January 1982 RAIN Page 9 quired in part from her early family life, on which she built her conception of community organizing (e.g., start where the people are, re-establish bonds of unity between the poor and not-so-poor, appreciate whatever contribution ordinary people can make to the • And she reveals conflicts within the black civil rights movement, in particular, how she challenged “male-dominated leadership" to ensure that crucial decisions would be made by those living “under the heel" of racial oppression and by those young southern students who combatted that oppression at the risk of their own lives. And from Jesse De La Cruz, we find out about the degrading and criminal conditions of farmworkers (rampant sickness, malnutrition, and unsanitary housing; $7.35 in wages for a ten-hour day, as late as the 1950s) and how the UFW, after years of failure, finally became strong enough to reverse most of those conditions. But we learn as well of her own development late in life, from a full-time wife and mother of six children who viewed politics as “something foreign, something I didn't know about. . . . True Romance was my thing" into a courageous and articulate field organizer, adept at coping with hostile police spraying tear gas and With no little envy I have watched as members of my family, progressive and conservative, teen-aged and elderly, have all been touched and engaged by it. pesticide on strikers and with teamsters armed with clubs, dogs, and “huge rings." The uses of this book are as varied as its protaganists. For anyone interested in his/herstory, it illustrates how face-to-face interviews can rescue important and neglected areas of common past; for organizers and social critics/theorists, it sheds light on how to build and maintain organizations that do not become top-heavy with age, and it provides models of organizers who have not been “burned out," but remain intact and resilient despite years of setbacks and deadends. And it gives us all a vivid (and to my mind, unsurpassed) sense of how women approach social transformation—the distinctive supports they create, their way of using, sharing, and restraining leadership, the connections they make between friends and home-life,on one hand, and their organizational and political activities on the other. But for me the book's most remarkable feature is its wide, seemingly universal, appeal. With no little envy, I have watched as members of my family, progressive and conservative, teen-aged and elderly, have all been touched and engaged by it. There is a kind oi magical inclusiveness about it; it crosses boundaries easily. Though written by and about women, it speaks no less fully to men; for readers of movement magazines like RAIN or Community Jobs, it can convey much of what a career of full-time organizing is like; but at the same time, the book makes organizers seem more approachable, more credible—almost next-doorish—to those distant from, or even suspicious of, their aims. Part of this magic comes from Moving the Mountain's generous reliance on direct and eloquent photographs, its simple but solid and unpatronizing way of supplying essential background data, and its adroit blending of personal and activist dimensions in the lives of De La Cruz, Baker, and Luscomb, But mostly, again, the women themselves are veteran boundary crossers, and in giving us such clear access to their voices, the book itself moves a bit the mountain that usually divides us from those unlike us in sex, race, vocation or age. Moving the Mountain, then, is not only an extraordinary and useful book but a hope-giving one. It can help build bridges, guide us toward new (or assist in rebuilding old) coalitions. My only reservation is that it seems to shy away from raising critical (or self- critical) questions. What (for example) would Baker, De La Cruz, or Luscomb have done differently? What assumptions or tactics did they discard along the way or do they now see as misguided ? How do the three contrast in terms of vision or strategy: do they disagree, for example, on where and how contemporary social change can best take place? How far do their ideas and approaches really threaten contemporary forms of oppression and exploitation, e.g., the nuclear arms race? And how could their diverse concerns and organizations be brought together to augment thqir isolated impacts? A final “summary" or "re-visions" section in which the organizers and their interviewers reflect on questions such as these would, I think, sharpen the book's focus and make it even more coherent and instructive. But the omission of such a section is a minor and reversible defect in an otherwise fertile and compelling book, which, more than any other I know of, can open the reader— almost any reader—to the heart and spirit of social change organizing. —Len Krimerman Len teaches philosophy at the University of Connecticut. ACCESS WOMEN International Women andHealth Resource Guide edited by ISIS (Women's International Information and Communication Service) and the Boston Women's Health Collective, Inc., 1980, $5 from: Boston Women's Health Collective Box 192 West Somerville, MA 02144 This 177-page annotated resource list includes references across the country and continental boundaries specific to women and health. A plethora of organizations and publications have addressed women's health issues, yet rarely, the authors claim, are these pursued from a women's perspective. Concise descriptions of women-run, wom- en-authored and women-oriented publications and organizations reflect both the range and similarities of women's concerns around the world. Citations are made in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German, varying according to the source. Although this first edition is geared toward English-speaking readers, future editions—a goal of the editors—will be geared toward those of other tongues. Interspersed throughout the Guide are brief article excerpts, introducing chapters on reproductive issues, women's role in health, drugs and drug companies, food, child bearing, menopause and aging, health and the environment, and self help. A brief chapter on audio-visuals features films on topics such as a sterilization program in Brazil, and women and occupational work hazards. Organized by subject area and cross-indexed by region/country, the material in this guide is easily accessible. A valuable reference tool for anyone interested in health or women's issues. —LS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz