Born for Liberty [Paperback]

Sara Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0684834987 | ISBN-13: 978-0684834986

The most concise and comprehensive one-volume history of American women--from the indigenous women of the 16th-century wilderness to the dual-role career women and mothers of contemporary times--this book brings American womanhood to center stage, exploring the lives of pioneers and slaves, immigrants and factory workers, executives and homemakers. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It is the view of Evans, director of the Center for Advanced Feminist Studies at the University of Minnesota and author of Personal Politics , that "to understand the force of women's experience . . . we must adjust our vision so that we can see the world not only through the major male figures in the foreground but also through the eyes of female figures--a Puritan good wife, an African slave, an Iroquois matron, a westering woman, a female immigrant, a settlement house worker, a secretary." She advances to this end by melding the stories of representative, sometimes well-known, women into the larger sphere of American politics and public life. Richly diverse accounts exemplify the challenge and struggle that have defined and continue to alter the roles of women in our nation's development. In this respect Evans's useful exploration of the participatory nature of women's history in the United States differs from the majority of feminist literature.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A fascinating, readable volume that discusses the continual reshaping of the role of women in America from the 17th century to the 1980s. Evans' chapters roughly coincide with standard textbook organization of history (early settlers, Revolutionary era, 1845-1865, etc.), which makes the book useful to students of American history searching for another viewpoint. Unlike earlier histories, which only discuss women in the home, Evans shows the impact husbands, brothers, and sons had on the women's lives and thinking, and the effect of women's actions on men's politics. Although women's place in society remains unchanged in many basic ways, the intervening 300 years have seen great changes in the acceptance of women in public and political spheres. Evans makes these changes understandable to lay readers who may not yet have a sense of the totality of American history. No library should be without this title that offers such unique insight into women's roles and history from early settlers and native Americans to modern CEOs. --Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, TX
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (August 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684834987
• ISBN-13: 978-0684834986
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough and informative history of women in the U.S., June 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Born for Liberty (Paperback)

Evans' "Born for Liberty" is an excellent history of women in the U.S. The women's rights movements are often times portrayed as struggles of white middle-class women for white middle-class women. Evans includes the struggles and contributions of working-class women, black women, and immigrant women to the women's rights movements. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the struggle for equality and the role of women in shaping this country's history.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid rediting of first edition, November 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Born for Liberty (Paperback)

This edition of the text is an improvement on the first edition in its movement away from the east-coast view of women's history and a move towards a more inclusive analysis. As to the lack of definition of such terms as "oppression", as alluded to in another critique of the text, one is tempted to answer "I know it when I see it...," postmodernism just being the latest form of academic "oppression." Clearly Sara Evans is an outstanding practioner of history and one whom understands the skill of an historian's work. How easy it is to criticize that which you know so very little about.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great as textbook, February 26, 2010

By 

Kathleen "Kathleen" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Born for Liberty (Paperback)

I am lucky enough to be using this book as the main textbook for a Women's History class. It is a very informative book that is also very easy to read.