From School Library Journal
Grade 5-10?These two books look at professions in which the contributions of women have been largely ignored. Both authors do a fine job of identifying prominent women in their respective fields and discussing their accomplishments. Horwitz recounts the compromises and sacrifices these individuals made in order to succeed?failed marriages, families foregone, reputations ignored?and shows the network that they established to support one another. Leuzzi's book suffers from too wide a focus, starting with the role of women in medieval craft and weaving guilds. The fashion profession is defined here as almost any activity in the fiber trades, from spinning to modeling to designing, and includes many rather obscure activities in the garment industry, such as costume archivists and fashion-show organizers A final chapter on the preparation and hard work it takes to succeed in the business gives an unusual and helpful finale to a sometimes scattered offering. What both titles lack is adequate illustration. A Female Focus includes portraits of the featured women, but only an eight-page insert presents samples of their work. The black-and-white reproductions do little to enhance A Matter of Style, since color is so much a part of the final product. Despite their drawbacks, these well-documented books contain information that is not easily accessible elsewhere and should be considered as additional purchases.?Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
[SERIES LAST REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE under, Horwitz, Margot F. Gr. 7^-12.]
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.