Bitter Fruit surveys the experiences of Afro-American women in World War II, contrasting sharply with the largely white surveys of women of the times. Photos, essays, fiction and poetry by and about black women's roles provide quite a different image of experiences, and offers works from some eighty writers on the topic. An important observational collection about black experiences during the war.

This is an anthology of short stories published in women's magazines (Ladies' Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Home Companion, McCall's, The Crisis) during the time period 1915-1930, all dealing with the problems and struggles of the "new woman"--independent, nontraditional, usually career-minded--that was slowly emerging from the stifled but increasingly obsolete Victorian household. The editor, a professor of both English and Women's Studies, includes an excellent introduction that gives a brief but detailed and well researched history of the women's magazines and why they are not more studied or valued today (as opposed to men's pulps). This is a truly fabulous book, both important as a time document and such a good read! I loved it! Perfect to while away time with on the train to work, on the plane, or in bed at home with a box of chocolates. The stories cover the whole spectra of women's experiences from young career-women starting out and/or wanting to break their particular glass ceiling to lesbian love to ethnic and/or female solidarity to "new" kind of marriages emphasizing equal partnership. Most are well written and still feel fresh but with all the romantic nostalgia flavor of the twenties and the popular fiction style of writing of the time. Give it to your girlfriend, your mom, your grandmother; it's a great gift. I wish Maureen Honey would publish a followup to this book.

In "Shadowed Dreams: Women's Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance," editor Maureen Honey collects a compelling body of texts from one of the most important literary currents in African-American history. Honey notes that these poems span the years 1918 to 1931. Each poem is accompanied with its original publication data.

Represented in this anthology are such important African-American women authors as Georgia Douglas Johnson, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Angelina Weld Grimke, and Helene Johnson. In addition, there appear many authors whose names may even be unknown to specialists in the field of Black women's literature: Esther Popel, Marjorie Marshall, Isabel Neill, and more. Where data is available, Honey provides brief author bios at the end of the book. She also contributes a substantial introduction.

The poems are grouped into four sections: "Protest," "Heritage," "Love and Passion," and "Nature." I must admit, I didn't particularly care for this breakdown. Because the works of individual poets are scattered among two or more sections, I think this editorial strategy dilutes the possible impact of seeing a larger sampling of a single poet's work in one place. Also, the headings seem to impose a particular, limited reading upon each piece.

Still, this is an impressive anthology. The poems range from formal constructions to free verse. Highlights include Georgia Douglass Johnson's passionate pieces "The Heart of a Woman" and "I Want to Die While You Love Me," Dorothea Matthew's solemn "The Lynching," Anita Scott Coleman's sentimental "Black Baby," and Angelina Weld Grimke's haiku-like "Dawn." Particularly impressive are the technical proficiency and linguistic richness of Helene Johnson's poems. "Shadowed Dreams" is an essential volume for those interested in United States literature of the 1920s, African-American studies, and women's studies.

This anthology answers the question, who were the female poets of the Harlem Renaissance era? Also, What were they writing? This book printed duirng the 90's successfully answers and is still the definitive book on the subject of female poets of the Harlem Renaissance era. From Angelina Weld Grimke, Helene Johnson to Georgia Douglas Johnson's famous poem, Heart of a Woman, to some of the poets who are not well known, such as Mary Jenness and Ruth Dixon, this book explores the themes of the notable and less notable in poetry. This book is divided into three sections, Protest, Heritage and Love & Passion. This book gives a wonderful taste of poetry with little or no commentary. This is a must read and must have for anyone who has ever contemplated the question, who were the female writers of the period and what did they write? This will answer sufficiently that question or will tease the tongue for more about these poetesses of the era.

I found this to be somewhat inferior to his other early novels (i.e., before Main Street). He is more slick in that professional writer's way here; I like him better when he was willing to take some stylistic risks; but nothing like that happens here. Main Street may not be a masterpiece, but it is certainly more interesting and unusual than this one.

Sinclair's first critically successful work has similar soundings to Main Street and Ann Vickers. The novel describes the adventures of Una Golden as she learns to survive the daily grind of working for a living in dead end jobs.

Lewis vividly describes the dullness and hopelessness surrounding typical "women's work" in the early 1900's. Lewis also shows that marrying can also be a dead end in itself, especially when one marries to simply escape working.

I liked this book quite a bit. However, it lacked the bite and suspense of Ann Vickers or even Main Street. This book should be read by Lewis fans or those with an interest in the early 20th century workplace.

Honey presents a view of wartime propaganda aimed at getting women into the work force. Her main sources are the saturday evening post when discussing the middle class women who were urged into the workforce and true story when discussing the working class women. She presents an unconvincing argument. Unconvincing? Her sources were mismatched...one being a weekly magazine aimed at all genders, the other a monthly aimed only at women. We really have no way of knowing that true story was only aimed at working class women any more than we know that only lower class individuals watch Jerry Springer. Her samples were completely uneven, her sources from the saturday evening post vastly outnumbering those from true story. She completely ignores women of color. However, having said that, the book is not a "bad book". As a historian in training I have often had to limit myself more than I would like, so perhaps that explains the complete lack of a discussion on race and ethnicity. The first chapter clearly presents a view of the various government organizations that were created to organize and mobilize the propaganda machine, and that alone is worth the price of the book. Her analysis of her sources is decent as well...especially that of true story. The various story synopsis that she presents are amusing, and her conclusions are worth a look. I would not reccomend it as the only source to read on ww2 propaganda, but is a good addition to the scholarship on the subject. And for the layman, don't worry, it's very readable..she does not spout off jargon like other authors. Good for high school and above.

Honey examines the mechanics of first changing social values that make women working in primarily male jobs socially acceptable and then how the pre-war values are restored at war's end.

The Rosie the Riveter campaign is so interesting because these values, which were first a barrier and then an open invitation for women to work outside the home, were changed over a very short period of time to meet the labor needs of war and then changed back just as overtly. This campaign is an excellent lesson in how social values hardly are cast immutably in stone or are somehow seen as unchangable because of religious, moral, or other social objections.

Honey does an excellent job of describing the mechanics of this campaign. A lesson to anyone arguing that any social group should or should not be barred from any social activity.