredible activists and the lessons from this book are clear and actionable.

What Schuller does well, here is connecting the larger system of white supremacy with that of capitalism, and uses that as a through-thread for the rest of the book. I appreciate the overall project of the text, to explore that white women so often get the spotlight over more competent women of colour - a fact I am not disputing. But I think her approach of 'pitting' two women against each other was not very successful as it feels a bit 'pick me' and like performative ally-ship. I would have preferred she not done a comparative 'there can only be one' style of study (as this again, reinforces a capitalist hierarchy) and instead taken another approach. However, many of the under represented and studied activists of colour are well represented and this book is still informative on their contributions.

This book is an absolute must-read for those of us interested in understanding systemic "isms" particularly as a white feminist. Kyla Schuller shines a line on a "counter history" of feminism and highlights women through history that were not part of the history books I grew up reading. She brilliantly pairs a white historic feminist "hero" with a little known historical feminist women of color. Some examples include Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Jacobs, Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray, and Sheryl Sandberg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This book makes a compelling case that feminism has been centered on the experiences of white, educated and middle class women which ultimately creates collateral damage to marginalized/minoritized women. She shares many examples such as birth control while good for white women to make choices was also used in Eugenics (to take choice away from other women). The anti-trans movement by some feminists in the 1980's ended up feeding Reagan's policies against trans health care that is still reverberating today. There is a mistake if we think that the experience of white educated women is the universal experience of all women (think of controversary and fraction within the Women's March Organizers). A call to action is to expand our perspectives and understand intersectional feminism. I am so glad I read this book -- it is a keeper and I have already recommended to others.
Thank you to Netgalley and Perseus Books for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I feel a bit embarrassed to admit that it took until the last few years for me to really understand that feminism has not always encompassed all women. The Trouble With White Women continued to open my eyes to so many perspectives I had not always thought about as a white woman myself. If you want to better understand intersectional feminism, this is a great place to dive in!

Thank you to Perseus Books for my review copy.

I teach a Women's History course at a high school. This book has helped me introduce myself and the students to different perspectives on feminism that isn't just white feminism.

Schuller's essential audiobook--wonderfully narrated by Christine Lakin and Mela Lee--expertly defines both white and intersectional feminism and compares and contrasts the work of some of the movements' female standard bearers. This compare/contrast literary format is both an ingenious way to illustrate white feminism's faults and harms, but to also keep this academic discussion easily digestible and accessible to all readers. Her thesis is forthright and bold: White feminism (through 1940s suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Facebook leader Sheryl Sandberg of Lean In fame) has failed to work towards intersectional feminism that promotes a true gender equality that dovetails with the fights for racial, economic, sexual, and disability justice. In short, white feminism promotes equality for white, middle-class women and forgets to include ALL women, including trans women, Black women, poor women, and disabled women.

Schuller isn't shy in her condemnations of the work of well-know white feminists. The writings and work of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Alice Fletcher, Margaret Sanger, Pauli Murray, Janice Raymond, and Sheryl Sandberg are dissected to show their flaws and how they held back opportunities for all women by centering white women in the narrative for equality. On the flip side, the work and achievements of often-overlooked (at least in school and history books) Black, trans, and indigenous women are touted. I had no clue a trans woman activist named Sandy Stone worked tirelessly to promote trans rights in the 1970s and 1980s. Yet, I HAD heard about Anita Bryant, an anti-trans writer and singer from the same time period.

I highly recommend this book, particularly for white women. Its an essential examination of white feminism's past and present insistence on centering white, middle-class women as the only ones who deserve true equality. Instead, as Schuller advocates for here, intersectional feminism is the true goal. It centers all women, no matter economic circumstance or racial, ethnic, or gender identity. For all women to be treated equal in the world's power structures, all women need to be fought for...not just white, middle-class women.

Much thanks to both @NetGalley and @Hachetteaudio for the free copies of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Type Books for an ARC of this title.

The core concept of this book, bringing to light intersectional and undersung examples of feminist thinkers who pushed things forward in a time when the more well-known figures they worked in the same time were actually holding things back, is great, and this is very clearly deeply researched. It's a little drier than I wanted something about this topic to be, which made for some slow going at points, but its message is great, and it highlighted a bunch of historical figures we should be screaming from the rooftops about over their contemporaries who _did_ get rights for women, but often only white women, at the expense of others.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
This is a great book highlighting the history of feminism and its limitations in the core movement’s historical lack of intersectionality. From the suffragettes onward, white feminists seem to stand for things that have created progress for white, relatively financially successful cishet women, but left BIPOC women, trans women, and women from other underrepresented groups behind. I appreciate this fairly comprehensive, yet concise history detailing the work of a white woman leader we know from each era, along with the work of a woman from an underrepresented group who is given much less credit, or in some cases gets flack, for the work she’s done.

I didn't fully know what to expect from this book, but what I found was an evisceration of white feminism. A counter history of feminism, highlighting intersectionality, introduces a variety of historical and contemporary figures who's stories and contributions are erased or changed to suit white narratives. It reveals a path toward a more equitable world, one in which we dismantle systems of oppression instead of just making them nominally inclusive.

Thanks to Bold Type Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Trouble with White Women by Kyla Schuller focuses on the history and dangers of white feminism. Schuller breaks down how white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Margaret Sanger, and Sheryl Sandberg were working toward their own gains, and not for collective good, unlike Frances E. W. Harper, Harriet Jacobs, Dr. Dorothy Ferebee, and AOC. By shining a light on the underappreciated intersectional feminists/activists that worked at the same time as the respective white feminists, Schuller draws a direct line from the harmful effects white feminism has had on our society and how it's affected the most vulnerable, including women of color and trans women. Schuller's conclusion, that white feminism must be let go in order for a more inclusive movement to rise, is one that holds true and that I'll be doing my part in making happen.

There's one argument toward the end that put a bad taste in my mouth, but otherwise, this is a very solid book.

I think this book works really well in step with some other books on similar topics, including White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad.

A very important and noteworthy book that addresses white historical figures in the feminist movement that we've all learned to admire. But... at what cost were their gains?
If you've never considered the potential toxicity of white feminism, you should pick up this book and learn just exactly what some of the costs were. It should not be a surprise to us; after all though they be feminists, they were also products of their times.

Schuller presents her case by introducing a white feminist from history and describing her journey while contrasting her with a notable woman of color who left a legacy much less well known. It's a clever and interesting format and allows the reader to absorb this counter-history in manageable chunks. It lends itself to classroom discussion and would be appropriate in both a high school and college setting.

I hope this book becomes a classic in its genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

At times I found the amount of detail in this book difficult to get through. I found myself regularly having to go back and re-read paragraphs. However, I do believe this is an extremely important book and topic to look into and learn about. We must continue to challenge the narrative around white feminism. Early on in the book Schuller shares the famous “master’s house/tools” Audre Lorde and puts in the context of white feminism. Schuller rightly claims that white feminism cannot be updated, it must be demolished.

An important read for anyone interested in the history of feminism.

Kyla Schuller traces the beginnings of white feminism along with its counter history of intersectional feminism, which has been around for as long as white feminism. Each chapter examines a white feminist, as well as an intersectional feminist. Schuller begins with the original white feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and goes all the way to Sheryl Sandberg. Intersectional feminists discussed range from Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a leading abolitionist-feminist, to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, politician and activist.

Schuller explains how white feminism places priority on white women’s needs and concerns while neglecting the struggles that women of colour face. While white feminism is self-serving, intersectional feminism supports racial, economic, disability, and sexual justice, in addition to gender justice.

White feminism is not something that needs to be made more inclusive, but rather it needs to be trashed and begun anew.

I am a huge fan of AOC, but prior to reading this I did not consider how much pressure she is under to be “on” almost constantly, fighting for equality, and having to look good while doing it all. It’s a lot for just one person.

Thank you to Bold Type Books/ Perseus Books for providing me with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed/Posted: July 16, 2021
Pub Date: Oct 5, 2021

I recieved a digital Advanced Readers Copy of 'The Trouble With White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism' by Kyla Schuller from Netgalley and Bold Type Books.

'The Trouble with White Women' is a concise history of feminism in the United States. Schuller portrays white feminists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Margaret Sanger, whose brand of feminism seeks to place white women, particularly middle and upper class white women, in positions traditionally belonging to white men within the structures of inequality that our society upholds. However, she contrasts these white feminists with a counterhistory of feminism, using the histories of Zitkala-Sa, Pauli Murray, and Sandy Stone to give the reader a history of what many now recognize as intersectional feminism.

Without resorting to a simple narrative of white guilt, Schuller uses well researched history to show that a patriarchal society can only be dismantled in favor of equality for all women if other systems, such as white supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism, are dismantled alongside it.

Schuller expertly utilizes history to show us our options for the feminist movement going forward, and how we can make society a more equitable one for everyone.

It's important to remember that social movements are not monoliths, and it's vital to acknowledge the intersectionality of identities within those movements. Promoting white women over non-white women (even going back to the suffrage movement, where black women were made to march at the back so that they wouldn't be in newspaper photos) is This book is well-written, informative, and I highly recommend it.

Deep and powerful. Readers will find much to discuss here and bookclubs will be quite pleased with the rich conversation options. Very excited to recommend.