Elevate Difference

Reviews by Laura-Marie Taylor

off our backs:the feminist newsjournal (Women and Fundamentalisms)

off our backs has been published continuously since 1970. These people know what they’re doing. Their position as such a long-running magazine gives them authority. The journal provides irrefutable evidence that women are being brutally oppressed in the United States and around the world. The cover of volume xxxvi, number 3 asks, “Is there room in heaven for women?” and focuses on the damage being done by the religious right—all of the religious right, not just Christians—and how the religious right functions through misogyny.

She's Not the Man I Married: My Life with a Transgender Husband

She’s Not the Man I Married is a smart, in-depth look at being a woman whose husband is transgendered.

Ms. Films DIY Guide to Film & Video, Third Edition

This anthology of DIY film techniques and ideas is nothing short of inspiring. It takes what I had thought of as a corporate and very difficult to break into medium and brings it to the level where anyone can become a filmmaker. Comprehensive and fascinating, with a lot of spirit, Ms. Films DIY Guide to Film & Video looks and feels like a zine, but is bound durably as a book. Geared toward women and girls, as women and girls are under-represented as film-makers, this book serves a meaningful purpose. I had never felt the desire to make films, but _Ms.

The Peace Tree

The Peace Tree is a heartwarming, informative movie by producer and director Mitra Sen. There are funny, touching and beautiful moments throughout this compelling movie. At school, all different religious holidays are discussed and celebrated. I learned about Eid, the Muslim celebration that marks the end of Ramadan. But what happens at home is another story. Old prejudices are difficult to transcend, and parents are reluctant to allow their children to participate in the traditions of other faiths.

Red Velvet Seat: Women’s Writing on the First Fifty Years of Cinema

This hefty anthology is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in film, history or women’s studies. Substantial at 872 pages, it covers the years 1895 to 1950. The relationship between women and film is complex and fascinating, which explains the length of Red Velvet Seat, and the relationship has gone mostly unexplored, which suggests the book’s importance. Scholars, in particular, will be excited to see so many insightful texts gathered into one volume.