Gloria Steinem's Final Memoir Is Out, and She Has Thoughts on Everyone From Warhol to Chalamet

Gloria Steinem died at 92 earlier this month, and her ninth book,An Unexpected Life: A Memoir, has arrived posthumously from Random House. The book is dedicated to Wilma Mankiller, the first woman principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and it reads less like a farewell and more like a handoff to the next generation of feminists.

Written in present tense, the memoir traces how far the movement has come, from a time when domestic violence had no name to today’s laws, language, and shelters for survivors. Steinem writes that she planned to live to 100 and that being remembered with love is the best form of immortality. She also brings the hot takes, calling Andy Warhol“a spectacular fake,”praising Bill Clinton’s empathy, and even name-checking Timothée Chalamet.

The timing lands hard. Steinem’s death, along with the losses of Catherine O’Hara and Dolly Parton this year, has left a lot of people grieving a generation of trailblazers. But her final message is stubbornly optimistic: the wins are real, so notice them, and keep going.

What’s one lesson from an older mentor that you still use today? Drop it in the comments.