In this fierce and beautiful book, the author of Pornography: Men
Possessing Women confronts our most profound social disgrace:
the sexual, cultural, and political subjugation of women to men,
and with rare eloquence examines the systematic crimes of our
male-dominated society against women.
“Our Blood is long overdue—all women must welcome the vigor
and the incisive perception o f this young feminist. ”
—Flo Kennedy
“Andrea Dworkin’s writing has the power of young genius
—Leah Fritz
“Andrea Dworkin has dedicated the title chapter of her book to the
Grimke sisters, and it would have pleased them, I think—since it
contains material which can serve at once as source and inspiration
for women. ”
—Robin Morgan
“Women, looking into the mirror of Out Blood, will feel anguish
for our past suffering and enslavement—and outrage at our present
condition. Men, if they dare to look into this mirror, will turn away
in shame and horror at what they have done. ”
—Karla Jay
“It is great—scary and innovative and great. ”
—Karen DeCrow
“Our Blood takes a hard, unflinching look at the nature of sexual
politics. Each essay reveals us to ourselves, exposing always the
dynamics which have kept women oppressed throughout the ages.
Our Blood compels us to confront the truth of our lives in the hope
that we will then be able to transform them. ”
—Susan Yankowitz
WOMAN B
o
k
s b
y
A
n
d
reaD
w
i
HATING
THE NEW WOMANS BROKEN H EART
p o r n o g r a p h y : m e n p o s s e s s i n g w o m e n
Perigee Books
are published by
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 1976 by Andrea Dworkin
New preface copyright © 1981 by Andrea Dworkin
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof,
may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Published simultaneously in Canada by Academic Press
Canada Limited, Toronto.
“Feminism, Art, and My Mother Sylvia. *' Copyright Q 1974 by Andrea
Dworkin. First published in Social Policy, May/June 1975. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Renouncing Sexual ‘Equality. ’” Copyright © 1974 by Andrea Dworkin.
First published in WIN, October 1 7 , 1974. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
“Remembering the Witches. ” Copyright © 1975 by Andrea Dworkin. First
published in WIN, February 20, 1975. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Rape Atrocity and the Boy Next Door. ” Copyright © 1975 by Andrea Dworkin. First delivered as a lecture.
“The Sexual Politics of Fear and Courage. ” Copyright © 1975 by Andrea
Dworkin. First delivered as a lecture.
“Redefining Nonviolence. ” Copyright © 1975 by Andrea Dworkin. Published in WIN, July 17, 1975. Delivered as a lecture under the tide “A Call to Separatism. ” Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Lesbian Pride. ” Copyright © 1975 by Andrea Dworkin. First published
under the title “What Is Lesbian Pride? ” in The Second Wave, Vol. 4, No. 2,
1975. Delivered as a lecture under the title “What Is Lesbian Pride? ” Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Our Blood: The Slavery of Women in Amerika. ” Copyright © 1975 by
Andrea Dworkin. First delivered as a lecture under the title “Our Blood. ”
“The Root Cause. ” Copyright © 1975 by Andrea Dworkin. First delivered
as a lecture under the title “Androgyny. ”
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Random House, Inc., for permission
to reprint from The Random House Dictionary o f the English Language.
Copyright © 1966, 1967 by Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Dworkin, Andrea.
Our blood.
Reprint. Originally published: New York: Harper &
Row, cl976.
Bibliography: p.
1. Women—Social conditions. 2. Feminism. I. Title.
HQ1154. D85 1981
305. 4'2
81-7308
ISBN 0-399-50575-X
AACR2
First Perigee printing, 1981
Printed in the United States of America
C ontents
Preface
xi
1. Feminism, A rt, and My M other Sylvia
1
2. Renouncing Sexual “Equality”
10
3. Remembering the Witches
15
4. The Rape Atrocity and the Boy Next Door
22
5. The Sexual Politics of Fear and Courage
50
6. Redefining Nonviolence
66
7. Lesbian Pride
73
8. Our Blood: The Slavery of Women in Amerika
76
9. The Root Cause
96
Notes
113
FOR BARBARA DEMING
I suggest that if we are willing to confront our own
most seemingly personal angers, in their raw state,
and take upon ourselves the task of translating this
raw anger into the disciplined anger of the search
for change, we will find ourselves in a position to
speak much more persuasively to comrades about
the need to root out from all anger the spirit of
murder.
Barbara Deming, “On Anger”
We Cannot Live Without Our Lives
Now, women do not ask half of a kingdom but
their rights, and they don’t get them. When she
comes to demand them, don’t you hear how sons
hiss their mothers like snakes, because they ask
for their rights; and can they ask for anything
less?. . . But we’ll have our rights; see if we don’t;
and you can’t stop us from them; see if you can.
You can hiss as much as you like, but it is coming.
Sojourner Truth, 1853
I thank Kitty Benedict, A
C
K
N
O
W
L
E
D
G
M
T
S
Phyllis Chesler, Barbara
Deming, Jane Gapen, Beatrice Johnson, Eleanor
Johnson, Liz Kanegson, Judah Kataloni, Jeanette
Koszuth, Elaine Markson, and Joslyn Pine for
their help and faith.
I thank John Stoltenberg, who has been my
closest intellectual and creative collaborator.
I thank my parents, Sylvia and Harry Dworkin,