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BOOK REVIEW by Veronica Smith: Breaking Up with the Patriarchy by Susan L. Herrmann

Published in 2025 by Open Spiral (USA), Susan L. Herrmann’s ground-breaking book, ‘Breaking up with the Patriarchy‘ is the result of over thirty years of experience as an educator and therapist. Being her first book, Susan was guided through the process of compiling and editing by Laura B. Fox, who specialises in Mind Body Spirit publications. Susan’s book was then published through Laura’s imprint ‘Open Spiral’.

The foreword is written by Susan’s teacher, Four Arrows (Wahinkpe Topa) aka Don Trent Jacobs, who authored the Worldview Chart, which is an important reference point throughout the book.

So, what is the book about? Susan explains the concept of the ‘Patriarchy’, how it has become the dominant system in the world, centering on competition, exploitation, isolation and fear. Fear is the main form of its control, keeping us so afraid that we are unable to recognize and respond to what is happening around us. This system thinks in Linear Time, which puts us on an impossible time schedule with no time to rest and which inevitably leads to exhaustion and sickness.

In contrast, the much older Indigenous / Kinship worldview operates on the idea of cooperation, respect for Nature, and fearlessness. It thinks in cyclical time. As Susan says in Chapter 10, ‘In cyclic time, trauma becomes fertilizer. Not because suffering is good or necessary but because life is endlessly creative in forging new possibilities when things fall apart.‘

In Patriarchal linear time, we are told that rest is a luxury we cannot afford because we will miss our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reach certain goals within our age bracket. In Kinship cyclic time, we know that rest is essential for well-being and that opportunities will come around again, when we are better able to cope with them.

From Fear to Fearlessness involves a change in our own mindsets, literally breaking up with the “truths” that the patriarchal system has been feeding us and our ancestors for generations. Before we can heal and change the world, we must first heal and change ourselves. In this book, Susan gives practical advice on the small steps we can take each day to change how we show up in the world, how we respond, how we perceive the world around us.

Susan writes as a friend, sharing her own personal story, as well as citing examples of situations she has witnessed with many of her clients, including Vietnamese survivors of Agent Orange.

This is a book worth reading, both for the questions that it raises and for the solutions that it suggests. Whether you follow the suggestions or not, is up to you.

‘Breaking up with the Patriarchy’ is available to order through Amazon worldwide, both as Kindle and as Paperback.
ISBN: 9781965101155

ENDS Review written by Veronica Smith on 22nd August 2026