Zoe’s actual diary of her 45 day event leading up to June 30, 1982, the deadline for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.  It is easy to read, ideal for women’s studies and women’s history  students who want to get inside of both the Equal Rights Amendment and the Second Wave crescendo of its deadline.  Zoe writes in detail about the politics in Illinois, the nation and the women’s movement.

You will feel her escalating hunger for equality, privacy, warmth and nourishment.  Her book discusses the effects of fasting, the importance of pure water and marks with each day, of her 37 day fast, the actual feelings, challenges and elation.  Staving off blindness, battling confusion, seeking safety and, finally, facing terrible defeat; this autobiography is intimate and intense.

Compared to Doris Stevens classic on the Nineteenth Amendment, Jailed for Freedom, The Hungry Heart follows this robust format.  Both of these feminist’s books offer a full historical and academic introduction on their respective amendments with personal diaries to follow; by real women who had harrowing experiences.  In addition, The Hungry Heart is the quintessential book on fasting in a US progressive civil rights movement; referred to by activists for a description on the effects of fasting on the community, the media and the body.

Click to Download Book as a PDF

As a teacher of U.S. Women’s History, if I had to choose one book about the struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment, The Hungry Heart would be that book. In fact, if I had to choose one book which captures the spirit of the women’s movement of the late 1970’s and 1980’s, this would be it. Nicholson’s account of the Women’s Fast for Justice is the most compelling and profoundly accurate I have ever read about the transformative power of non violent action for social justice and the spiritual journey of one who travels that path.

Mary Lee Sargent,  Professor Emerita, Parkland College

The Hungry Heart ~ A Woman’s Fast for Justice  ISBN: 0-9723928-3-1

Paperback copies are also available. Should you want them, Contact:
Zoe@LuneSoleilPress.com