Hidden Herstories is a newsletter about women’s history for modern feminists.
FORGOTTEN FEMINISTS
Matilda and Lucy and Sojourner and Victoria. Susan and Nellie and Ida and many, many Elizabeths. History is full of radical housewives, unapologetic spinsters and daring single women who led rebellious lives devoted to challenging the patriarchal status quo, whether it was the laws that governed her, the clothes she wore, the work she did, and how it was valued. It’s not an accident that we don’t know about these women.
HIDDEN HERSTORIES
That time a stay-at-home mom started a revolution. The messy uproar when a woman tried to speak in public. The women who discovered climate change/invented the dishwasher/built the bridge. How the bicycle fought the patriarchy. The Shrieking Sisterhood and the Petticoat Rebellion. Legendary female friendships. Stunts, spectacles, love stories, pockets. Nice ladies trolling the president. Throughout history women teamed up to disrupt the status quo and fight for women’s rights. They accomplished a lot. You will probably find yourself responding “why the f*@* didn’t I know this?!”
TRUE STORIES THE PATRIARCHY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW
The story of the fight for women’s rights is the story of women discovering their power, building up the sisterhood, and peacefully organizing and agitating for a radical overhaul of society. They accomplished a lot!
It’s the audacious and outrageous story of how women got the vote in America. It’s the story about how women got to wear pants, go to college, get a job, have their own money and do whatever the f*&! they want. It’s the story of how women fought for the right to determine if/when/how they became mothers. It’s the story of how women battled to become fully human in the eyes of the law—and how we are still fighting for that today.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Short posts, quotes and stories about historical women and the fight for women’s rights for people with full inboxes, limited free time and who are in want of a quick interesting/insightful/inspiring read. Paid subscribers will receive monthly bonus posts including a #longread essay and a collection of media recommendations for further exploration.
WAIT…I THOUGHT THIS WAS ABOUT ROMANCE NOVELS?
This Substack originally started as XO Romance: The Radical Joy of Romance Novels but as my interests and areas of focus has shifted, so too has this ‘Stack. Archives are available to subscribers. So if you are curious about my hot takes on older heroines, how the fake engagement is the best trope, why we don’t need babies or marriage in our HEAs, you’re in luck!
ABOUT ME, MAYA RODALE
I’m the award-winning and best-selling author of more than two dozen novels of funny, feminist historical romance and fiction inspired by my obsession with radical historical women. My core story—the one I keep writing over and over again—is the joy and power of female friendship.
Reviewers and readers have noted my “signature wit and banter” (Entertainment Weekly) and declared my novels to be “endlessly entertaining” (Booklist), “funny, heartfelt and lovingly crafted” (Library Journal), “certain to delight” (Publisher’s Weekly), “energetic and bold” (Kirkus), and “absolutely a ton of fun to read” (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books).
A longtime champion of women’s stories and romance novels, I am also the author of Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. My work has been featured in NPR, Bustle, Glamour, Shondaland, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and PBS.
Visit me online at www.mayarodale.com and check out my books. They are fun and end happily!
BOOKS BY MAYA RODALE
