PositiveLibrary JournalJournalist Steven Roberts...writes lovingly and movingly of his 53-year marriage to Cokie Roberts ... touching stories of COkie\'s personal value system ... Although at times bordering on the hagiographic, this is a highly readable and immensely heartwarming biography that should appeal to general readers interested in women\'s history, contemporary politics, media, and political reporting.
Nancy Goldstone
PositiveLibrary Journal... a dizzying and dazzling foray into the intricacies of 18th-century European history as experienced by the extended family of Maria Theresa (1717–80), the only woman ever to inherit and rule the Hapsburg Empire in her own name. After a lengthy description and assessment of the reign of the empress herself, Goldstone focuses on three of her 16 children and their interwoven lives ... Goldstone’s particular attention to women’s history is evident; she is careful to mention numerous other women whose lives intersected with Maria Theresa and her descendants. Maps, illustrations, and genealogical charts enrich this masterful look at a long-gone era ... While there are fascinating details here about royal childhoods, courtships, marriages, and extramarital love affairs, this meticulously researched collective biography is best for serious readers of 18th-century European politics and history.
Lisa Napoli
PositiveLibrary Journal... fascinating, highly readable ... this book is much more than the group biography its title proclaims it to be ... Readers are left with inspiring insights into the pathbreaking work of these four women, but more importantly with a sense of how the status of some women and the role of the media have both changed in the last 50 years ... Readers interested in feminism, women’s history, and biography will be rewarded with a great story that deserves to be widely known.
Raphael Cormack
PositiveLibrary Journal... a highly readable account of an era that is \'often mythologized\' in Egypt, but virtually unknown to Western readers ... Cormack effectively explains the emergence of feminism on the stages of nightclubs, theaters, and cabarets, where women with little formal education were defining their own places in the new country and new century. Utilizing archives in Egypt and the United Kingdom, among others, Cormack’s thoroughly researched work focuses on seven exceptional women who sometimes operated on the margins of decency and inspired opposition from various quarters. The story of interwar Egypt is told through the eyes of these women—actresses, dancers, and singers—who enjoyed opportunities but also faced prejudice and exploitation as they called on each other to fight for equality ... An engaging social history that touches on issues of freedom and liberation, issues that continue to resonate today.
Jeremy Popkin
RaveLibrary Journal...brilliant ... Tracing the course of the Revolution from its underlying causes to the destruction of the republic by Napoleon, this book covers quite a lot of material in a highly readable way. The short, tightly organized chapters are enhanced by maps, contemporary political cartoons, and period images ... A must-read for scholars, historians, academics, and students of politics.
Julie Des Jardins
PositiveLibrary JournalBased on meticulous archival research, this book details the vast array of projects in which Meloney was involved: arranging Marie Curie’s fundraising tours throughout America, campaigning to promote women’s college education, advising politicians on strategies to secure women’s votes, championing the Better Homes in America movement, and spearheading relief efforts during World War I. Without idealizing her subject, the author carefully points out Meloney’s contradictions and inconsistencies. Meloney led an amazingly productive life despite living with chronic health conditions, challenging us to reimagine our definitions of powerful women ... A meticulously researched and readable biography that will engage readers interested in women’s history and journalism, and in 20th-century social reform.
Amy Aronson
PositiveLibrary JournalAronson offers useful historical context when descrbring the causes Eastman championed: suffrage, anti-militarism, reproductive rights, socialism, pacifism, and world federation. This meticulously researched book shines when it shows how Eastman’s profound longing for motherhood inspired the most important theme of her writings: gender inequality in domestic relations ... An intimate look at her relationships with well-known reformers, including her brother Max, propels the narrative forward ... For academics and general readers interested in women’s rights and biographies of achieving women.
Douglas R. Egerton
MixedLibrary JournalThis was clearly a difficult book to write owing to the immense amount of historical material to be covered and range of documentation available. Unfortunately, it is also grueling to read. Although it raises important issues that could be of interest to a wide audience, its focus on political contests, ideological controversies, and the factionalism of party politics make it challenging for general readers to follow ... For scholars and serious students of 19th-century American history.
Soraya Chemaly
PositiveLibrary JournalThe author documents in great detail what causes women to experience anger ... Such analysis offers a timely, politically charged account of what it means to be an American woman today ... Rejecting any call for \'anger management,\' Chemaly concludes by recommending ten ways women can develop what she calls \'anger competence,\' so as to harness anger as a tool for change. For feminists, sociologists, and politically involved readers.
