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Where Have All the Smart Women Gone?

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This book by Alice Rowe is a must-have for every woman! The women's perspectives that Alice shares resonate with every age, from girl to mature woman. If you have ever been called gifted or bright, and felt guilty for not performing to your full potential when you grew up, you should read this book. Alice helps you to understand the cultural forces working for and against women and helps women to come to terms with our life choices.

In Where Have All The Smart Women Gone?, Alice Rowe draws upon her many years as an educator, speaker, and trainer to explore how women are often caught up in a kind of double bind, they strive to achieve professional success and recognition, while feeling societal pressure to assume more conventional and unassuming roles. Smart women are expected by both themselves and others to do everything and do it well with no allowance to ask for help. For just such women, Rowe offers valuable resources, advice and commentary when showcasing thirty-four examples of successful smart women in order to encourage all women to celebrate their innate intelligence and abilities with strength, determination, and inspiration. Where Have All The Smart Women Gone? is a very highly recommended contribution to women's studies small group discussions and personal self-improvement reading lists.

In her 2001 release "Where Have All the Smart Women Gone?", local author Alice Rowe keenly explores the lives of 24 professional women to discover what influenced their career choices. Each of these women, characterized by others as "gifted" from an early age, seemingly had the world at her feet. Yet, quite often, they chose career paths that, by their own admission, did not maximize their potential.

With a doctorate degree in human development, Rowe seeks answers to uncover the influences that often inhibit women from following their dreams. She begins this fascinating journey of discovery with a look at historical and cultural views of women, many of which are disconcerting, such as this quote from Martin Luther (1483-1546):

"No dress or garment is less becoming to a woman than a show of intelligence."

In a fascinating analogy of a fictitious country called Double Bind, Rowe suggests that our culture is not as equal or modern as we would like. Based on her conversations with the women depicted in her book, Rowe reveals that women are often encouraged to take the easy, safe path or the one most expected by our teachers and our families. In addition, women frequently "dumb down" so as not to intimidate others.

Diana, one of the women studied, said, "Since fifth grade, I made sure I wasn't too good, too noticeable."

With telling quotes, insightful discussions, and historical and educational research, Rowe presents an unattractive vision of our so-called modernized society. She reveals blatant examples of the sexism that has remained in our culture for centuries and which appears to run rampant in our families and schools.

Throughout the book, Rowe shares colorful, personal stories of her subjects to illustrate their struggles to succeed in spite of various negative influences. In a poignant display of compassion and understanding, Rowe reveals her theories in the women's own words, letting each tell her own story in collections of related quotes and snippets.

After exploring the downside to our sexist culture, Rowe presents encouragement to her readers in the second half of the book using another fictitious country called Celebration. Here she highlights her subjects' achievements and touts their personal growth, primarily with anecdotes and quotes from the women themselves. Drawing on her both her experience and her belief in the strength and intelligence of women, Rowe paints an encouraging picture of how women can persevere in the face of adversity and negative cultural influences. She references the works of other authors, like Emily Hancock's "The Girl Within" and Barbara Clark's "Growing Up Gifted", to support her theories.

While the predominant audience for Rowe's book is women, it has garnered male readers as well, providing them with insight into the ever changing world of women. With Rowe's conversational, matter-of-fact style, she opens a welcoming window to men who want to know more about the struggles of their mothers, their wives, their sisters and their daughters.

Perhaps this book won't change the world, but it can certainly open the eyes of men and women alike to the possibility of change.

For whatever reason, smart women are often made to feel like outcasts ... treading in waters we "don't belong in" ... this book reaffirms our strength and power and rights .... eliminating the all too frequent sensation that we should hide our intelligence to fit in ... freeing us to be as bright and as daring as our hearts and minds can take us.

I really enjoyed Alice's book. I had the opportunity to meet her personally and her energy and enthusiasm for her subject leaps off the page. For my sisters out there, if you have ever felt the classic struggle between making others happy and making yourself happy, this book can help you to put the focus on yourself without feeling the guilt. the discussion format at the end of each chapter makes it ideal for group discussion or personal introspection. Worth the time and the money, Alice has NAILED the struggles of intellectual women in America!

Does this sound familiar? University of Virginia in the 1960s only allowed women on the main campus if they were in nursing. All other majors attended a small women's college in Fredericksburg and became teachers or were doing their first two years of course work in preparation for transferring to the nursing school. There were no other options. If this sounds like what you went through, you will find encouragement and hope in Where Have All the Smart Women Gone? You're not alone!!!!!!!!!!

When I read this book I thought, WOW, I knew how frustrating it was as a child trying to achieve in a world of smart people when I thought I wasn't. I had a learning disablity (dyslexia) that held me back in my first years of school. BUT, I overcame it because I was being ENCOURAGED to do so. BUT....these women in this book were made to feel that being smart was a Disability! Imagine, knowing that you know, wanting to share what you know, KNOWING that the sky is the limit in what you can learn and understand. Your good at this! and you want to share it with others. but someone is telling you to repress it. Now that is frustrating! All women should read this. It will help us understand our Mothers our Sisters and Ourselves.

This book is not only fascinating, it's validating. With charm and good stories, Alice helps us realize we weren't alone when told, as little girls, that being smart is dumb--that no one likes smart women--especially men! This book inspires women to spread our wings and soar, to be the best that we can be, to let our light shine out, to stretch and grow and achieve with no outmoded thinking holding us back. Thank you, Alice.

This book is not only fascinating, it's validating. With charm and good stories, Alice helps us realize we weren't alone when told, as little girls, that being smart is dumb--that no one likes smart women--especially men. That if you show your brains, forget about ever getting married! Alice Rowe's book gives us permission to be ourselves-fully. To stretch and grow and achieve with no holds bared. Thank you, Alice.

You think you've got thoughts, concerns, etc., about the way society treats women in general? Take a look at the stories in this book. You'll be surprised to find you're not alone. You'll also gain perspectives on how to transition from the country the author calls "Double Bind", to the country called "Celebration." Alice Rowe embodies positiveness, encouragement and pursuit of dreams for all women.