The Sum of Our Past: Revisiting Pioneer Women Rating :
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
True stories of the lives of courageous women
By Midwest Book Review
The Sum Of Our Past: Revisiting Pioneer Women strives to answer the question: who were American pioneer women, really? True stories of the lives of courageous women, whether determinedly standing their ground or secretly confiding their weaknesses, assemble a composite picture of both the hardship and the joy of daily frontier life. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this memorable tribute that does not overly idealize pioneer women, nor stereotype them as Hollywood media tends to (in the "submissive but sturdy" civilizing woman category, or the "drinking, smoking, cursing" Calamity Jane category), but rather offers an extensively researched yet thoroughly readable portrait that will connect women readers across America with their roots. Highly recommended and rewarding reading, The Sum Of Our Past: Revisiting Pioneer Women is ideal for collegiate level Women's Studies supplement reading lists as well.
Product Description
A Ford van is about the same length as a covered wagon and about a foot wider. On a journey taken by Judy Busk and her husband, Neal, to retrace the Oregon and Mormon trails, horsepower comes in the form of a combustion engine, a plastic cooler takes the place of wooden trunks, and the bedding consists of futons rather than feather ticks. With these conveniences in place, they seek a connection to the past in museums, archives, and at historical sites.
What most surprises Judy is what she finds about pioneer women. In her lively and informative, sometimes poignant, humorous, but always reflective narrative, she moves beyond polar stereotypes of Victorian women who were always proper and Calamity Janes who drank whiskey, cursed, and carried guns. She finds a spectrum of attitude, education, occupation, and family, black women and Native Americans, healers, women motivated by their religious beliefs, and forerunners of the modern women's movement. She parallels the past with experiences in the present.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2785473 in Books
- Published on: 2004-12-15
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .0" h x.0" w x.0" l,.0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 224 pages
No comments :
Post a Comment