
Life of the Mind: Brookewood & Avalon Schools Ep. 33 Sue Ellen Browder's Subverted, with Ann Vitz and Andrea Francois
In this episode, Ann, Andrea, and I talk about, first, Leah Libresco Sargeant's The Dignity of Dependence, and then Sue Ellen Browder's Subverted. Sargeant's book elicited a variety of responses from us, and we admire her approach to healthy relationships and her articulation of what the ideal relationship would look like. That point, a relational rather than an individual outlook, is the center of the Venn Diagram as we turn to Browder's memoir, which we all recommend. We spoil plot points in the Browder book, and one of them takes us into territory that is not appropriate for listeners of all ages--this might not be an episode to listen to while picking up carpool.
But Ann, Andrea, and I all recommend Browder's memoir, which is about Browder's own life as a young writer and wife in the late '60s and '70s and also about the women's rights movement and how it became merged with the sexual revolution. Browder's personal story weaves into the larger public events, as Browder writes, as Andrea says, "to pierce the lies" of the sexual revolution as she makes her way from the world of Helen Gurley Brown to religious faith.
