Equal: Women Reshape American Law

As late as 1967, men outnumbered women twenty to one in American law schools. With the loss of deferments from Vietnam, reluctant law schools began admitting women to avoid plummeting enrollments. As women entered, the law resisted. Judges would not hire women. Law firms asserted a right to discriminate against women. Judges permitted discrimination by employers against pregnant women. Courts viewed sexual harassment as, one judge said, "a game played by the male superiors." Violence against women seemed to exist beyond the law’s comprehension. In this landmark book, Fred Strebeigh shows how American law advanced, far and fast. He brings together legal evidence and personal histories to portray the work of concerned women and men to advance legal rights in America. Equal combines interviews with litigators, plaintiffs, and judges, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Catharine MacKinnon, along with research from private archives of attorneys who took cases to the Supreme Court, to narrate battles waged against high odds and pinnacles of legal power. Equal, in the words of Professor Suzanne A. Kim of Rutgers Law School, is a book for "anyone interested in how each individual can improve our society through compassion, drive, and creativity."

About the Author :
Fred Strebeigh has written for The Atlantic, Smithsonian, and the New York Times Magazine. He teaches nonfiction writing at Yale University and lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

Review :
"Both a compelling read and a meticulously deeply inspiring account of the varied cases through which American women have fought to gain equality under the law. It will fascinate general readers and specialists alike." -- Sandra M. Gilbert "Beautifully written and assiduously researched, Fred Strebeigh's book puts a human face on the movement toward legal recognition of sex discrimination. Equal gives us an unprecedented view into the minds of the plaintiffs, lawyers, and judges who brought about a seismic shift in the law. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in how each individual can improve our society through compassion, drive, and creativity. This book is both inspired and inspiring." -- Suzanne A. Kim, Associate Professor of Law, Rutger "Equal offers a compelling account of America's leading women's rights cases. Through painstaking research, Strebeigh gives us the "story behind the story" of the lawyers, litigants, and judges who made history. With its sharp insight, telling details, and humorous commentary, this book belongs both in law school curricula and on bedside tables. It is a great read and a major contribution to our understanding of women's rights and constitutional law." -- Professor Deborah L. Rhode, Stanford Law School, p "Strebeigh gives us heroes and villains, and above all he shows us the price--and the human stakes--of the struggle for equality." -- Professor Samantha Power, Harvard University, winn "Could America really have been so sexist only four decades ago? In this groundbreaking book, Fred Strebeigh reminds us that from the office to the bedroom to the Supreme Court, the answer is yes. Case by case, character by character, detail by detail, he traces how far we have come. When I reached the last page, I wanted to stand and cheer both the intrepid lawyers who changed our country and the author who has so richly, clearly, and memorably chronicled their achievements." -- Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You