Believing

Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence

By: Anita Hill

Narrated by: January LaVoy

“An elegant, impassioned demand that America see gender-based violence as a cultural and structural problem that hurts everyone, not just victims and survivors… It's at times downright virtuosic in the threads it weaves together.”—NPR

Winner of the 2022 ABA Silver Gavel Award for Books

From the woman who gave the landmark testimony against Clarence Thomas as a sexual menace, a new manifesto about the origins and course of gender violence in our society; a combination of memoir, personal accounts, law, and social analysis, and a powerful call to arms from one of our most prominent and poised survivors.

In 1991, Anita Hill began something that's still unfinished work. The issues of gender violence, touching on sex, race, age, and power, are as urgent today as they were when she first testified. Believing is a story of America's three decades long reckoning with gender violence, one that offers insights into its roots, and paths to creating dialogue and substantive change. It is a call to action that offers guidance based on what this brave, committed fighter has learned from a lifetime of advocacy and her search for solutions to a problem that is still tearing America apart.

We once thought gender-based violence—from casual harassment to rape and murder—was an individual problem that affected a few; we now know it's cultural and endemic, and happens to our acquaintances, colleagues, friends and family members, and it can be physical, emotional and verbal. Women of color experience sexual harassment at higher rates than White women. Street harassment is ubiquitous and can escalate to violence. Transgender and nonbinary people are particularly vulnerable.

Anita Hill draws on her years as a teacher, legal scholar, and advocate, and on the experiences of the thousands of individuals who have told her their stories, to trace the pipeline of behavior that follows individuals from place to place: from home to school to work and back home. In measured, clear, blunt terms, she demonstrates the impact it has on every aspect of our lives, including our physical and mental wellbeing, housing stability, political participation, economy and community safety, and how our descriptive language undermines progress toward solutions. And she is uncompromising in her demands that our laws and our leaders must address the issue concretely and immediately.

©2021 Anita Hill (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"To say that ‘Believing’ is a sobering read is a gobsmacking understatement…Hill deftly sweeps aside the intricate web of denial, bias and institutional failures to show not only the causes of gender-based violence in America, but also their solutions. Hers is a brave, brazenly intelligent and ultimately hopeful womanifesto.”—San Francisco Chronicle

"With scholarly sophistication, Hill calls out the failings of our politicians, courts, places of work and home life. . . . Hill is uniquely equipped to offer a combined scholarly and personal perspective on this subject."—Associated Press

"Anita Hill's courage on screen awakened a nation to gender violence. Now, in the pages of Believing, she shows each of us how to be courageous, too."—Gloria Steinem

So rich, so important

This book is a dense, thorough, illuminating and moving account of the historical and current cultural and legal workings around gender-based violence and harassment. Highly recommend. Thank you, Anita, for continuing to be the leader and stand you are for us all.

Deconstructing gender harassment

As someone who experienced workplace gender harassment, I found this book to offer invaluable case law references and also paints a clear picture of the exponential harms of gender discrimination/harassment beyond psychological harm often dismissed as “not that bad”.

Important Info From an Historic Figure

Hill's life and research since her congressional testimony are here. Her passion and intelligence are obvious. There is some redundancy. Well ready by LaVoy.

Must Read! Stand up already

Learned so much about so many things I didn't understand because it was taboo to ask or talk about. This book is one every person should read! It will make you truly think and hopefully stand up and do something!

Amazing

Everyone should read this book! Issues are articulated in a clear and concise manner and put into words frustrations that are difficult to explain when faced with discrimination.

one of the MOST important books you'll read

Every single person needs to read this incredible book. It educates, explains, and inspires each and every one of us to consider speaking out and taking action against Gender Violence in all aspects of our lives.

Anita Hill deserves to be heard

Anita Hill deserves to be heard. Her recommendations will have a positive impact on society as a whole. Excellent read from a talented writer. I highly recommend this book.

moving and truthful

great reading of this book. it was validating. it's given me a lot to think about.

Amazing book!!!!

Thank you Dr. Hill!!! I'm so grateful for your hard work in writing this amazing book!!! I'll listen again and again!!! It's life saving!!!!!!

Very important for all of humanity and all civilizations globally.

I don’t understand why 50% of our country would ever want to vote for Donnie or Vladdie.