Generations: A Century of Women Speak about Their Lives [Hardcover]

Myriam Miedzian (Author), Alisa Malinovich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

Women of various social and ethnic backgrounds talk about how things have changed from their grandmother's day to the young women of today, discussing issues as diverse as dating and education, sex discrimination and women's inner lives. 40,000 first printing. Tour."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

By splitting 20th-century American women into three broad generations, then funneling their commentary into musings on growing up, family, and work, this oral history by a mother-daughter team achieves rare focus and illustrates the arc of social change. Thankfully, the kaleidoscope of female experience presented is not homogenized. Within the first generation--when the sanctity of marriage was legally and morally enforced--Rebecca Rodin's radical parents never married, nor did most of their circle. Yet "when push came to shove," she remembers, "men were in control of the households." Not surprising, perhaps, is the number of second- generation women who greeted the women's movement with huge relief. In-depth life stories frame each section of short and long anecdotes.

From Library Journal

Miedzian (Boys Will Be Boys, LJ 6/1/91) and daughter Malinovich spent five years locating women willing to tell their life stories, editing the interviews, and selecting excerpts for this book. They have divided the work into three sections ("Growing Up," "Family," and "Work") and each section into three "generations": 1900 to the early 1930s, mid-1930s to the early 1950s, and mid-1950s to the present. Except for the introduction, the book consists of one- to two-page excerpts from the interviews without further commentary. Although the authors admit they did not do a scientific sampling, they have well represented a diverse group of American women?single, married, divorced, gay, widowed?from a variety of backgrounds. Superbly edited, the book reads as if the women were talking to you. Highly recommended for all readers.?Linda L. McEwan, Elgin Community Coll., Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; 1st edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871136783
• ISBN-13: 978-0871136787
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,101,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Myriam Miedzian holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University and a masters degree in clinical social work from Hunter College, City University of New York. She has been a professor of philosophy at a number of universities, including Rutgers and the City University of New York. She divides her time between New York City and the Hudson Valley, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Social History Makes Great Reading, June 13, 2000

By 

Michele Thaler (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Generations: A Century of Women Speak about Their Lives (Hardcover)

I ordered this book because the price made it attractive, I have hardly put it down since it arrived. For anyone interested in the social history of the 20th century, anyone interested in the history of the rise of women's consciousness or anyone who likes to peek into other women's lives - this book makes great reading. Through women's own voices you get a sense of how attitudes and beliefs towards things like integration, premarital sex, working mothers and many other social issues changed over the course of the 20th century. I find this book both educational and enjoyable reading.

The authors, a mother and daughter team, take a step back and allow the women themselves to tell the story of a century. The editing and writing is seamless and the book flows beautifully. I highly recommend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A BEAUTIFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT, April 3, 2011

By 

Solange Gautier - See all my reviews

This review is from: Generations: A Century of Women Speak About Their Lives (Paperback)

At 549 pages, this exquisite collection of American women's experiences throughout the 20th Century is inclusive in geography, ages, education, marriage and children- or not, kinds of work, deeply personal experiences, dreams and aspirations. It is an absorbing, often inspiring read. The women speak in their own words making this a valuable and vibrant oral history in the grand manner of our national treasure, Studs Terkel.

Thank you so much, Myriam Miedzian and Alisa Malinovich. We are far richer because of your countless hours of sensitive interviewing and gifted editing.