By Phyllis Chesler
I was asked to do an interview on psychological trauma. Good person that I am, I agreed to do so at once. What I had in mind was to bring in a psychoanalytically oriented trauma therapist who is now doing the most advanced trauma therapy–in Israel. Of course. In Israel. I also had in mind bringing in Dr. Judith Lewis Herman, or at least a summary of her important work. In 1992, I was privileged to have reviewed her book Trauma and Recovery in the pages of the New York Times Book Review. I was told that this meant that an almost failing book would now have a long and impressive future. Since then, it has saved millions of lives. I was only “paying it forward.” The late Adrienne Rich reviewed Women and Madness in those same pages. It was the first feminist work to have been accorded a front-page book review.
Thank you, Adrienne. Thank you, Judy.
Long ago, I learned that if I wore some lipstick, people would take me for one of them and actually listen to the radical things I would be saying. It usually worked. And so, this time, I also had a makeup artist perfect my appearance.
My exceedingly pleasant and enthusiastic interviewer mainly wanted to talk about my feminist work. I was surprised but also pleased. Her questions allowed me to walk her through my feminist thinking and writing over fifty-five to sixty years of publishing, lecturing, founding programs, organizing conferences, and a wee bit of demonstrating.
When I asked for a copy of the recorded interview, I was, at first, met with silence. I continued to ask–and finally received a link to an audio file of our conversation which did not work. I asked again–and happily received a link that did work. When I requested the visual version, not only the auditory one (remember that makeup!), I was finally told that their policy does not allow them to share the visual version. Ah, well. Oh dear. I can live with this.
Here is our July 15th conversation. I hope you enjoy it.
Follow this link
Henry Martin – Two women talking
First published in Phyllis’ Newsletter
