My Life on the Road

I was pleasantly surprised by Gloria Steinem’s novel, My Life on the Road. To be honest, I wasn't completely sure how moved I would be by the life of a traveling feminist (in the most general terms). I couldn't see myself being able to relate to her life in anyway, as I have had comfort in having a place to call home and I am not that passionate about politics. However, from the moment I read the first page, I knew I had greatly underestimated Steinem, both as an activist and as an inspirational writer.

When I read the title of the first chapter, “My Father’s Footprints”, I knew I was going to have more in common with Steinem than previously thought. The chapter was filled with memories of her unusual childhood on the road, which had worked to shape her into the person she is today. Although she originally was embarrassed of her ‘weird’ upbringing, and longed for a less impulsive father that could settle down, she later realized how important it was in forming her character. She found that without her father breaking all the rules, she would have never had the courage to do the same herself and be the leader she is today. After her father’s death, she only further realized how similar she was to him, even if at first she tried in every way to be the opposite. It was here that I made a true connection with Steinem. Though she lost her dad at 27 years old to a car accident, and I lost mine at 17 years old to pancreatic cancer, we had both weirdly had similar realizations from it. After his death, I felt happiness in reminiscing in my memories of him. I always saw myself as so different from him, because he was wise, strong, and assertive, and I am shy, lost, and rarely know what I want. Yet, I find more qualities of him in me as everyday goes by. Also, as Steinem received stories of kindness and loyalty from her fathers friends after his death, so did I. Since my father’s passing, I have learned more about his successes, his lifelong friendships, and his fun stories than I ever knew existed. Who was my dad? To me, he was the loving, but strict role model I always looked up to. But to his friends, he was the crazy, most selfless and loyal friend that touched so many lives. Through their stories to me, I was able to know all sides of my dad, and, in turn, learn more things about myself, just as Steinem also did.

Another part of the novel that stuck out to me was Steinem's passion for college campuses. As a student, I was slightly confused as to why she focused so much of her life visiting campuses across the nation. But as she described her college experience and I compared it to my almost unparalleled experience, I realized that because so much change has already happened, there's hope that there is more to come. Our society is more accepting today than it has been ever before, and with our more open-minded generation, there is only progress in our future. However, in this chapter she also taught me that not all my efforts, when fighting for something controversial, will be met with kindness. In fact, although her speeches at Harvard and Texas Woman's University were met with hostile responses, she didn't let it discourage her. Instead, she realized the importance of fighting for equality, and that ultimately, hostile responses educate the audience by acting as evidence to her argument. Because of this, I'm no longer afraid to share the unpopular opinion and fight for what I know is right.

My overall impression of My Life on the Road was to get out of my comfort zone and start doing something meaningful in my life. By ending the book the same way she started it, by commenting on her parents choices and how they affected her character, I was able to realize that my roots make me who I am, but don't decide where I end up. Her stories on the road taught me to always be open to anything that comes my way, and the importance of living in the presence. I have to go out and experience the world myself and form my own opinions, instead of adopting someone else’s through the over-generalized media. By listening to the stories of others, you are able to gain empathy and understand that although we are comparatively small in this big world, we still have the ability to successfully make change, and it starts with the people. My favorite line of the book was, “one of the simplest paths to deep change is for the less powerful to speak as much as they listen, and for the more powerful to listen as much as they speak” (xxiii Steinem).