America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines

America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines

by Gail Collins

This title would definitely throw off some of the male reading population out there. But really, don't be scared. It's not all about extreme feminists who hate the system of marriage and hate the American forefathers even more.

Anyway, this was a book I read for my English class in high school. 

It presented over 600 pages of history, history, history.....luckily, I also got to use it for a US history extra credit assignment, so I felt somewhat consoled in the somewhat grueling process.

You know the feeling--even if it's a book you would normally enjoy, somehow thinking of it as an 'assignment' instantly turns off your interest.

well, in any case, I finished reading it, made an awesome PowerPoint presentation on it with cool animation effects, wrote up a make-believe history test based on the book for the lousy 5 points of extra credit . . . a well-spent month, I guess?

The book begins way back in the colonial era of America and describes the experiences of some of the first women to come to the New World. It tells the women's stories one woman at a time, spanning the ages with a series of short personal biographies that each provide a different perspective of the lives of the female American population.

The author (who is, yes, female) makes it easy to see how the experiences of women changed over time (for example, she makes it a point to describe the evolving fashion styles of women, from bonnets and hoop skirts to high heels and mini skirts) and continuously introduces a wide spectrum of characters who experienced American society and history first hand. Very, very first-hand. I mean, I thought sometimes there was a lot of unnecessary details here (like the mini skirt). I'm just glad she kept it within publishable boundaries.

Gail Collins is an author who knows exactly when her readers will be bored...and can throw in a bit of humor each time she thinks she hears a snore. The quotes she chooses to include are often inciteful and funny, and some of the information she gives can really surprise a lot of people (did you know that sanitation was considered unimportant until the latter 1800s?). Even though it is historical nonfiction, the author really does well in bringing out her own voice and pulling the audience into her world.

It isn't a light read, but it isn't particularly heavy either. It's worth a shot to read it when you have some time, but I would recommend it more to the female readers rather than the male readers, simply because girls can better understand some of the hardships and daily dilemmas that the characters in the book go through.