STEVE JOHNSON recommends that you catch an unforgettable tribute to Woody Guthrie
A woman for all seasons
SYLVIA HIKINS is enthralled by a biography of an extraordinary, 19th-century mould-breaker who influenced policies regarding the status of women in society
MARJORIE MAYO recommends a punchy demonstration of the the way class politics are being fragmented by the right
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a deliciously dark thriller that explores the complex loyalties within a marriage
JOHN GREEN surveys the remarkable career of screenwriter Malcolm Hulke and the essential part played by his membership of the Communist Party
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Last Breath, Sister Midnight, Opus, and The Electric State
HENRY BELL is moved by the account of scientists under seige in Leningrad who preferred to starve rather than sacrifice their life-saving work
RUTH AYLETT recommends two anthologies: one that bears witness to refugee and immigrant experiences, and the other to our political relationship to water
Trailblazer: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, The First Feminist to Change Our World
by Jane Robinson
Doubleday £11.58
OH MY goodness, here’s another game changer from the past who didn’t fit the bill regarding gender, establishment ideology, power elites, patriarchy, who has been erased by most historians writing his-story!
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon was born in 1827 and during her lifespan of 64 years, pioneered and developed far reaching concepts regarding feminism, women’s rights, equal opportunities, diversity, inclusion and mental health awareness.
More from this author
A manifesto for change, feminism in the digital age and a wordless play by Palestinians
SYLVIA HIKINS relishes a brilliant untold Merseybeat story of how four talented women dared to break the mould
SYLVIA HIKINS applauds a musical show that emphasises the growing difference in songwriting between Lennon and McCartney
SYLVIA HIKINS revisits the visionary world of Blake in a handsome book that sets him alongside his European contemporaries
Similar stories
With most of recorded history dominated by the voices of men, LYNNE WALSH encourages sisters to read the memoirs of women – and to write their own too
DAVID NICHOLSON is fascinated by one of the early pioneers of the women’s movement and of the early days of the Labour Party
RON JACOBS points out that it wasn’t until anti-imperialist and anti-racist movements formed women’s liberation groups that the fundamental roots of oppression could be addressed
SYLVIA HIKINS is persuaded by the characterisation of social media as patriarchal and misogynist, and strategies to resist it