Once upon a time, there was this book, and there was something I call my life. This book and my life are complicated and twisted-yet the struggles they share do have reason. The book I would like to share with you is inspiring, motivational, warm, sad and witty --this is the bible to understanding the vast issues of femininity dealing with identity. I call this little treasure, Listen Up: Voices from the next generation, edited by Barbara Findlen. The book is about groups of feminists, no, not the stereotyped "strident, man-hating, unattractive, lesbian feminists"; but real everyday women you pass-by daily. Women, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, Christian, Jewish, Atheist, single, married, straight, lesbian, bi-sexual, pro-choice, pro-life-whatever they are, these women write about the ongoing process of integrating their feminist identities through "ethnic, racial, religious, sexual, regional, and class." With similar experiences and understandings, these women are just like you and I. The search for identity is a fight for all of us. The reasons behind what shaped our identity, the movements that formed these different identities and the theories that try to give reason for identity provide some form of reasoning to why we are who we are. We all know theorists and psychologists need reasons to understand why we are all so screwed up.
             Growing up I faced many obstacles, but the one that changed my life was awakening half clothed on the side of a street when just fifteen years young. After this experience my life's path took a dramatic change in direction. The direction transitioned from being sweet and naive-- to being wild and experienced. By age seventeen "I was fluent in the language of sex and found myself in restaurants with men twice my age, drinking red wine and artfully playing [different] women". (p. 20) What men wanted or desired I became. Other than the fact that I have amazin...