Episode
Forum from the Archives: What Does It Take to Be a ‘Good Woman’?
- Podcast
- KQED's Forum
- Published
- May 25, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3292
- Processing state
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Summary
“All my life I have tried to be a good woman,” writes Savala Nolan. Being “good” meant not rocking the boat. It meant following the rules and fitting herself into the mold of duty, excellence, sacrifice, and hard work. But as a Black woman and mother navigating a world built for men, Nolan learned that the lessons of being good no longer fit her life. In her new book of essays “Good Woman: A Reckoning,” Nolan, an attorney who heads UC Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, blends history and memoir as she examines the confining expectations of womanhood. We listen back on our March interview with Nolan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices