They Didn’t See Us Coming

“They Didn’t See Us Coming reveals a thriving and transnational movement bursting forth from the 1990s grounded in the theories and activism of women of color. This remarkable book lifts up the stories of women who blazed their own trail, and together changed the world.”

―Loretta Ross, coauthor of Radical Reproductive Justice

What happened to feminism after Women’s Lib faded from the headlines? Most assumed that activism fizzled in the 1990s, that feminism had splintered into factions—or had disappeared altogether. The front of Time Magazine asked, “Is feminism dead?” Some claimed the movement had become irrelevant, selling individualism dressed as “girl power.”

But the feminism that has shaped the consciousness of millions of people today had distinct roots in the ‘90s. In They Didn’t See Us Coming, historian Lisa Levenstein argues we have missed many of the most vital contributions of the movement because we’ve been looking in the wrong places. By showcasing voices and stories long ignored by popular culture and scholars, Levenstein illustrates that the ‘90s was a time of intense and international coalition building. From “women’s rights are human rights,” to the controversies over the televising of Anita Hill’s testimony, from Bitch magazine to SisterSong’s demands for reproductive justice: the decade saw the rise of some of the most lasting aspects of contemporary feminism. New tools like e-mail took organizing online, bringing people across the world who had common purpose into instant contact. Much of this activism centered around the growing influence of women of color, activists from the global South, and people of ranging gender expressions and identities, whose work reveals a diverse and thriving movement. 

A revisionist history of the origins of contemporary feminism, They Didn’t See Us Coming shows how women on the margins built a movement at the dawn of the Digital Age.

A Bitch most anticipated nonfiction book 2020

A New York Times new and noteworthy book, June 2020

 

REVIEWS

“The smartest work I’ve read on how social movements have changed since the ‘60s. This is the vital backstory to the massive Women’s March of 2017, the #MeToo movement, and the capacious yet unsung organizing that is changing our world for the better.”

Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America

“Lisa Levenstein adds a critically important chapter to the history of feminist activism by recovering the powerful intersectional voices of the 1990s. They Didn’t See Us Coming unearths the theoretical interventions as well as the nitty-gritty of feminist organizing to showcase the varied and textured, multi-layered and multi-issue praxis of feminism, both globally and locally, that laid the foundation for the recent upsurge in feminism. This book will shift our thinking about the evolution of modern feminism and is essential reading for anyone who cares about feminism or social justice.”

Premilla Nadasen, President of the National Women’s Studies Association and author of Household Workers Unite: The Untold Story of African American Women Who Built a Movement

“Lisa Levenstein’s poignant history of the change-makers in 1990s feminism shows how movements are made and sustained. They Didn’t See Us Coming is an important and compelling new account that brings this vital activism to life—and encourages us to learn from the work of these women.”

Daisy Hernandez, coeditor of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism

“Lisa Levenstein has written a moving and exciting new history that captures the global roots of today’s feminism. This remarkable book lifts up the stories of women who blazed their own trail, and together changed the world.”

Loretta Ross, coeditor of Radical Reproductive Justice: Foundation, Theory, Practice, Critique

“A sweeping and beautifully written account of a feminist movement that too many of us assumed had faded away. Lisa Levenstein reveals how a multiracial and global coalition of women kept feminism vibrant and alive, and shows that it was these women who made it possible for us to imagine a more just and equitable future today.”

Heather Ann Thompson, Pulitzer Prize wining author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy 

“Lisa Levenstein offers a refreshing and groundbreaking account of the feminist movements of the 1990s. She foregrounds the global arena and women of color to underscore how intersectional analyses of inequality fundamentally shaped women’s movements, ideas, and strategies. This book introduces us to compelling people searching for ways to make a more just society.”