"A complex picture of the works and pioneer experiences of the women in the Pacific Northwest--the "old Oregon" country--from the time of woman's first appearance in these unexplored wilds to the present day. The purpose of this book is to record woman's part in working out the plan of our Western civilization; no other civilization, perhaps, bearing so conspicuously the imprint of her hand and brain"--Pref.
"The purpose of this book is to record woman’s part in working out the plan of our Western civilization; no other civilization, perhaps, bearing so conspicuously the imprint of her hand and her brain." So wrote Mary Douthit, herself a pioneer woman. She continued: "In patience, courage, and endurance, woman proved man’s equal. In her ability to cope with strenuous conditions, she was again his recognized peer. In property rights woman enjoys far greater privileges here than in the older portions of our country. These Northwestern States are among the few in the nation that make the mother a legal custodian of her children, and entrust her with the property of minor heirs." Seldom will you find a book that brings so many personal stories of early western pioneers together in one volume. For less than you'd spend on gas going to the library, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.
Documented, historically accurate narratives, and thumbnail sketches comprise this outstanding contribution to the study of Pioneer life in Oregon from the viewpoint of pioneer women.
A feminist organizer in East Central Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall reveals the struggles of women fighting for their rights during the rise of the Right in Europe Visitors tells the story of Ann Snitow’s adventures as a Western feminist helping to build a new, post-communist feminist movement in Eastern Central Europe. Snitow stumbles onto this fast-changing, chaotic scene by chance, but falls in love with the passionate feminists she meets in Poland, the former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, Hungary and Romania. What kinds of feminism should they hope for? Visitors is a book about forging enduring relationships and creating formerly unimaginable institutions—a feminist school, the Network of East-West Women, women’s centers, gender studies programs. It is about unity amid fractiousness and perseverance through uncertainty, Snitow’s flickering lodestar. Visitors moves gracefully between vivid anecdote, political analysis, and unsparing introspection. It is richly peopled with “brilliant” comrades and vexing detractors alike, all described with respect and humor. Every sentence is imbued with the experience and insight of this sui generis feminist activist, writer, and pedagogue of 50 years. Most of all, Visitors is the story of friendship, the heart and sinew of the leaderless feminist movement. Reading like the best historical novel, it is intimate and worldly, resolutely unsentimental yet finally, even as the political skies darken, optimistic in the conviction that feminism can make life meaningful, fascinating, fun, pleasurable—and better for everyone, even as better is redefined again and again.
