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Reader question: Please explain “having each other’s backs” in this sentence: She explains that Book Club is about female solidarity and women having each other’s backs. My comments: It means women should be supporting each other – and show unity (solidarity) in fighting common causes. Common causes, such as equal job opportunity and equal pay, right to abortion and other women issues. Anyways, let’s return to women “having each other’s backs”. Literally, that means women should watch out for each other lest, figuratively speaking, anyone be ambushed or attacked from behind. Having each other’s backs means literally watching and seeing what happens behind them. Our back, you see, is the opposite of our frontal view. It’s what we cannot see. It is our blind side. Imagine two soldiers working together in battle. The best way for them to move about is to have themselves facing each other rather than in tandem, one following the other. Obviously, if they walk one behind the other, they have to constantly turn around to see if any enemy soldiers may pounce from behind. By moving about facing each other, they are able to keep in view what happens behind each other. This way, both are kept safe from sudden attacks from behind their back. Hence and figuratively, if we say we have someone’s back, it means we have got their back-side covered. In other words, they have our support and protection. | 
