Writing Women's Lives: An Anthology of Autobiographical Narratives by Twentieth-Century American Women Writers (Paperback)

by Susan Cahill (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Cahill, the editor of numerous feminist anthologies, has assembled a distinctive collection of 50 autobiographical narratives that span the 20th century. At the close of her powerful "Why Southern Women Leave Home," Shirley Abbott captures the spirit of this anthology, writing that "history weighs on us and refuses to be forgotten by us, and that the worst poverty women--or men--can suffer is to be bereft of their past." Readers will find an abundance of riches in this volume, including the familiar voices of Edith Wharton, Mary McCarthy, Louise Bogan and Annie Dillard, as well as newer names such as Sandra Cisneros, Dorothy Allison and Lorene Cary. Throughout, these essays span the spectrum of women's experiences and the challenges facing them, from racial and sexual discrimination, teen pregnancy and poverty, to the pleasures of reading, the love of other women and the burdens and blessings of ethnic heritage. Mary Crow Dog writes of her battle against the racism she faces as a Native American; Kate Millett, diagnosed as manic-depressive, fights the mental health establishment for her sanity; and Madeleine L'Engle struggles with her faith as her husband dies of cancer. Guided by William Dean Howell's observation that autobiography is "the most democratic province in the republic of letters," Cahill has gathered a diverse and inspiring chorus of American women's voice.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Edited by a Fordham University professor whose numerous anthologies on women and writing include Growing Up Female (NAL/Dutton, 1993), this captivating anthology presents poignant excerpts from the autobiographies and memoirs of 50 20th-century American women writers widely ranging in age, race, ethnicity, and class. Beginning with Jane Addams and ending with Natalie Kusz, it includes such writers as Edith Wharton, Ellen Glasgow, Lillian Hellman, Tillie Olsen, Denise Levertov, and Maya Angelou; the excerpts explore life experiences among those whose writing, memories, life, and identity are interconnected. Readers will laugh at the witty scenarios from Nikki Giovanni's Sacred Cows...and Other Edibles (LJ 2/ 15/88) about the writing profession and raising a teenage son and cringe at the vivid reminders of Japanese American internment in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's Farewell to Manzanar (LJ 11/1/73) and of the occupation of Wounded Knee in Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman (LJ 2/15/90). Highly recommended for all collections.
Jeris Cassel, Rutgers Univ. Libs., New Brunswick, N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Perennial; Paperback Original edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060969989
• ISBN-13: 978-0060969981
• Product Dimensions: 210 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #948,078 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Collection, January 2, 2001

By	Carol Behrens (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Cahill presents in chronological order writings from a disparate group of fifty women authors. She provides a brief and informative introduction to each writer with a biographical sketch that includes the author's motivation and history including family, education, career and works published.

Whether or not you recognize the authors' names or publications, you will enjoy reading about their lives. You will identify with some of their experiences and you will be amazed to discover their secrets and truths.

The excerpts of autobiographies are as diverse as the authors themselves. They give insight into these women's lives and personal experiences revealing them to be fascinatingly unique and at the same time ordinary. Their stories are enticing, humorous, poignant, informative, and genuine. They form an excellent illustration of the modern feminine experience. This book is outstanding.