Tish Sommers, Activist, and the Founding of the Older Women's League

A pioneer in linking issues of feminism and aging, Sommers (1914-1985), as portrayed here, was a free spirit. Her political awareness, was aroused in Nazi Germany, where she was born and studied dance, and continued to grow in the U.S., where she married and, in 1936, joined the American Communist party. At age 57, a cancer patient, divorced and ineligible for health benefits, Sommers focused her political energies on redressing the inequities experienced by aging women, founding the Older Women's League (OWL) in 1980. An energetic rebel and tireless activist, she inspired loyalty among a circle of women who rallied round to support her while she was dying. This respectful, detailed biography, a blend of oral and research history, fills a niche in feminist history. Huckle teaches women's studies at San Diego State University. Illustrations. (June)