These 29 provocative essays investigate the role of law in women's everyday lives. Taking on such fundamental issues as rape, prostitution, and pornography, MacKinnon (Only Words) maintains that even when the law does not actually ignore women, its effects are usually negative, and that any law that does not take into account the basic sex inequality of male-female relationships cannot help women. The author is at her most passionate in essays describing the destructive effects of pornography on all women forced to engage in it, whether as participants, viewers, or partners of viewers; running through these essays is the story of her efforts to make pornography a civil offense in Minneapolis. Each essay stands alone but is also part of a finely crafted whole. One could wish, however, that MacKinnon's style was somewhat less academic; her arguments are important and should be accessible to both scholars and general readers. That said, this is a well-supported, timely, and necessary addition to both feminist and legal scholarship, and is highly recommended for academic libraries.