This collection is both a reprint of primary sources and journal articles written by scholars in the field of women's history. Editors Mary Beth Norton and Ruth M. Alexander are college professors with long-standing publishing backgrounds in the field of women's history.

Although the concept of producing a compact reader was well intentioned, the principal problem with this work is it's over reliance on events and incidents prior to 1960.

Starting out as a means of showing women were involved in this country from it's beginning, the book unwittingly undercuts itself by not devoting as much time to the later accomplishments of American women's history. Less fortunate students (without access to the numerous other far well written books) may leave whatever class this was used in with a sense of confusion about the roles of women in the 1960's through the present.

While the outdatedness of the customs and laws governing gender in those times now indicates how far we have come, it does not fully indicate the long and complex process that would perhaps be of interest to the same college students this text is intended for. It is very startling to realize that most of the issues and policies that have helped my generation (reproductive rights for college women, gender equity in educational facilities) were mere dreams when our mothers were attending school.

Certainly every professor has a specialized field-but when a general volume about a historically marginalized group is written, there is an unwritten assumption that this group will finally be getting the fair coverage that has long been it's moral due.

Even though I was fortunate enough to attend a University where women's history was adequately explored in every department, this book may sadly be the only initial contact for students at more conservative institutions. Because women's history remains undertaught in American institutions of higher education, I was hoping that two professionals in the field would want to show students a much more representative breadth and depth.

Students perhaps would be more interested if the text were more expanded to include the 1960's onward-when many of the rights that most impact campus life for women were first agitated for.

Should this text be used as a book for women's history, it would be wise to include "Dear Sisters" and "Unequal Sisters" as supplemental work for better understanding of women's history in general.

This collection is both a reprint of primary sources and journal articles written by scholars in the field of women's history. Editors Mary Beth Norton and Ruth M. Alexander are college professors with long-standing publishing backgrounds in the field of women's history.

Although the concept of producing a compact reader was well intentioned, the principal problem with this work is it's over reliance on events and incidents prior to 1960.

Starting out as a means of showing women were involved in this country from it's beginning, the book unwittingly undercuts itself by not devoting as much time to the later accomplishments of American women's history. Less fortunate students (without access to the numerous other far well written books) may leave whatever class this was used in with a sense of confusion about the roles of women in the 1960's through the present.

While the outdatedness of the customs and laws governing gender in those times now indicates how far we have come, it does not fully indicate the long and complex process that would perhaps be of interest to the same college students this text is intended for. It is very startling to realize that most of the issues and policies that have helped my generation (reproductive rights for college women, gender equity in educational facilities) were mere dreams when our mothers were attending school.

Certainly every professor has a specialized field-but when a general volume about a historically marginalized group is written, there is an unwritten assumption that this group will finally be getting the fair coverage that has long been it's moral due.

Even though I was fortunate enough to attend a University where women's history was adequately explored in every department, this book may sadly be the only initial contact for students at more conservative institutions. Because women's history remains undertaught in American institutions of higher education, I was hoping that two professionals in the field would want to show students a much more representative breadth and depth. This collection opperates on the assumption that the reader automatically has knowllege of women's history prior to the college experience.

Students perhaps would be more interested if the text were more expanded to include the 1960's onward-when many of the rights that most impact campus life for women were first agitated for.

Should this text be used as a book for women's history, it would be wise to include "Dear Sisters" and "Unequal Sisters" as supplemental work for better understanding of women's history in general. .

This collection is both a reprint of primary sources and journal articles written by scholars in the field of women's history. Editors Mary Beth Norton and Ruth M. Alexander are college professors with long-standing publishing backgrounds in the field of women's history and general American History.

Although the concept of producing a compact reader was well intentioned, the principal problem with this work is it's over reliance on events and incidents prior to 1960.

Starting out as a means of showing women were involved in this country from it's beginning, the book unwittingly undercuts itself by not devoting as much time to the later accomplishments of American women's history. Less fortunate students (without access to the numerous other far well written books) may leave whatever class this was used in with a sense of confusion about the roles of women in the 1960's through the present.

While the outdatedness of the customs and laws governing gender in those times now indicates how far we have come, it does not fully indicate the long and complex process that would perhaps be of interest to the same college students this text is intended for. It is very startling to realize that most of the issues and policies that have helped my generation (reproductive rights for college women, gender equity in educational facilities) were mere dreams when our mothers were attending school.

Certainly every professor has a specialized field-but when a general volume about a historically marginalized group is written, there is an unwritten assumption that this group will finally be getting the fair coverage that has long been it's moral due.

Although I was fortunate enough to attend a University where women's history was adequately explored in every department, this book may sadly be the only initial contact for students at more conservative institutions. Because women's history remains undertaught in American institutions of higher education, I was hoping that two professionals in the field would want to show students a much more representative breadth and depth.

Should this text be used as a book for women's history, it would be wise to include Roxanne Baxandall/Linda Gordon's "Dear Sisters" and Vicki Ruiz/Ellen Carol DuBois's"Unequal Sisters" as supplemental work for better understanding of more reccent women's history.