Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger

Women have many reasons to be angry: workplace inequality, disregarded pain, social expectations of motherhood, objectification, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and microaggressions including benevolent sexism, degrading behavior, and demeaning humor. Women are generally expected to deny their right to express their anger. If a woman does display rage, she is usually heavily criticized and written off as crazy, unreasonable, and dramatic. Even at a young age, parents and caretakers teach girls that aggression is inappropriate. In Rage Becomes Her, Soraya Chemaly offers a stimulating examination of why women are angry and how their anger is necessary and essential to bringing about change.

Chemaly blends compelling research with individual experiences to shed light on how gender-roles restrict women. Readers who enjoy dense statistical analysis will instantly fall for this book. However, Chemaly’s writing is far from dry; she passionately promotes the overwhelming need to overthrow sexism with vulnerable, personal prose. Though not a self-help book, Rage Becomes Her closes with a chapter that outlines ten suggestions on how women can use anger productively. Unflinching, perceptive, and timely, Rage Becomes Her should be required reading for everyone.