In this most original examination of America's post-9/11 culture, Susan Faludi shines a light on the country's psychological response to the attacks on that terrible day. Turning her observational powers on the media, popular culture, and political life, Faludi unearths a barely acknowledged but bedrock societal drama shot through with baffling contradictions. Why, she asks, did our culture respond to an assault against American global dominance with a frenzied summons to restore "traditional" manhood, marriage, and maternity? Why did we react as if the hijackers had targeted not a commercial and military edifice but the family home and nursery? Why did an attack fueled by hatred of Western emancipation lead us to a regressive fixation on Doris Day womanhood and John Wayne masculinity, with trembling "security moms," swaggering presidential gun-slingers, and the "rescue" of a female soldier cast as a "helpless little girl"? The answer, Faludi finds, lies in a historical anomaly unique to the American experience: the nation that in recent memory has been least vulnerable to domestic attack was forged in traumatizing assaults by non-white "barbarians" on town and village. That humiliation lies concealed under a myth of cowboy bluster and feminine frailty, which is reanimated whenever threat and shame looms—as they did on September 11. Brilliant and important, The Terror Dream shows what 9/11 revealed about us—and offers the opportunity to look at ourselves anew.
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"What a knockout read. Faludi puts together the pieces of the puzzle of 9/11's effects on feminism in a surprisingly easy to read and accessible format. Her passion for this subject is obvious, and it reignited a great deal of passion, frustration, and resolve in me (emotions that too often lie dormant as my busy life, like everyone else's, leaves little time for the continual, deep thinking about gender issues that are so crucial if we are ever to effect change.) The book gets a little too far off track for me in the second half as it delves deeply into the maiden-in-distress mythology of the American past (from the earliest days of the Puritans to the John Wayne movies of a half century ago.). Even having seen "The Searchers" and read captivity narratives like Mary Rowlandson's, I found my mind wandering in those chapters. If you have not seen the film or read the narratives she references, I imagine you may be somewhat bored or not fully engaged. Certainly the stories are relevant to the core message of the book, but I think she could have covered them more succinctly. But that's a very small criticism to an overall fantastic and IMPORTANT book." — Leslie (4 out of 5 stars)
"What a knockout read. Faludi puts together the pieces of the puzzle of 9/11's effects on feminism in a surprisingly easy to read and accessible format. Her passion for this subject is obvious, and it reignited a great deal of passion, frustration, and resolve in me (emotions that too often lie dormant as my busy life, like everyone else's, leaves little time for the continual, deep thinking about gender issues that are so crucial if we are ever to effect change.) The book gets a little too far off track for me in the second half as it delves deeply into the maiden-in-distress mythology of the American past (from the earliest days of the Puritans to the John Wayne movies of a half century ago.). Even having seen "The Searchers" and read captivity narratives like Mary Rowlandson's, I found my mind wandering in those chapters. If you have not seen the film or read the narratives she references, I imagine you may be somewhat bored or not fully engaged. Certainly the stories are relevant to the core message of the book, but I think she could have covered them more succinctly. But that's a very small criticism to an overall fantastic and IMPORTANT book."
Susan Faludi's Backlash [was] in my view the most important book on women in recent decades....Stiffed is even better than Backlash...It is a significant and serious work...every page counts .
Faludi's prose is as strong and smooth as well-sanded hardwood, and she's got a jeweler's eye for the telling detail.
Faludi uses her dazzling investigative powers to zap the smug detractors of feminism, the hypocrites, backsliders, and antifeminists. The result is a rich and juicy read, informed by powerful logic and moral clarity.
“Susan Faludi is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, and it shows. Backlash...is punchy, well-written, well researched, convincing, thought-provoking and, in parts, very funny.
" If I could give 6, 7, 8 stars, I would. It's beyond me how Faludi gathers obscure snippets and fits them all together seamlessly. She is a master of non-fiction. "
" Like all Susan Faludi books, "The Terror Dream" is a highly accessible read. Furthermore, this is just a really good (and interesting read). She takes a lot of the things I've been discussing with friends and my students as aftershocks of 9/11 and pieces them together into an articulate and logical argument. "
" About 1/2 way though this book veers away from 9/11 to 'damsels in distress' throughout history and literature. Not what I was expecting. "
" Interesting perspective on changes in gender roles since 9/11. "
" I'm glad someone documented the post-911 media era, and Faludi did a great and thorough job of it. I think in 20 years I would enjoy reading it, but right now, it's just quite depressing. "
" Faludi's approach to political issues, from feminism to terrorism, are always interesting, if not for the fact that they're stunningly convincing, at least for the fact that she manages to find new approaches to the topic. "
" Powerful discussion of the myths created in the United States that perpetuate a white, male-dominated system of government/hierarchy/society. I found Faludi's arguments interesting and compelling. "
" I love her analysis of current events and how she pulls separate events together. But I didn't find the historical section very interesting. "
" Best book yet about 9/11. Definitely not the usual stuff. "
" The first half was amazing; second half fell a little short. "
" Interesting premise, nothing surprising here but some connections made that are thought provoling. "
" Soldiers storming an unguarded hospital, knocking down doctors and kicking open unlocked doors to "rescue" Jessica Lynch. And other stories.. "
" Really interesting but somehow missed the mark of great. I recommend reading it though. "
" Interesting. It's about how the media, etc, used 9/11 as an excuse to bash feminism. "
" A fabulous, thought-provoking book. The text is a stunning display of Faludi's eloquence and her ability to push our assumptions up against the ropes with her research and observations. However, I didn't feel Faludi ended the book with her strongest material. "
" If you want an insight into american mysogeny this is your book ...All of Faludi's books are powerful [also see Naiomi Klein and Shere Hite for women who are not read enough... "
" How easily we can fall victim to information manipulation "
Susan Faludi is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and the author of The Terror Dream, Stiffed, and Backlash, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, she has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, Harper’s, and the Baffler, among other publications.
Beth McDonald, a Juilliard graduate, has appeared across the country in regional theatre productions of plays by Shakespeare, Neil Simon, Sophocles, Arthur Miller, Moliere, A. R.Gurney, Euripides, and others. Her Broadway credits include the original cast of Angels in America, A Few Good Men, and Einstein and the Polar Bear. Her television work includes appearances on Law & Order, Third Watch, and The Courtroom as well as recurring roles on All My Children and As the World Turns. She has appeared in Mona Lisa Smile and several independent feature films. An Earphones Award-winner, Beth has read a number of audiobooks including Susan Faludi’s The Terror Dream, Sandra Brown’s Sunny Chandler’s Return, Tami Hoag’s Dark Horse, and Elisabeth Hyde’s The Abortionist’s Daughter.
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