Rosemary P

"Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us" by Anna Malaika Tubbs, Ph.D., is a well-written, compelling, and important book, appropriate for high school and college classrooms, book clubs, and for any person who wishes to broaden their understanding of history.

"Erased" is especially important at this time in our culture, when books are being banned; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and contracts are being cancelled; and our democracy is becoming an oligarchy, managed by billionaires.

Tubbs has two goals in writing this book. First, to accurately define and map American patriarchy: how it came to be, how it has persisted, and how it controls the very way in which we make sense of our world. Second, to help the reader imagine other ways to live. "The opposite of our current American patriarchy would be a nation that is organized based on bravery, optimism, a sense of security, and a comfort that comes with everyone having their needs met and therefore not being tricked into feeling the need to withhold all your power and wealth for yourself" (p. 272).

Anna Tubbs shares many details of her personal history with her readers, which created for me the feeling that I was sitting with a wise teacher-friend. Yes, the subject matter is serious and the author is not afraid to share facts about gender and race that many politicians currently are attempting to erase from our history books. However, her words and ideas flow easily, and I never felt depressed or shocked at anything in this book. I am a 75 year old female, and I have lived through many decades of the United States history that she describes.

In writing this book, the author wants to make patriarchy as obvious to you as it is to her. By the time I was 200 pages into the book, I was able to better perceive patriarchal behavior around me, as well as in the media. For example, when I heard a priest say that anyone in this room full of high school students (males and females) could become the pope, I thought "Think Again!" And when reading the NYT online, this headline jumped out at me: "Black Lives Matter Plaza is Gone. Its Erasure Feels Symbolic."

The book is well-organized, written in a clear and conversational voice. Each of the six sections of the book is packed with facts and examples from history, and Dr. Tubbs does a thorough job of teaching the story of American patriarchy, how it was developed by our founding fathers and written into the Constitution, how it is reinforced through our laws and customs, taught from one generation to the next, maintained through our institutions and social media, and how we can begin to take action to change the status quo.

In my opinion, "Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us" succeeds admirably in teaching us to recognize the concept of patriarchy in the United States, and the consequences it has for all of us.