Susan Brownmiller, the journalist and activist whose 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape is considered a landmark work of feminist writing, has died at 90, the Washington Post reports.
Brownmiller, a Brooklyn native, studied at Cornell University for two years before a brief stint as a stage actor. She then worked as a journalist for Newsweek, the Village Voice, NBC in Philadelphia, and ABC in New York.
In 1970, she published her first book, a biography of Shirley Chisholm, who two years prior made history as the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Brownmiller published Against Our Will in 1975. In the book, Brownmiller argued that rape was more than just a crime but rather “a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.” The book is considered one of the most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.
Her other books include Femininity, Waverly Place, Seeing Vietnam: Encounters of the Road and Heart, In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution, and My City High Rise Garden.
Social media users paid tribute to Brownmiller following her death. On the social platform Bluesky, author Sarah Weinman wrote, “Susan Brownmiller has died. AGAINST OUR WILL, published 50 years ago this fall, was a landmark book about rape and misogyny that shaped so much subsequent scholarship.”
And political scientist and sociologist Janet Gornick posted, “Today, it's a fitting to remember Susan #Brownmiller, a warrior who exploded myths and catalyzed legal reforms. I had the opportunity to work with her on several occasions over 40+ years. She was relentless, complicated, bold. RIP. The cause endures, the work goes on.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
