What Does It Take to Be a ‘Good Woman’?
We talk to Savala Nolan about her new book of essays, "Good Woman: A Reckoning," which blends history and memoir as she examines the confining expectations of womanhood.
March 3, 2026
54 min
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3,232 of 3,393
March 3, 2026
What Does It Take to Be a ‘Good Woman’?
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What Does It Take to Be a ‘Good Woman’?
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 talk to Nolan.
Guests:
Savala Nolan, executive director, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, Berkeley Law; author, "Good Woman: A Reckoning," "Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body"
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