In 1554; a group of idealistic laywomen founded a home for homeless and orphaned adolescent girls in one of the worst neighborhoods in Florence. Of the 526 girls who lived in the home during its fourteen-year tenure; only 202 left there alive. Struck by the unusually high mortality rate; Nicholas Terpstra sets out to determine what killed the lost girls of the House of Compassion shelter (Casa della Pietà ). Reaching deep into the archives' letters; ledgers; and records from both inside and outside the home; he slowly pieces together the tragic story. The Casa welcomed girls in bad health and with little future; hoping to save them from an almost certain life of poverty and drudgery. Yet this "safe" house was cruelly dangerous. Victims of Renaissance Florence’s sexual politics; these young women were at the disposal of the city’s elite men; who treated them as property meant for their personal pleasure. With scholarly precision and journalistic style; Terpstra uncovers and chronicles a series of disturbing leads that point to possible reasons so many girls died: hints of routine abortions; basic medical care for sexually transmitted diseases; and appalling conditions in the textile factories where the girls worked. Church authorities eventually took the Casa della Pietà away from the women who had founded it and moved it to a better part of Florence. Its sordid past was hidden; until now; in an official history that bore little resemblance to the orphanage’s true origins. Terpstra’s meticulous investigation not only uncovers the sad fate of the lost girls of the Casa della Pietà but also explores broader themes; including gender relations; public health; church politics; and the challenges girls and adolescent women faced in Renaissance Florence.
#174223 in Books Woody Holton 2010-06-01 2010-06-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.30 x 6.00l; 1.11 #File Name: 1416546812512 pagesAbigail Adams
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Well researched. Well writtenBy bookish nanHaving read many books about leaders of the American Revolution; it was very interesting to read about a well-known woman. I learned a great deal about Abigail as a woman of her time. There was considerably more to her than her reminder to John "to remember the ladies." This book would be enjoyable to anyone with an interest in colonial and early U.S. history. Although some reviews criticized the extensive use of her letters; I felt they lent an authentic voice to the writing. I have a greater appreciation of the woman and her time.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Could not put this book down!By PeacemakerWith a couple of notable exceptions; I agree with most of the reviews of Woody Holton's wonderful biography of Abigail Adams. The other 5 star reviews say it better than I; so I will try not to repeat too much.Holton's "Abigail Adams" was immensely readable as well as thought-provoking: for example; it made me wonder how many other women of that era felt the same as she did about women's rights; or the lack thereof? AA might not have been an anomaly; were we able to ever know. The obvious fact is; her letters to her husband and other family members were preserved because the Adams family was famous. It's interesting just to wonder; since it can never be discovered; how many other women felt exactly the same way; especially about the lack of education; legal rights (especially regarding abuse); and the inability to own anything in their own right? Her sisters obviously felt the same way; and it stands to reason that other women did too. However; some might not have had the type of husband or families that would even "permit" a discussion of these rights; much less "allow" her to handle monetary transactions and advise others as well. (Witness the one or two star reviews by people who even now feel threatened by the "feminist" from over two-hundred years ago). I would think that it would have taken a lot of courage to express those kind of beliefs during a time when women were little more than slaves. AA had a loving and mostly supportive husband; but others could have risked their lives for saying and doing the same things. It also makes me wonder if any of her direct descendants; male or female; were especially inspired enough by her ideas to try to change anything?Finally; I learned so much history of the lives of real people from reading her letters. This book; however; was not just the letters; I've read other bios of AA; and I particularly liked the way Prof Holton interpreted and explained them. I'm a lifelong history lover/reader and I agree with another reviewer that it's books like this one that should be assigned EARLY in school history classes (middle school; at least?) so that people will grow up wanting to learn about the history of our country and world! It is so interesting and exciting; everyone should read this book and others like it. Thank you Professor Holton!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Founding MotherBy KarathonerActually listened to this as an audio book and felt as though Abigail were speaking herself. Many hours of research must have gone into this book. Excellent reading of Abigail's letters and all the business affairs she handled. She was quite an independent woman. You can realize all the family troubles she handled; her fight for women's rights and her family's dislike of slavery. While John was busy forming our country; Abigail was definitely running the home front. I gave it a four because of it's repetitive nature of some of the letters which probably could of been condensed.
