genre: social history
I've been on a quest for the last decade to read the stories of women from the past, written in their own words. There is a part of me that literally yearns to understand what it was like to be a women in times so different from my own. When I saw this book at the thrift store, it immediately went into my cart not just because of the title but because of the author. The two other books I've read by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich have had a deep influence on me and on how I look at a woman's place in early America. This book, while admittedly sometimes a bit dry and slow, is also a fascinating look at the role women DID play in colonial time. I think what's important about it is that whenever we discuss that period, we really only ever talk about men and what they were doing - with the exception of the Salem Witch Trials (which is briefly discussed in the book).
In this book we learn, with primary source documentation, that women were not just influential but a profound and necessary part of our country's growth and development. We can also see the beginnings of some social movements (away from midwifery to obstetricians, for example) as well as how the Patriarchal order impacted the roles women could and did play.
It's a history book and it's not the kind that's written like a story. It is a well-researched and deeply important treasure trove of knowledge of our fore-mothers and the context in which they learned and grew.
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