“When I was 17, I had an experience that I later learned could be called a 'mystical experience.' It was almost violent. No faces, voices, nothing like that. It is like the world burst and flamed into life all around me. That is not a great image, but it is as good as I will ever do.”

American author and political activist

Barbara Ehrenreich was an American author and political activist. She was active in the 1980s and early 1990s as a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America. She was widely read as a columnist and essayist, and her work was recognized with awards. She also wrote 21 books, building a body of work that reflected her political commitments and public voice.