I grew up in a conservative home in a conservative state with a religion that enshrined conservatism more than Christianity. Fortunately, I was allowed to read, and reading has become a salvation of sorts. As I’ve aged and expanded my horizons, I’ve nonetheless grown concerned that I might have picked up some bad habits along the way. I’m recognized as an expert in my field, but I strive not to be one that oppresses others.…
Many of us who grew up in conservative evangelical churches bear stark memories of how a culture can entrap people instead of empowering them. One prime way is through gender roles, in a form of patriarchy where only men are allowed leadership roles and a public voice. Decades ago, Shannon Harris married the best-selling author Joshua Harris (I Kissed Dating Goodbye) and quickly became a silent, unpaid role of a pastor’s wife. In this memoir,…
Many Christian conservatives make a loud case for the social subordination of women through New Testament texts. They argue that women should take neither leadership nor speaking roles. Some limit the reach of these to religion, but others even advance such typology towards all of society. Were women always admonished to submit? And must religion still be an oppressive force today? In this book, Susan Hylen takes on these lingering issues by addressing the historical…
American attitudes towards family have changed a lot since the 1960s. Young women are less regarded as family property to be given off in marriage, and feminism has thankfully facilitated women making life choices for themselves. It’s helpful, however, to remember occasionally what life was like in this prior era, which really isn’t so long ago. In this novel, Sara Goodman Confino takes us back through the story of a young lady who, in embracing…
Pandora Carmichael is the daughter of a once-famous tennis player who now teaches the sport to the well-to-do in the Hudson Valley in 1920s New York. She grows up around opulence, but she possesses none of it. A teenager at the beginning of the book, she explores dating relationships, but struggles to achieve exactly what she wants out of life. She has a deep passion for fashion design, but in pre-World War II America, a…
This tale, told from the perspectives of three female protagonists during World War II, exalts the inner strength of war correspondents/journalists, especially women. In fictionalized form, it tells of the courage it takes to report on war as it really happens. It speaks to the obstacles that must be overcome as well as the emotional toll that reporting can take. The note at the end shows how Lane borrowed from real-life history to inspire her…
Issues exposing unconscious bias have gripped my home country, the United States of America. Books like this help us address these issues in quiet pages before they escalate onto the street. Williams collects interviews from a diverse group of people in the workplace. Together, these can serve as ways for workers to understand their colleagues nearby. She groups these interviews into five parts: Race, women, LGBTQ+, age and ability, and religion and culture. The latter…
Jill Ker Conway has left us with quite a trilogy of autobiographies. In so doing, she has divided her life into thirds – growing up on the Australian outback, coming of age in North-American academe, and gaining a feminist voice as president of the elite Smith College. This work examines her experiences at Smith College. She poured her soul into learning to articulate an authentically feminine institutional voice in a world of coeducation. Instead of…
Jill Ker Conway, the first female Vice President of a Canadian university, details her journey from her arrival in Boston as a Fulbright Scholar to her acceptance of the role of president of Smith College. In this tale, she serves as an inspirational figure not just to women but to all with great challenges to overcome. Conway was the daughter of a determined yet domineering mother in the Australian outback. As such, her flight to…