Harvey Weinstein. Brett Kavanaugh. Jeffrey Epstein. Donald Trump. The most infamous abusers in modern American history are being outed as women speak up to publicly expose behavior that was previously only whispered about — and it’s both making an impact, and sparking a backlash. From the leading, agenda-setting feminist editors of Yes Means Yes, Believe Me brings readers into the evolving landscape of the movement against sexual violence, and outlines how trusting women is the critical foundation for future progress.

In Believe Me, contributors ask and answer the crucial question: What would happen if we didn’t just believe women, but acted as though they matter? If we take women’s experiences of online harassment seriously, it will transform the internet. If we listen to and center survivors, we could revolutionize our systems of justice. If we believe Black women when they talk about pain, we will save countless lives.

With contributions from many of the most important voices in feminism today, Believe Me is an essential roadmap for the #MeToo era and beyond.

With Essays by

Moira Donegan • Sarah Deer & Bonnie Clairmont • Dahlia Lithwick • Katherine Cross • Julia Serano • Soraya Nadia McDonald

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley • Sady Doyle • Soraya Chemaly • Tina Horn • Sassafras Lowrey • Matt Lubchansky

Anuradha Bhagwati • Stacy Malone • Loretta Ross • Andrea L. Pino-Silva • Cherisse Scott • Tahir Duckett • Jamil Smith

Mónica Ramírez • Samantha Irby • Yifat Susskind & Yanar Mohammed • Anna-Catherine Brigida • Sabrina Hersi Issa • Tani Ikeda

What's Inside

Reader Reviews

Praise

"This urgent volume shines a light on the moral imperative to trust and believe women in order to save lives."

—Ms.

"In this urgent essay collection, feminist activists Valenti and Friedman bring together a diverse range of contributors to make the case for 'a simple but radical trust in women' ... Consistently well-written and soundly reasoned, these essays persuasively cast the tendency to doubt women as one of America's greatest social ills ... an illuminating call to action."

—Publishers Weekly

"Inclusive and essential... a must-have for the modern reader."

—Library Journal, starred review

"Believe Me is a book that lives up to its title. Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman have brought together writers, legal experts, actors, advocates, and more, creating both a call to action and a roadmap for a better future -- the future women deserve. It's hard to imagine a more powerful and timely portrait of the moment we're in, and where I hope we're headed."—Cecile Richards, co-founder of Supermajority and former president of Planned Parenthood

"A fierce, necessary volume of truth, accountability, and prognostication from a roster of the most fearless and perceptive writers working today. Believe Me feels like therapy to anyone who has been paying attention."—Lindy West

With Essays by

What's Inside

Reader Reviews

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