| Plot Summary of America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines |
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""America's Women" explores the changing lives of women in the U.S., beginning in 1587 with Eleanor Dare and ending in the present, with discussions on "the pill", Billie Jean King, and economics. In between, the lives of individual women are examined, and records, diaries, and letters are quoted. In addition to the lives of individuals, society's attitudes are explained and we are given a feel for how women in different regions of the county lived. Much of the earlier material is somewhat sketchy in parts, because there are not enough records to pinpoint exactly how American women lived on a day-to-day basis, but later chapters are detailed and often thought-provoking or moving. The chapters on slavery are of particular interest, although much of it is horrifying.
Surprisingly, there is no male-bashing in "America's Women", and the author shows restraint by not pushing a feminist agenda on readers. During critical times in America's history, we are shown both the country as a whole and how small things, like the way women handled menstruation, shoes, corsets, and birth control helped to shape a nation.
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E. J. McDonald, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- 20th century
- 19th century
- 18th century
- 17th century
History of a people?
Yes
Nationality?
- American--General
Social history?
Yes
Kind of social history
- history of girls
Subjects of this Historical Account
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
Main Adversary
Nationality?
- American
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
Setting
United States
Yes
Style
How much gore?
- 5 ()
How fast-paced is the book?
- 1 ()
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel...
- encouraged
How much focus on stories of individuals?
- Focuses on brief history of a lot of players
How much romance?
- 2 ()
Is book humorous?
Yes
How much humor?
- 2 ()
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A handful
Length of book
- 400-450 pages
How much emphasis on small details?
- 5 ()
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