Customer Reviews

Unfinished Business: A Democrat and a Republican Take on the 10 Most Important Issues Women Face

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of the time you can't get all the nuances in the political back and forth that sometimes passes for debate on television. This book is a printed version of the debate. it is both far more absorbing, and it captures some of the details that televison overlooks. Not only have I enjoyed this book, but I find the resource lists at the end of each chapter useful. But I'll admit, it hasn't changed my mind about anything. I pikced up this book because I am a liberal Malveaux fan, and I remain so. I heard Malveaux and Perry on NPR, though, and I was intrigued by Ms. Perry, and by Dr. Malveaux's assertion that we on the left need to know what (and how) the enemy is thinking. This is absorbing, thought-provoking, useful. The collaboration is a great idea.

I saw Julianne Malveaux mix it up after the BET Trent Lott interview and I went online to find out about anything she had written. This book is great! She explains why she is liberal, about all the things that have shaped her views, and why the government should play a role to providing a safety net to the disadvantaged. I really admire this woman. She needs her own television show, and to have her work more widely distributed.

In my opinion, Deborah Perry is no match for Dr. Malveaux, but she seems to be an interesting woman who presents her point of view intelligently. Their views mesh well on globalization, and their sharpest differences are clear in the chapters on equal pay and on education. I don't see how any thinking woman can agree with Ms. Perry, but I appreciate her willingness to put her views out there.

Three cheers to Julianne Malveaux -- I think that she has initiated a conversation that stretches and expands all of our thinking about women's issues. Cheers, too, to Deborah Perry for going toe to toe with Dr. Malveaux.

Every woman should read this book and share it with her friends. It helped me clarify my views, and it reminded me how important it is to be involved in political work.

The book title is deceptive and often the focus veers way off womens issues (or maybe it takes the holistic view that all issues are womens issues). For example the chapter entitled Education is mostly about school vouchers and how each political party feels about those without any attempts to tie this in to the effect on women. If you are looking for different political takes on random issues, then you will be more satisfied than if you were looking for different political takes on womens issues (as the book title might suggest that it is about). It is about social support policies, which maybe because of stereotypes we think of as womens work.

So now it's established that this is more about party policies on social support in general than about women. Each chapter has a version written by Perry and a version written by Malveaux. Each gives their party's take on that issue and drops names of various policies and groups that are pushing those policies. At the end of each chapter is a list of activist organizations for the republican and the democrat sides of that issue. I liked having both takes lined up side by side and having names dropped so that I could maybe have a clue when I see something pop up later. The focus is very time specific, with what policies are in the works right now (in 2002), so the book won't age well.

A distraction for me were the copious typos through out the book. My favorite by far was "welfare deform" - a mispelling and not an ironic misnomer, used in the section on economic safety nets. It's as if a spell checker was run on the book, but an actual person didn't go over it before it was printed. I knew what they meant, but it was still distracting.

Overall, if you aren't into politics at all, then this contains a plethora of jumping off points. If you are more into politics and have researched any of the issues here, then the treatment is probably so brief that you will tend to not get much on that issue - this book is unlikely to change your mind. That said, no one knows that much about ALL issues (do they?), and this is a fast read, so it is worth the time to get that overview and those jumping off points.

A fascinating look at the top issues that are at the forefront of the political spectrum. Ms. Perry and Dr. Malveaux have written exceptional analyses of the issues that face women and how to go about getting more involved. I highly recommend this book, extremely thought-provoking and well-versed for both sides of the political platform.

I'm sorry to say that this book did not live up to it's potential at all. I felt, when reading it, like I was watching Crossfire, or Hannity & Colmes, which is to say, watching two pundits volley rhetoric back and forth. I can't say that I learned anything new, although, to be fair, I do not think I am really the intended audience for this book.

My biggest dissapointment with the book is that the '10 biggest issues [American!] women face' aren't specifically women's issues. Sure, education is an issue that American women are concerned with, as are the economy, foreign affairs, et al, but these are not issues that are unique only to women, and they are certainly not frontiers that Feminism has not yet conquered. I could have gotten over this if the authors had taken the time to focus on aspects of these issues that apply directly toward women's concerns, and I can tell that this must have come up in the editing of the book from time to time, because often there are sentences thrown in here and there to try and justify why this particular issue (i.e. "the economy") is relevent specifically to women. Still, in "Unfinished Business" the ten issues are simply debated as important issues in American politics, and I felt like I had been hoodwinked into reading two talking heads repeating their oft-stated opinions, instead of really rolling up their sleeves and attacking issues that are uniquely of interest to American women.

The book was also sloppily edited. I wasn't going through the book with a red pen or anything, but several times I came across poorly worded sentences, typos or extra words, and I found it to be very jarring. The entire book has a rushed feel to it.

However, there were a few things about the book that I did like. I liked some of Dr. Malveaux's points, and in some sections (particularly the section on race relations) I saw a glimmer of honesty and from-the-hip straight talk that I wished we she would have employed more often in this book. I liked how at the end of most chapters, the two authors would get together and come up with points in which they agreed, and both would provide a list of ways to take action at the end of each essay, which I thought was helpful and a nice addition to the book. I also appreciated the chance to read a different point of view from mine (Deborah Perry's), and to get a general idea of how the mainstream American right wing views women's issues. Had the book been more focused on issues more unique to American women, and contained a bit more straight talk and a lot less punditry, I might have walked away from this book with a better understanding of these ideas.

Despite the marathon title, here is another introspective look at what's happening on the distaff of life from the views of two accomplished authoritative types. As such, man's better half, helpmate and significant other have made great strides and truly have come a long way to dispel notions of inferiority, either in the workplace or otherwise. Where women are now --- and where they go from here --- are given a platform for a head-to-head, if not spirited debate, from two women representing our political parties. UNFINISHED BUSINESS reads like a mundane and plodding entity full of anecdotal and personal analogies indicative of the women that wrote the book.

Although the book is well written, it doesn't really lend anything to make it jump out and grab your attention. Those that are fans and followers of the authors probably will be able to give it credence lofty of their interpretation of a good read. I rated the book three stars out of five, which makes it a midpoint perceptive analogy that does have some good points.

It has stirring and provocative exchanges in spots where opinionated views tend to give it color, tone and a certain tenor when each author plaintively gives their heartfelt views on the reported issues. Dr. Julianne Malveaux (The Democrat) is a noted economist who has discussed many of the points here as a syndicated columnist for several national newspapers. In the other corner is the Honorable Deborah L. Perry (The Republican), a former Bush cabinet advisor and a current political commentator on MSNBC and Fox News. UNFINISHED BUSINESS succinctly examines the ten issues women care about most (at least to the liking of these two women) from two very different perspectives.

After reading the book, I came to realize and marvel at how well-informed and motivated these combatants were in espousing their views on topics such as the failings of our education system, the inequities that women face in the workplace, reproductive rights, taxes and childcare. I expected more for a unique style that would possibly separate it from other books written in the same idiom. My interpretative view would more than likely agree with readers who may look at it as the 'same old same old' and relegate it average in appeal --- or worse. Always in such competitive analysis when looking for clear-cut winners in debatable issues, I couldn't say with any overwhelming conviction that one of these authors was better than the other. Moreover, and to their individual credit, Malveaux and Perry found enough common ground in the passion they felt for those issues and the role that women must play in initiating and effecting meaningful change.

Written in classic call and response style, I surmise that this would be the type of book to pique dissenting views from those in either direction ---liberal or conservative --- and to incite lively discussion in which there is a "men vs. women" discourse. Another good point is the resource section ending every chapter for further reflective views. The collaborative effort of both these women was a good idea, but it lacked the oomph to elicit more oohs and aahs.

--- Reviewed by Alvin C. Romer

Despite the marathon title here's another introspective look at what's happening on the distaff of life from the views of two accomplished authoritive types. As such, man's better half, helpmate, and significant other have made great strides and truly have come a long way to dispel notions of inferiority, either in the workplace or otherwise. Where women are now, and where they go from here are given a platform for a head-to-head, if not spirited debate from two women representing our politifal parties. Unfinished Busines: A Democrat and a Republican Take On The 10 Most Important Issues Women Face reads like a mundane and plodding entity full of anecdotal and personal analogies indicative of the women that wrote the book. Although the book is well-written, it doesn't really lend anything to make it really jump out and grab your attention. Those that are fans and followers of the authors probably will be able to give it creedence lofty of their interpretation of a good read. I rated this book three stars out of five, which makes it a midpoint perceptive analogy which does have some good points.

It has stirring and provocative exchanges in spots where opinionated views tend to give it color, tone, and a certain tenor when each author plaintively give their heartfelt views on the reported issues. Dr. Julienne Malveaux (The Democrat) is a noted Economist whom have discussed many of the points here as a syndicated columnist for several national newspapers. In the other corner is the Honorable Deborah L. Perry (The Republican), a former Bush cabinet advisor, and a current political commentator on MSNBC and Fox News. Unfinished Business succinctly examines the ten issues women care about most (at least to the liking of these two women) from two very different perspectives. After reading the book I came to realize and marvel at how well-informed and motivated these combatants were in espousing their views on topics ranging from the failings of our education system, the inequities that women face in the workplace, reproductive rights, taxes, childcare, et al. I expected more for a unique style that would possibly separate it from other books written in the same idiom. My interpretative view would more than likely agree with readers who may look at it as the 'same old same old' and relegate it average in appeal - or worse. Always in such competitive analysis when looking for clear-cut winners in debatable issues, I couldn't say with any overwhelming conviction that one of these author were better than the other.

Moreover, and to their individual credit, Malveaux and Perry found enough common ground in the passion they felt for those issues and the role that women must play in initiating and effecting meaningful change. Written in classic call and response style, I surmise that this would be the type of book to pique disenting views from those in either direction - liberal or conservative to to incite lively discussion where there's a men vs. women inequitive discourse. Another good point is the resource section ending every chapter for further reflective views. The collaborative effort of both these women was a good idea, but it lacked the oomph to elicit more oohs and aahs!

As a young feminist, I was very interested in learning about our nation's most widely debated issues from both sides of the US political fence.

I found this book to be very informative, and it usually kept my interest. There are many issues, such as the wage gap, Second Shift, and reproducitve rights, that I have always stayed updated on. However, some issues, such as the national economy and foreign policy, I once felt were too difficult (or too dry) to be palatable. They were broken down quite well in this book. Most importantly, they were brought down to the level which affects me.

I do have one very large bone to pick, however. Both authors, from the left and right, are guilty of using very sketchy statistics to debate their side, and almost never reveal the source of their stats. I believe that using this practice is more than questionable...it is unethical. If you do read this book, then please be careful about being swayed by numbers.

This book is a MUST read for all women (and men) who care about the important issues that confront us all -- including the economy, equal pay, education, the environment, and work and family issues. Malveaux's and Perry's frank and engaging dialogue is both informative and inspiring. In addition, at the end of each chapter, they give great resources for women who want to know what they can do to get involved at the local, state or federal levels. Incredible! Look forward to hearing more from these women.

This book has a very readable,interesting and enjoyable political analysis. It is a good opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the most important issues facing us today. It is also nice to have two perspectives on the issues in one place so that you can draw your own conclusions. I was interested in the book because I had seen Deborah Perry on MSNBC and wanted to hear more from her. The high quality of her political analysis makes me think she will be the next Cokie Roberts!