Women's Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present

I bought this book for my mother, who enjoys it very much. Its easy reading, but powerful, insightful, and uplifting. Highly recommended.

My daughter's American history class in college was presented only through letters written about the era, and I was envious of her reading "live" history at her age. Now I have it, and from the unique perspective of women. The book is approprate for both genders, but girls and women of all ages in particular will be moved in ways textbooks can never do. The editors have done a great job in the variety of walks of life and experiences. It inspires me to write my own perspective for my grandchilren.

Women's Letters: America...Present is a wonderful look into America's history told beautifully by scores of women. This should be required reading for every high-schooler across the country. The depth and breadth of the writers and their experiences is an unforgettable journey. I adored the letters from the young girls; was heartbroken and elated along with each author; and brilliantly reminded of our dedication to family, country, God, and the struggle to find our own voices. I read a letter or two each night, and often read long into the night, unable to put down the book. There are a few long letters that drone on, and eventually I skipped past them altogether. Some of the letters are difficult to read, as the letters have been printed as they were written, so there are some with little to no punctuation, stunted grammer and misspellings. I did, however, appreciate the editor's committment to maintaining the integrity of the writing, and that committment gave it's own voice to the letters, in turn strengthening the author's voice. This book rates 5 out of 5 stars - I'd give it more if I could!

Reading someone else's old letters can evoke universal feelings and can even bring to life a time before we were born. This is what happens in "Women's Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present," edited by Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler. In more than 800 pages, the editors compiled women's letters from 1775 up to and including the current war in Iraq. The letter writers include slave owners, slaves, politicians, movie stars, moms and daughters. There are love letters, a "last will and testament" and eyewitness accounts of historic events. For me, the most unusual was from Marilyn Monroe, who taped a handwritten note to her stomach before having her appendix out, begging her doctor to "cut as little as possible." I also got caught up in the World War II letters from a Japanese American wife housed in a separate internment camp from her husband. This is a fascinating way to see America through its cultural and political changes and observe the changing roles of women.

Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler, the powerhouse couple behind LETTERS OF THE CENTURY --- and now WOMEN'S LETTERS --- make history both accessible and captivating, presenting it in the format of correspondences written throughout our nation's history. With this epistolary approach Grunwald and Adler illuminate the events that molded and defined America. LETTERS OF THE CENTURY looked at the writings of men and women over the course of a century. With WOMEN'S LETTERS, the editors have narrowed their focus and broadened their time frame, but by no means have they restricted their scope. Indeed, by presenting letters written solely by women --- to their sisters, their husbands, their friends and lovers --- Grunwald and Adler have only heightened the impact of their detailed and meticulous presentation of history. In school we are forced to memorize the "dates, monarchs, generals and macro issues" and thus we associate history with a kind of teeth-grinding tedium and exam-related anxiety. History can be overwhelming and alienating --- much of what we learn about the rise and fall of civilizations, the birth and growth of nations, felt utterly separate and un-relatable when we were in school, and that feeling of being divided from our nation's past has endured. By drawing us into the minutiae, WOMEN'S LETTERS renders the "macro issues" both lucid and graspable. There is something deeply revelatory and ultimately reassuring about this conception of a past. Beginning in 1775 and ending in 2005, the letters collected in this volume deal with themes that are vastly different and yet transcendent. They are snapshots of the lives of women from a wide range of educations, experiences, racial and economic backgrounds. From Martha Washington to Anais Nin to Betty Freidan, these letters reveal much about women we have heard about, women we thought we knew, and women whose voices resound and defy their obscurity. Every one of these women has something to say. The letters bring them together, revealing the themes that run parallel in their lives. Loneliness, anger, loss, birth, death --- all these concepts pulse through the 760 pages of WOMEN'S LETTERS, and they are still deeply relevant today. This rich stew of transcendent ideas and inevitable truths in the lives of women serves both to link the singular letter writers revealed within these pages and establish a common ground with each individual reader. We all will find something that resonates deep within us in these pages --- some sentiment that sings. Those who loathe the study of history with facts and data will appreciate this work. It reminded this reviewer of a line from the historical fiction novelist Jacqueline Winspear, who said, "I have always been far more interested in social history, the details of how ordinary people lived, how they were impacted by the events of the time...I could easily sleep through a whole lesson on the parliamentary acts of Elizabeth I, but tell me that her teeth were