Women's America: Refocusing the Past

I read about a quarter of this book for a Gender Studies and History class. This book comprises very little of the author's own interpretation of women in history and instead comprises more of many scholarly journals written by people who have studied women in American history. The book also has many interesting primary documents in its contexts like Anne Hutchinson's trial and documents for some of the first unions and societies for reform. Many of the journals were based on many interesting topics. I found that the journal about women and women relationships in the 1800s was very interesting and gave a clear insight into culture and acceptable behavior during the Victorian era. Though some of the journals were a bit dry, I am going to keep this book around for a good reference.

I needed this book for a class I'm taking. However, it is still an interesting read. You almost forget sometimes the struggles that women have faced through out history.

This text was definitely worth what little money it was. Although it is an older version, there are only a couple of articles missing from the updated version. (I have found the articles online). Regardless, the text is in good condition, a few underlines and highlights but other than that I am content I didn't have to pay the original price.

I originally purchased this book for a college course; now it sits on my bookshelf, never to be resold. I rarely have enjoyed reading for my classes, but this book not only captures the heart of the female struggles throughout history--it gives examples of the women who lived them. This book presents the reader with an in-depth analysis of women's traditional roles and their active fight for change while explaining the conditions that determined the feminine experience in different historical periods. But the best benefit of the book was actually learning, and realizing, that the world that my generation (the 20 somethings) was born into is radically different from that of females 50, 40, 30, 20, and even 10 years before us. I realize now that many freedoms I take for granted should be cherished, and more freedoms should be fought for.

I have used various editions of this book for the past four years in teaching a women's history course at a college-preparatory, single-sex independent high school. I have found this to be an incredibly complete anthology and the new edition is even better than the previous ones. My only complaint about the new edition is that the editors -- both renowned historians in the field -- on a few occasions shortened the articles to the point that the context needed to understand them was missing. However, because of the brevity of the articles, it is the perfect anthology for an introductory course.