In Female Rage, Mary Valentis and Anne Devane, both professors of literature, confront rage head-on, explaining why it is epidemic among women, why women need to acknowledge it, and how they can use it to empower their lives. Drawing on examples from mythology (particularly the myth of Medusa), literature, and film, as well as interviews with women and psychotherapists, Valentis and Devane let readers know that rage is a part of every woman's experience.

Beginning with the rage of the little girl who perceives that being male confers privilege and moving on to the young woman who hides her feelings behind the mask of a pretty face, the authors discuss the all-too-common dependency among women that leads to victimization in relationships. And they explain how innocence and gullibility sow the seeds of rage.

1. The authors also discuss the physical and emotional problems, such as depression, anorexia, and bulimia, that result when rage is turned inward. They talk about the tendency to label enraged women as hysterical or crazy, about how women tend to direct their rage toward other women, and about the rage experienced by older women against a culture that deifies youth.

Most important, they caution us not to become stuck in rage and indulge in fantasies of revenge. Instead, they coach us in how to find our undercurrent of rage, train it, and use it to fulfill our dreams.