Between Women and Generations: Legacies of Dignity

From what I gathered reading her latest work, Cornell is in no way promoting any self-righteousness, or seeking pity from her colleagues. She is simply making the reader aware of a problem that people in this society cannot fully face: the roles of women of color in the workplace. Cornell even goes beyond this and makes reference to her own life and the lives of generations before her, to emphasize the general woman's socioeconomic status and her role in society.Perspective is important in making a point. Cornell uses different perspectives, as well as her own, to create different sides on an issue she is discussing and defending (some people might find this type of writing incoherent, but it did not seem so in my opinion). Repetition, too, is just as effective in her writing. At times, repetition can damage a writer's work. For Cornell, it only strengthens her work; she does not lose sight of her ideas, and sticks to them faithfully for added emphasis. For example, her ideas of women having the right to be in control of their lives and to be independent are ideas she seems truly passionate about, portrayed in many ways throughout this well-thought-out analyses.Cornell tells it like it is, and her views are honest and direct. Her knowledge on different ethical and socioeconomic philosophers complement her views, and again, back them up very well. In her writing, she is passionate yet realistic, introspective yet thought-provoking. This book, without question, makes for an interesting read and a worthwhile learning experience.

"The worst readers are those who proceed like plundering soldiers: they pick up a few things they can use, soil and confuse the rest, and blaspheme the whole."-Friedrich Nietzsche, Mixed Opinions and Maxims (1879)I can't help but think a few cold souls who write for trade publications read by publishing industry insiders reviewed Drucilla Cornell's wonderful new book as the purest of blasphemers-- members of the intellectual lightweight brigade.

This is the most important and brilliant work of feminist theory I have ever read. Drucilla Cornell, known to the academic world as professor of Political Science, Women's Studies, and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University, interweaves psychoanalysis, political philosophy, postcolonial literature, aesthetic theory, and real world feminst political analysis like no one else writing today.Some have called her the most brilliant, passionate, and provocative feminist in the United States. What can I say? Believe them.

It's rare to read a book like Cornell's - one that so brilliantly weaves together autobiography, philosophy, and feminism. Cornell's interviews with a NY housecleaner's union are fascinating - every journalist and union organizer should pay close attention to this unique section of the book. Every woman can see a part of herself in Cornell's stories of her life and her relationships with her mother. I've already bought a copy for my sister and mother!

I loved this book so much I gave copies to my mother and my mother-in-law for mothers day. And they loved it too. This is one of those rare books that combines a deep attention to the beauty and pain of family life with brilliant analysis that transcends most psychoanalytic approaches. Best of all, it does so within a heartwrenching and compelling narrative. I loved it.