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As one reads the classic works of political philosophy one is limited to books written by male authors. When reading interpretations of these authors it seems that the male philosophers were only concerned with the male citizen. Arlene Saxonhouse argues that these classic authors, from Plato to Machiavelli, while they praised the world of male public action, also recognized that the public world was not the totality of human existence. These authors, Saxonhouse says, saw that a private sphere which included women existed, and that that sphere set limits upon and defined the possibilities of the public world. She argues further that the authors did not ignore the female, rather it is the inadequacies of modern scholarship that have made them appear to have done so. This volume shows how women have been an integral part of political philosophers' vision of the world, not a scattered side show in certain philosophical works. ... Read more

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Hargreaves views sport as a battle for control of the physical body and an important area for feminist intervention. Placing women at the centre of discussion, this book gives a feminist analysis of sport for the last hundred and fifty years. ... Read more

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Lauded for its contribution to the theory and conceptualization of the field of women's history and for its sensitivity to the differences of class, ethnicity, race, and culture among women, The Majority Finds Its Past became a classic volume in women's history after its original publication in 1979. This edition includes a foreword by Linda K. Kerber, introducing a new generation of readers to Gerda Lerner's body of work and highlighting the importance of the essays in this collection to the development of the field that Lerner helped establish. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Women's History for New Students
This book was required reading for my first Women Studies course in college on the history of the female race.It was a truly eye-opening book at the time (1982) - and continues to be a great resource.Gerda Lerner is an admired figure in the American women's movement.She did the public a tremendous service in producing this book.Recommended for any library. ... Read more

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Challenges the popular myth of medieval women in the home, working at their tapestry, through a range of primary sources. The authors look at marriage and childbirth in the Middle Ages and then examine the day-to-day lives of women at all levels of society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Medieval Women
Though short (only 44 pages), this book proves to be an excellent resource- and interesting reading- for anyone who wants to find out more about the role of women in the middle ages. This book contains a general overview of the options available to medieval women, and many of the duties that they performed. It talks about topics such as "the lady of the manor", "nuns in the convent", and general topics like this. The book is a great source to use to get a better feel for the time period. While the book is a secondary source, it also contains small snippets from primary sources to back up its points and statements. A bibiliography in the back makes it possible for you to track down any of the primary sources if you want. Easy reading, informative, and interesting, this is a great book! ... Read more

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The challenges and opportunities of the Vietnam War changed the lives of many women. They took on diverse roles: war correspondent, nurse, entertainer, black market entrepreneur, mama-san, war protestor, soldier and more. ... Read more

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Discovering the important roles that women have played in history, this title illustrates the roles that women played in family life in Egypt. Some women in Egyptian society, such as Cleopatra and Queen Nefertiti wielded considerable power and influence. ... Read more

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The American Historical Association's Committee on Women Historians commissioned some of the pioneering figures in women's history to prepare essays in their respective areas of expertise. These volumes, the second and third in a series of three, complete their collected efforts. The first volume of the series dealt with the broad themes necessary to understanding women's history around the world. As a counterpoint, volume 2 is concerned with issues that have shaped the history of women in particular places and during particular eras. It examines women in ancient civilizations; including women in China, Japan, and Korea; women and gender in South and South East Asia; Medieval women; women and gender in Colonial Latin America; and the history of women in the US to 1865.The authors included are Sarah Hughes and Brady Hughes, Susan Mann, Barbara N. Ramusack, Judith M. Bennett, Ann Twinam, and Kathleen Brown. As with volume 2, volume 3 also discusses current trends in gender and women's history from a regional perspective. It includes essays on sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, early and modern Europe, Russian and the Soviet Union, Latin American, and North America after 1865.Its contributors include Cheryl Johnson-Odim, Nikki R. Keddie, Barbara Engel, Asuncion Lavrin, Ellen Dubois, and Judith P. Zinsser writing with Bonnie S. Anderson.Incorporating essays from top scholars ranging over an abundance of regions, dates, and methodologies, the three volumes of "Women's History in Global Perspective" constitute an invaluable resource for anyone interested in a comprehensive overview on the latest in feminist scholarship. Bonnie G. Smith is the Board of Governors Professor of History and director of the Institute for Research on Women at Rutgers University. She is the author of "Confessions of a Concierge: Madame Lucie's History of Twentieth-Century France" and many other books. ... Read more

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Thousands of books and articles have detailed the lives and deeds of ancient Roman men; but few have explored the lives of Roman women and the important contributions they made to Rome's success.This volume by a noted historian examines the social status, household duties, childbirth methods, occupations, religious roles and practices, struggles for rights, influences on politics, and other aspects of Roman women's lives. (20021201) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb
This examination of ancient Roman women is short but superb.The research is thorough, the organization logical and easy to follow, and the writing lively.Although the author, a noted historian of ancient civilizations, has aimed the book at young readers, he has turned out much more than a children's book.His level of detail and frequent use of primary source quotations gives the volume a strong feeling of authenticity and makes it a great resource for adult readers as well.I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in ancient Rome or women's issues or to history buffs in general. ... Read more

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This richly illustrated history shows the immense challenges American women faced on the home front and in the battle zone in World War II as pilots, shipbuilders, victory gardeners, war correspondents, flight nurses, military recruits, OSS agents, and much more.

The pressures of World War II on the home front and overseas thrust women into roles previously denied them by custom and law, and generated impressive new capabilities. With the men gone, 19 million women stepped up to factory, farm and office jobs of every kind to keep the nation running. They also salvaged an incredible array of needed commodities, recycling everything from nylons to bacon fat. In victory gardens and neighborhood canning centers, women joined together to preserve local foods and ensure food security.

Their resilience and hard work did not end on the home front. Overseas, as front line nurses, WACs, USO and Hollywood entertainers, spies, resistance leaders, Red Cross volunteers and even prisoners of war, women risked the intensity and violence of the combat zone.

When people think of women in World War II, they envision Rosie the Riveter or the kiss in Times Square. Women did that and so much more. When Our Mothers Went to War intermixes hundreds of photographs and a concise overview of the war with women's personal stories to show the courage and accomplishments of U.S. women in a dangerous time.

Includes 280 photos and illustrations, bibliography, chronology and index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Enlightening account of women's roles in WW II
Margaret Regis has brought us a thoroughly researched, readable, and eye-opening look at the various roles played by women in World War II. She includes the stories of African-American women, who got some of the lowest-paying and most physically demanding jobs, and of Japanese-American women, who received gold stars and accolades for the sons they lost fighting for the U.S. while they themselves were still interned in camps. The book is filled with uplifting stories of the sacrifices and hard work of women who contributed so much to the winning of the war. We have forgotten, or never knew, what life was like when everyone pitched in, from those in the highest echelons of government--especially Eleanor Roosevelt--to the grandmothers at home caring for kids while their mothers worked in factories. Meat, sugar, gasoline, and other staples were rationed. Everything was recycled. People contributed their hard-earned dollars to help the war effort, and celebrities competed in selling war bonds. We have forgotten so much of this...

The Strongest Thing in the World
As Margaret Regis points outs in her introduction to When Our Mothers Went to War, there were no women present on the USS Missouri at the Japanese surrender in 1945. After reading this book, you will believe that there should have been. Drawing upon personal interviews, published and unpublished accounts and a wealth of photographs, the author shows that the role of women in the Second World War was far more extensive than victory gardens and Rosie the Riveter. Women ferried B-17s and drove medical supplies, worked as nurses and war correspondents, served in all branches of the armed forces and in some cases endured years of hardship when trapped or captured behind enemy lines. On the home front women added shipbuilding and factory work to their "normal" family roles and began a process of social change that continues to this day.
It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, "A woman's will is the strongest thing in the world." Margaret Regis provides the proof in this remarkable new book.

A story of the second great war and the home front through pictures
The efforts of the men in World War II have labeled them as heroes, but what of the fairer sex? "When Our Mothers Went to War: An Illustrated History of Women in World War II" tells why the generation of World War II is referred to as The Greatest Generation. These women, when many of the men were off giving their lives in Europe and the Pacific, gave more than just moral support, constructing the ammunition, weapons, and vehicles that the men used to win the war. A story of the second great war and the home front through pictures, "When Our Mothers Went to War" is a solid addition to any collection seeking books on history and for women's studies as well. ... Read more

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An analysis of the part played by women in the Russian revolution. It aims to show that the extent of female activists' participation in the events of 1917 was far wider that has hitherto been thought. ... Read more

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The six wives of Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr - have become defined in a popular sense not so much by their lives as by the way these lives ended. But, as Antonia Fraser conclusively proves, they were rich and feisty characters. They may have been victims of Henry's obsession with a male heir, but they were not willing victims. On the contrary, they displayed considerable strength and intelligence at a time when their sex supposedly possessed little of either. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great reading about six fascinating women!
Antonia Fraser's book focuses on the six queens as individuals, one chapter about each queen. They are very different personalities and no doubt there was quite a bit of jalousy between them. Anne Boleyn (2 - The Most Happy?) may seem the most colourful and famous of the six, but this book shows that both Catherine of Aragon (1, Arthur's Dearest Spouse), Jane Seymor (3 - Entirely Beloved), Anna of Cleves (4 - An Unendurable Bargain), Katherine Howard (5 - Old Man's Jewel) and Catherine Parr (6 - Obedient to Husbands) were all every bit as interesting.

I felt very symphatetic to these ladies. Maybe in particular Anna of Cleves, whose marriage to the King was never consummated and finally nullified. After 6 months as Queen, the docile lady Anna submit to the King's will and spent over 17 years as a "good Sister", never to return to her native Germany. Her burial place is, however, magnificent, her fine tomb to be found in Westminster Abbey.

The book also explains a lot about the King's relationship with his queens as a young man, when he was a strapping attractive youth, not only the old, sick and fat man who is usually pictured/painted in history books. It would not have been difficult for a young woman to fall in love with, as the book says, "this fine figure of a man, with his tall blond good looks".

The reason for the many marriages and their unfortunate/cruel outcome, was Henry VIII's desperate attempt to get at least one male heir to the throne. His marriages failed in ensuring this succession, and therein lay the unique fate of his six queens and the religious and political developments in England during Henry's reign.

There was, of course, Edward, Prince of Wales, his son by Jane Seymor. But Edward was not strong and died at an early age. In the end, his daughter by Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth, became Queen Elizabeth I of England, but in quite a different connection and not as a succesor to her father.

I enjoyed Antonia Fraser's book immensely and learned numerous new facts about both the King himself and his six interesting queens.

This is a book which is not a tedious history lesson, marred by too many dates and facts. Apart from an interest in six unique women and a very special time in English history, one does not need any particular qualifications to read and enjoy this book. And at the same time, learn!

Six Wives, Was the Man Mad
There are dozens of books on the bookshop shelves about Henry and his willing and not so willing wives. So why pick this one up and buy it. Two simple words, the authoress. Antonia Fraser has written many excellent historical works, most of which have become best sellers. Why? Because she is the best there is at it.

Her eye for detail brings all of her books to life and takes the reader into a magical world. This is not one of those boring historical tomes that sit on the shelf gathering dust from one year to the next.

This book takes the viewpoint of the women in the life of the then monarch of England, Henry VIII, not a very nice man, one would think from the information most of us have about him. But did the women in his life think of him in the same way. Was he funny? Did he make them laugh. Anne Boleyn, I am sure did not find him very funny when she was on the scaffold, but something must have attracted her to him. Was he charming? To have wooed so many women I am sure he was.

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry and bearing in mind what happened to her, the four wives who followed her must have been either very brave, or very foolish. Although in those days I know that women of rank did much as they were told, either by their parents or by there advisers. I use the term lightly.

This book gives you the answer to many questions you may have wondered about and much more besides. It is more than a work of historical fact. it is an excellent and interesting read. ... Read more

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Examines the evolution of monotheism and the forces ofsex that propelled it out of pantheons and pantries, overturningalters of foreign gods, pogroming pagan priests in genocidic warswhile reshaping Hebrew theology and emasculating the good of humansexuality on the altar of religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Don't Order this From Amazon!
I really can't give you a review of this book. That's exactly the problem.I ordered the book over two months ago and Amazon still hasn't shipped it.In fact I just got an e-mail saying that it will not ship for at least another month.So if you're interested in this subject then I suggest finding another source to order from.

Cautious Enthusiasm
Yahweh's Wife by Arthur Frederick Ide is a book I have been looking for. I have been aware there is a lot that was edited out of the earliest Bible texts, because ancient religious leaders didn't want their followers to hear this material. This is the first time I have seen a book dedicated to ferreting out such ancient "political correctness."

On his first page he stated one that had gone right by me during Sunday School, namely that Moses had set up a brass snake monument. Imagine my amazement to find that the Hebrew words in Numbers 21:14 for snake and brass come from the same root. Hebrew nâchásh means to hiss or whisper a magic spell. This root ultimately gives rise tothe word for "snake" nâchâsh, the animal which hisses andmight have a coppery color. In fact, typical of Hebrew, there is a whole group of words that have related meanings.

The next five items are the names of lost works mentioned in the Bible. Dr. Ide states they were not included in the canon because of material not considered to be be "politically correct." I have no doubt that is true, but he doesn't really make the case.

Then Dr. Ide states that Yahweh was both androgynous and hermaphroditic, citing Isaiah 63:14f, which reads in the King James Version:

As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest; so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

"Bowels" translates mê'âh, meaning soft, belly, bowels, sympathy, passion, heart and uterus. To translate it as "uterus" would support Dr. Ide's thesis, but it seems more appropriate to me to consider it an emotion in this context.

"The Psalmist recognizes Yahweh as male and female in Psalms 123:2:"

Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress: so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

This doesn't seem to present us with the androgyny of Yahweh, but rather withtypical Hebrew poetic parallelism. However, some of his other references do seem to indicate an androgynous Yahweh.

And sothe book continues. It contains some errors, sloppiness and exaggerations, but the good stuff you can hardly find anywhere else in such a compact form.

I challenge any author's Hebrew or Greek with trepidation, but Dr. Ide's etymology of the English "amusement" as coming from "amu" (love) and "semen" is hilarious. Itactually comes from French "amuser" meaning cause to ponder or muse. C'est amusant!

In summary, this is a terrific source of ancient material edited out of our canonic Bible or modified beyond recognition, but be careful to check everything out you wish to use.

Jorge Potter

The Fall of Asherah and Canaanitic Influence Hebrew Jahweh
Ide's central hypothesis is that the cult of Asherah, once the most important feminine deity in the Canaanite canon, was systematically destroyed by the Jahwehist priests of Levi and their fanatical, patriarchicallies. The rights of women and sexual relations not aimed at procreationwere destoyed coterminously.

There is in fact little doubt that theearly Hebrews were polytheists and that they took part in similar ritualsto their neighbours : animal and human sacrifices, the deification of somemortals and orgies of ritual sex. In Canaanite mythology, El takes Asherahas his wife but she later becomes sexually involved with the sun god Ba'al.Ide doesn't make much reference to it but the Ugaritic Cycle of Ba'al isthe best source for finding out more about this. Yahweh was also known asElohim ("many gods") and in the early stages of the Jahwehist rewrite oflocal mythology, Jahweh was just one of many gods but a "jealous god". Hisfollowers took blood vengeance against the worshippers of Ba'al andAsherah. I say "His" here, although the term "yahweh" is older than theIsraelites and refers to hermaphroditic deities.

It wasn't until laterthat the Levite priests switched tactics and attempted to remove Asherahaltogether : now Jahweh was to be the `universal god', moving from being ajealous god to the one and only god. Anyone who doubts the ongoing pogromagainst Asherah and Ba'al in Old Tstament times need only look to the Bible: when Moses finds that Aaron has led the people back to the worship ofgolden statues he separates the Levites from the rest of the camp andorders them "The Lord God of Israel (lit. `people of El') commands everyone of you to put on his sword and go through the camp from this gate tothe other and kill his brothers, his friends, and his neighbours." (GoodNews tr.) The result is the massacre of 3,000 - a very divine actreminiscent of the Balkans in the 1990s! And Elijah's record is possiblyworse.

However I have some problems with certain aspects of Ide's thesis.For example he adds a rather racist and disturbing element by suggestingthat the onset of patriarchy can be laid at the feet of those Indo-Europeantribes such as the Hittites invading from the north. There is plenty ofevidence that women were reduced from a dominant role in society tochattels to bought , sold or raped but Ide isn't clear enough as to why theblame lies with external peoples to the Semitic world preferring as he doesto concentrate on chaging coital practices. And I think what is leastimpressive is his lack of perspective : in rejecting the blood revenge ofJahwehism he has assumed that the old order was one of harmony and freelove and that "there is no evidence of Asherah's priests commiting similaratrocities and crimes." Asherah to him is simply "a nourishing, lovingmother" and the possibility that some aspects of sexuality are dangerous,harmful or immoral is not one on which he dwells. Ide also makes someattempt to link in the role of the state and the economic context but theseare somewhat superficial - although the relationship between power andworship evidenced by the switch from Asa to Josiah in the mid ninth centuryBC is interesting.

Ide also makes a few isolated references to the NewTestament which he clearly wishes to attack as well, although like manyothers he sees Mary as the return of the feminine goddess. I think he woulddo well to take Marcian's advice and consider the two to be totallyseparate religions and look for the source of the New Testament inHellenistic sources.

Fascinating and Revealing, but Flawed
 I learned a lot from this little book (112 pages), but then I didn't know very much about the Old Testament to begin with.Ide shows that polytheism was prevalent among ancient Israelites from theirinception to beyond the time of the monarchy.Even King Solomon waspolytheistic (even mentioned in the Bible)!The Old Testament tries tohide this fact, but it is there if you know where to look for it, and Idetells you where.There was a vigorous and lengthy competition between thegods Yahweh and Asherah.Asherah was a female Canaan fertility deity thatencouraged sex, even in its temples!The "Asherah poles" mentioned inseveral recent Bible translations were phallic symbols.Asherah ismentioned by name about 40 times in the Hebrew Bible, but has sometimesbeen downplayed in English translations.According to the Old Testament,at one time Asherah had 400 prophets devoted to her.The King Jamesversion tries to hide these embarrassing facts by omitting the nameAsherah, and by calling her poles or pillars "sacred groves" or "gravenimages" or some other phrase that hides their sexual significance.

Later, Asherah was considered a consort (or in Ide's terminology, awife) of Yahweh (a male).As a reaction to the free love and loftyposition of women advocated by Asherah, Yahweh tried to distance himselffrom Asherah as far as possible.Consequently, he advocated monogamy,abstinence from sex except for procreation, and a very submissive role forwomen.Yahweh eventually won out over Asherah and became the God of lateJudaism and Christianity.These views have persisted throughoutChristianity, and characterize Roman Catholicism today.

I found most ofhis arguments convincing, but others were unconvincing to me.This book isvery heavily footnoted.One problem for me is that I lack access to mostof his sources, so I cannot verify the conclusions he has drawn from them.

This book has several deficiencies.Ide "puts down" the Levitepriesthood at every opportunity.His belligerent attitude is veryoffensive!For this reason, some readers may give up on this bookbeforethey obtain the very useful information it contains.The book is extremelypoorly written.Although the back cover says Ide was born in the U.S., hehas a poor grasp of English.The book contains a large number oftypographical errors.A worthwhile book even with these faults. I givethis book 4 stars on content only; the other features would rate muchlower. ... Read more

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Women were active in every aspect of the civil rights movement often fighting gender discrimination as well as racism. Women of the Civil Rights Movement explores the roles women took on as demonstrators, organizers, fund raisers, writers, artists, and more in the fight for equal rights. (20051101) ... Read more