America's Women tells the story of more than four centuries of history. It features a stunning array of personalities; from the women peering worriedly over the side of the Mayflower to feminists having a grand old time protesting beauty pageants and bridal fairs. Courageous; silly; funny; and heartbreaking; these women shaped the nation and our vision of what it means to be female in America.By culling the most fascinating characters -- the average as well as the celebrated -- Gail Collins; the editorial page editor at the New York Times; charts a journey that shows how women lived; what they cared about; and how they felt about marriage; sex; and work. She begins with the lost colony of Roanoke and the early southern "tobacco brides" who came looking for a husband and sometimes -- thanks to the stupendously high mortality rate -- wound up marrying their way through three or four. Spanning wars; the pioneering days; the fight for suffrage; the Depression; the era of Rosie the Riveter; the civil rights movement; and the feminist rebellion of the 1970s; America's Women describes the way women's lives were altered by dress fashions; medical advances; rules of hygiene; social theories about sex and courtship; and the ever-changing attitudes toward education; work; and politics. While keeping her eye on the big picture; Collins still notes that corsets and uncomfortable shoes mattered a lot; too."The history of American women is about the fight for freedom;" Collins writes in her introduction; "but it's less a war against oppressive men than a struggle to straighten out the perpetually mixed message about women's roles that was accepted by almost everybody of both genders."Told chronologically through the compelling stories of individual lives that; linked together; provide a complete picture of the American woman's experience; America's Women is both a great read and a landmark work of history.
#131740 in Books Brinkley; Douglas 2007-07-31 2007-07-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.57 x 6.00l; 1.99 #File Name: 0061148490768 pagesHarper Perennial
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Deep and probing; full of details and in depth stories.By CustomerIt took this book to make some of us realize how much bad and missing information the rest of the country received during and after those horrible days. Well written with just the right amount of righteous indignation; the indomitable spirit of the gulf states has a voice in this story.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A great history of Katrina: a story of heroics and infamyBy Michael F. WeatherbyAn incredible story of what went on during Katrina and what roles the players; including heroes and villains; citizens and government employees; and the victims themselves. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what REALLY went on during one of this countries most notorious tragedies and how the denizens of New Orleans and the surrounding areas were treated by the storm...and the various entities that should have stepped up to this dsaster; but did not!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. well writtenBy Alien of the WorldThere was almost no ONE thing that made this far worse than it should have been. It was so sad to see the pathetic response behavior from Nagin. I lived there prior to Katrina and it is simply unreal how such an incompetent (to put it mildly) city official could have ever been elected. Nagin has a long history of pathetic leadership and sadly he was mayor at a time they needed a great leader the most. I am hardly blaming him only but he was in 1st position to plan long before Katrina was even in the gulf. Sad. My family moved back; but I will only go to visit not during Kurricane season; this was why I left. Thanks Brinkley - excellent research reporting without political bias; just the facts.
