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A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out
The groundbreaking feminist and socialist writings of Puerto Rican author and activist Luisa Capetillo

A Penguin Classic

In 1915, Puerto Rican activist Luisa Capetillo was arrested and acquitted for being the first woman to wear men's trousers publicly. While this act of gender-nonconforming rebellion elevated her to feminist icon status in modern pop culture, it also overshadowed the significant contributions she made to the women's movement and anarchist labor movements of the early twentieth century--both in her native Puerto Rico and in the migrant labor belt in the eastern United States. With the volume A Nation of Women, Capetillo's socialist and feminist activism is given the spotlight it deserves with its inclusion of the first English translation of Capetillo's landmark Mi opinión sobre las libertades, derechos y deberes de la mujer. Originally published in Spanish in 1911, Mi opinión is considered by many to be the first feminist treatise in Puerto Rico and one of the first in Latin America and the Caribbean. In concise prose, Capetillo advocates a workers' revolution, forcefully demanding an end to the exploitation and subordination of workers and women. Her essays challenge big business in favor of socialism, call for legalizing divorce and the acceptance of "free love" in relationships, and cover topics such as sexuality, mental and physical health, hygiene, spirituality, and nutrition. At once a sharp critique and a celebration of the gathering fervor of world politics, A Nation of Women embraces the humanistic thinking of the early twentieth century and envisions a world in which economic and social structures can be broken down, allowing both the worker and the woman to be free.
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A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out
The groundbreaking feminist and socialist writings of Puerto Rican author and activist Luisa Capetillo

A Penguin Classic

In 1915, Puerto Rican activist Luisa Capetillo was arrested and acquitted for being the first woman to wear men's trousers publicly. While this act of gender-nonconforming rebellion elevated her to feminist icon status in modern pop culture, it also overshadowed the significant contributions she made to the women's movement and anarchist labor movements of the early twentieth century--both in her native Puerto Rico and in the migrant labor belt in the eastern United States. With the volume A Nation of Women, Capetillo's socialist and feminist activism is given the spotlight it deserves with its inclusion of the first English translation of Capetillo's landmark Mi opinión sobre las libertades, derechos y deberes de la mujer. Originally published in Spanish in 1911, Mi opinión is considered by many to be the first feminist treatise in Puerto Rico and one of the first in Latin America and the Caribbean. In concise prose, Capetillo advocates a workers' revolution, forcefully demanding an end to the exploitation and subordination of workers and women. Her essays challenge big business in favor of socialism, call for legalizing divorce and the acceptance of "free love" in relationships, and cover topics such as sexuality, mental and physical health, hygiene, spirituality, and nutrition. At once a sharp critique and a celebration of the gathering fervor of world politics, A Nation of Women embraces the humanistic thinking of the early twentieth century and envisions a world in which economic and social structures can be broken down, allowing both the worker and the woman to be free.
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A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out

A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out

by Luisa Capetillo, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez

Narrated by Melanie Martinez, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez

Unabridged — 7 hours, 12 minutes

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A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out
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A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out

A Nation of Women: An Early Feminist Speaks Out

by Luisa Capetillo, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez

Narrated by Melanie Martinez, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez

Unabridged — 7 hours, 12 minutes

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Overview

The groundbreaking feminist and socialist writings of Puerto Rican author and activist Luisa Capetillo

A Penguin Classic

In 1915, Puerto Rican activist Luisa Capetillo was arrested and acquitted for being the first woman to wear men's trousers publicly. While this act of gender-nonconforming rebellion elevated her to feminist icon status in modern pop culture, it also overshadowed the significant contributions she made to the women's movement and anarchist labor movements of the early twentieth century--both in her native Puerto Rico and in the migrant labor belt in the eastern United States. With the volume A Nation of Women, Capetillo's socialist and feminist activism is given the spotlight it deserves with its inclusion of the first English translation of Capetillo's landmark Mi opinión sobre las libertades, derechos y deberes de la mujer. Originally published in Spanish in 1911, Mi opinión is considered by many to be the first feminist treatise in Puerto Rico and one of the first in Latin America and the Caribbean. In concise prose, Capetillo advocates a workers' revolution, forcefully demanding an end to the exploitation and subordination of workers and women. Her essays challenge big business in favor of socialism, call for legalizing divorce and the acceptance of "free love" in relationships, and cover topics such as sexuality, mental and physical health, hygiene, spirituality, and nutrition. At once a sharp critique and a celebration of the gathering fervor of world politics, A Nation of Women embraces the humanistic thinking of the early twentieth century and envisions a world in which economic and social structures can be broken down, allowing both the worker and the woman to be free.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

11/01/2021

Appearing for the first time in English, this 1911 treatise by a remarkable Puerto Rican labor leader, activist, feminist, socialist, and anarchist weaves together letters, essays, pamphlets, articles, speeches, and memoirs in an impassioned testament of one woman's fight for liberty. No mere suffragist, Capetillo (1897–1922) sought the nonviolent overthrow of all religious and political systems devised to oppress workers and women alike. In her view this battle is lost or won at home, through economic and educational equality for women and the replacement of the "vile and infamous comedy" of marriage with free love, albeit strictly heterosexual. Women can lead the way not only as thinkers and leaders but through their pervasive influence as mothers, literally weaning a better world into existence. A detailed introduction offers helpful background on the author's life and work as a subversive cigar factory lector, dedicated labor organizer, and infamous wearer of trousers. VERDICT Alternately universal and deeply personal, this inspiring and idiosyncratic book serves as both a valuable historical document of the women's movement in Latin America, and fresh inspiration for all those currently engaged in dismantling the patriarchy.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940172816970
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 09/14/2021
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 922,405
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Related Subjects

Social Sciences
Women's Studies
Feminism
Feminism & Feminist Theory
Social Sciences
Women's Studies
Feminism
Feminism & Feminist Theory

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