Talking Feminism with Lila Rose

Plus, a special prize for giving my book as a Mother's Day present

First up, I have a spot where I could use some help, and I figure Other Feminisms readers might be the ones to ask. I’ve been helping to support a woman who fled domestic violence with her son for the past two years (in concert with a group of ~30 women). That’s let us split the costs of lawyer retainers, housing security, etc as she rebuilds her life.

She’s got a legal fight coming to a conclusion in the next few months [details redacted, about child support and taxes], and covering the fight plus some of the rebuilding is a little hard for our group to handle. We have a gap of about $1200 total over four months.

If you’re an Other Feminisms reader, and you’d like to chip in, you can email me with any questions, and my venmo is @leah-libresco. We’ve also gotten help from the Order of Judith, to whom I’m very grateful.

On average, women fleeing abuse return to their partners many times before they successfully escape. Being able to remove some of the financial pressure has made it easier for K to build a new, safe life.

Ben Wildflower’s image of Mary’s Magnificat, available here.

Last month, I flew to California to sit down with Lila Rose of LiveAction. We had a broad ranging conversation—definitely a lot in here about The Dignity of Dependence—but also a little more about my conversion story and my family’s history of losing children through miscarriage. Plus, my take on rising misogyny on the Right (everything from saying women should be excluded from student loans to half-joking cries to repeal the 19th Amendment).

The video link is below (they went through several SEO driven titles, and very obviously I didn’t pick this one!) and you can also listen on Spotify and other podcast providers.

I’ve really enjoyed being tagged in some people’s notes when they’re reading The Dignity of Dependence post-partum, and it was a delight on one book tour shop to have a mom show me her son’s inscription in the copy of The Dignity of Dependence that he bought for her.

So, as Mother’s Day approaches, I’d like to offer readers a little something extra if you’re thinking of getting a book for a friend or family member in April or May. This is NOT limited to moms—the book’s discussion of how our bodily frailty connects us to others certainly is not.

I’m planning to get the design below printed as either stickers or magnets, which I’d put in the mail to anyone who sends me a receipt for The Dignity of Dependence (or my other two books, Arriving at Amen and Building the Benedict Option) in April or May. I’ll have a copy to buy directly from me, if you’d like one signed.

So, first off, would you prefer to see this printed as a sticker or a magnet?

I’ve got some magnet proofs on their way to my house, because I want a magnet, but stickers are a little more cost effective. Hold onto your receipts if you have them, and I’ll have a sign up form soon!

Who in your life have you lent your book to already?

What’s the best book someone recommended to you during a time of extended recovery?

I definitely nominate Piranesi for that second category.