(This review was not actually written by Anthony Schmitz. I'm Anna Schmitz, his 15-year-old daughter.)

I suppose this book had good intentions. The writers seem smart, and the book probably rings true for their select group of dinner party friends (young, urban, in the media business). However, the research is shoddy, the authors' arguments often become long-winded whining, and the arguments themselves are occasionally absurd.

It's unclear whether the authors simply grew bored of their book, or if a deadline was rapidly approaching, or if research was unavailable, but too often the authors rely on "according-to-my-friend-Jane" in lieu of actual research. In an actual quote from the book, in an argument for Take Back the Night, Baumgardner and Richards assure you that Take Back the Night remains important because "Jennifer Gottesman, a junior at Barnard College, confirmed that her college's Take Back the Night rally and march are the most important political events on campus." Say no more! If Jennifer thinks Take Back the Night is the most important event on campus, it surely is.

However, even this she-said research is often overshadowed by the authors' whining about their lack of importance in the eyes of Second Wave feminists. As important as it is to feel approval, it seems that the best way to gain it would be to carve out one's one niche instead on relying on older feminists to advance concerns that they may not fully understand. The authors complain about feeling patronized and disrespected by Second Wavers, about not being invited to speak at panels, and although these concerns are legitimate, it's not hard to see where Second Wavers are coming from when reading "Letter to an Older Feminist". The letter is patronizing and petty. It implies that Second Wavers are no longer useful in the movement-- that although they once wrote important books and had important ideas, they are no longer needed as innovators, and should sit back and hand over all controls to Third Wave women. Second Wave feminists are not dead, and don't need to be treated as such.

On a personal level, I found the book's criticism of New Moon Magazine to be both offensive and off-base. As both a former reader of New Moon and a former Girls' Editorial Board member, the authors' shallow appraisal of the magazine struck me as laughable. The authors argue that the magazine represents feminist mothers' ideas of what girls want, and not what the girls themselves want. The authors are prone to nostalgic reflections on Sassy magazine, and its embrace of fun/funky outfits, hairstyles, and articles. They seem disappointed that New Moon is not a twin of the magazine of their youth, and is instead an outright feminist magazine, with artwork and not Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love on the cover.

Baumgardner and Richards inform the reader that New Moon is not actually what girls want. I beg to differ. New Moon is not what teen girls want-- that's true. Most girls end their subscription by the time they hit 13. But for 8 to 12-year-olds, New Moon is a great magazine. If girls are looking for what Sassy once provided, there are other magazines. New Moon does not have to provide the tips on hair, makeup, and boys that the authors of Manifesta are convinced that girls actually want. What their argument amounts to is two Third Wave feminists advancing their agenda by accusing Second Wave feminists of starting a girls' magazine to advance their agenda. Perhaps Baumgardner and Richards should follow their own advice and let girls themselves decide and control what they want, as opposed to letting Third Wave feminists tell them what they want.

Book arrived on time, even a little earlier than I expected it! I'm very pleased.

A must-read for all young women so as to remind us what our mothers and grandmothers faught so hard for and to also remind us of our responsibility to our own children and young women of the future. Manifesta is inspiring and the [...] that every young inactive feminist needs.

The author's next book, Grassroots picks up where Manifesta leaves off.

I am a Women's Studies minor and I picked up this book in hopes of refining my views on feminism. It did just that. This book is amazing. It shows young women how far the feminism movement has come and hhow far it still needs to go. It makes you want to stand up and shout at the injustices against women and their rights. It was a wonderful way to introduce the women's third wave movement and why it is needed. I would reccomend this book to anyone, everyone. The authors are young women writing to young women, they understand the pressures and how our culture has changed since the Second Wave movement. This book is the perfect book for a beginning feminist who wants to learn more about the movement and why it is important to keep fighting for equality.

Sorry, but I can't take seriously anything that lists Seventeen magazine as a feminist resource for young women. I read this when I was still a teenager, the target audience, and still found it awful.