Frank, clear-eyed and consistent, this collection of Susan G. Cole's writings bucks the backlash against feminist ideas. With a twist on 'Lesbian Chic,' Madonna and other icons, Cole analyzes the many forms of violence against women. Power Surge surveys the movement against pornography and sexual violence, its strategies and challenges for the nineties.

Cole fearlessly confronts the complexity of these issues. Do sentimental liberal values take women's real lives into account? Is censorship the only answer? Is sexual assault only about power, or is it gradually finding a place on the spectrum of everyday sexual practice? Far from perpetuating women's victim status, Cole argues that the only route to female empowerment is to confront women's experience.