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A Bookshop of One’s Own
- How a Group of Women Set Out to Change the World
- Narrated by: Jane Cholmeley
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
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Publisher's Summary
An Independent and Stylist Best Non-Fiction Book for 2024
What was it like to start a feminist bookshop, in an industry dominated by men? How could a lesbian thrive in Thatcher’s time, with the government legislating to restrict her rights? How do you run a business when your real aim is to change the world?
Silver Moon was the dream of three women – a bookshop with the mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe space for any woman. Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia and misogyny, it was a testament to the power of community, growing into Europe’s biggest women’s bookshop and hosting a constellation of literary stars from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to Angela Carter. While contending with day-to-day struggles common to other booksellers, plus the additional burdens of misogyny and the occasional hate crime, Jane Cholmeley and her booksellers created a thriving business. But they also played a crucial and relatively unsung part in one the biggest social movements of our time.
A Bookshop of One’s Own is a fascinating slice of social history from the heart of the women’s liberation movement, from a true feminist and lesbian icon. Written with heart and humour, it reveals the struggle and joy that comes with starting an underdog business, while being a celebration of the power women have to change the narrative when they are the ones holding the pen.
Critic Reviews
‘[Jane] has always taken a back seat, but I think it’s time that younger women knew what a part she played in making the feminist movement, and also the role of women in society in general, a talking point… I can’t go down the Charing Cross Road now without a little feeling of regret for where the bookshop used to be.’ – Jacqueline Wilson
‘A vivid and wonderful evocation of the feminist bookshop on Charing Cross Road that was a home to so many of us. A story both of the shop itself and those inspiring women's liberation movement campaigning days of the 1980s, it's a slice of social history and a much-needed reminder of how women always have to fight for space – to get it, and to keep it. Bravo "Silver Moon", you are much missed.’ – Kate Mosse