As the nation’s largest private employer suffers a class action lawsuit for systematically underpaying their female employees, people dare to ask if feminism is still “relevant.” Radical organizations utilize mainly male spokespeople, and so-called revolutionary groups from SNCC to the Direct Action Network suffer from what many anarcha-feminists call Manarchy.

Radical feminism has a long and proud tradition and AK Press and the Dark Star Collective have pulled together many important anarcha-feminist essays, manifestoes and writings from historical radicals such as Voltairine deCleyre to more contemporary activists like the Bolivian group Mujeres Creando. Many of the works are reprinted from pamphlets and limited print-run publications. Some of these pieces are polished and engaging and others serve a more historical purpose. The articles don’t even all agree with each other, so we see the classic “The Tyranny of Structurelessness” juxtaposed with a response article “The Tyranny of Tyranny.” The book espouses no particular strategy or game plan, but does a superb job outlining the issues involved and the complexities inherent in the movement.

Quiet Rumors is only 120 pages, but is printed in a tiny font making some of the pages tough to read at over 900 words. The book is attractively illustrated with a series of woodcuts. Readers who are new to anarcha-feminism may find the absence of additional bibliographic information a bit daunting.