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What Every American Should Know about Women History: 200 Events That Shaped Our Destiny

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In easy to read and understand capsule bites - this book gives the basics of women's history in a fascinating progression from 1607/The first European women to arrive at the Jamestown colony to 1993/Maya Angelou reads an original poem at President Clinton's inauguration. It's an enjoyable read and a wonderful reference book.

_What Every American Should Know About Women's History_ is an excellent place to start learning about Women in American history. The book is very comprehensive (from the first arrival of European women in the British colonies to the inaguration of Clinton), and discusses a wide variety of subjects in which women played a major role.

The primary short-coming of the book, however, is in its berevity. While admittedly the author had to make some tough decisions about what events to include (testament to the richness of womens' history), the information that is provided is cursory: the event itself is the focus, without much historical context or background. Still, a great book, and the recommended place to begin to learn about American Women's History.

This event driven narrative of American History is highly recommended for anyone trying to fill the gaps in their education. Dr. Alan Axelrod and Charles Phillips, provide a thoughtful progression of events both large and small, which have shaped of our nation. Schools of thought, artistic expression, even televised entertainment, mix in with wars, treaties established and abandoned, and technological advances, to tell the story of what forces brought us to where we are today.

Following a time-line spanning A.D. 1000 to 1991 (Leif Ericson's establishing the first European colony in North America to the end of the Cold War), one gets a brief introduction to a broad variety of events which have shaped the history of the United States. While the book is not designed as a deep reference on any one topic, it shines as an introduction to the unfolding of history. The 200 events chosen by the authors reflect an understanding that while history has its momentous events (invention of the automobile), events bringing less fanfare (the invention of barbed wire), have also shaped our nation. Although the authors' voices, (and occasionally their convictions) come through, their take is objective enough to provide basic understanding of American history.

With its extremely accessible writing style and format, this book is easily picked up by adults with just a few minutes of daily reading time to spare. Perhaps because it is not bogged down in academic language, it's also a great starting point to get the wheels turning for younger (12+) history students.

What Every American Should Know About Women's History: 200 Events That Shaped Our Destiny THIS IS A MUST have for EVERYONE! It is a true celebration of AMERICA and the struggles all have faced and what got us to here today!

WHAT EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WOMEN'S HISTORY is a good starting point for people interested in women's history. It gives just enough information, i.e. names and some important dates, to give direction to a person who is completely ignorant about American Women's role in history. But if your looking for an in depth look at American women's history look elsewhere.

As other reviewers have said, this book is a good starting point for someone who is interested in women's history in the United States. However, the author is quite biased in her presentation of historical events. Her pro-abortion slant in several sections of the book make me question how she may have slanted the information in other sections. I would have preferred if she had given a more balanced presentation of history and shared her opinion in a sidebar or footnote if she wanted to use the book as a "soap box". For example, on page 336, she states "The most vociferous critic of the Supreme Court ruling was the Catholic church. But, women in general viewed the decision (Roe v.Wade) as a great stride forward". People who see abortion as murder come from a variety of religious beliefs and from both genders. There is little, if anything, that "women in general" all feel the same about. I personally know many women who vehemently oppose Roe v. Wade, some who are neutral about it and some who support abortion at any stage of development.