NYPL Blogs: Women's History Month

Modern-Day Slavery: Stories about Human Sex Trafficking and Comfort Women

Raymond Pun, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, General Research Division — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:05:30 -0400

During World War II, when the Japanese invaded and occupied Shanghai, Nanjing and other coastal cities of eastern China, they looted, intimidated, and massacred millions of people to prove their imperial strength and mercilessness. Many children and women were raped and killed during the invasion; towns were burned to crisp and lives were forever changed and destroyed.

Five years ago, my parents told me that my grandmother had endured such a horrific event when she was in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian, a coastal province in China. She witnessed people getting killed, and women were kidnapped and brutally raped by the soldiers; with her family, my grandmother had to "mess her face" up to discourage the Japanese from taking her as a "comfort woman." She used dirt from the floor to cover up her face to look unattractive and unappealing to the Japanese. Luckily it worked for her.

To this day, I never asked my grandmother about what happened during that time but I assumed it is something that no one should experience again even if it is retelling the story and making her relive the traumatic moment. Authors such as Iris Chang in her book The Rape of Nanking vividly describe the harrowing and painful history of the Japanese invasion in China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, etc. and the Japanese treatment of the people from these countries.

During the war in Asia, women and girls who were kidnapped were often turned into "comfort women," another term for enforced sex slaves servicing the Japanese military. Known as "ianfu" in Japanese, many comfort women serviced over a hundred officers and military officials on a daily basis; they were trapped in their hubs called "comfort stations" throughout Asia and were often deprived of food and freedom. Some tried to escape and the ones who were unsuccessful in escaping were recaptured and beaten or murdered.

There were also cases of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) where women caught them, and some also became infertile as a result of the trauma. In some of their stories, women committed suicide to end the nightmare of being a comfort woman.

Approximately "400,000+" Asian women and girls from China, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and some European, particularly Dutch women living in Asia at the time were trafficked and turned into military sex slaves. Till this day, the data is still being contested by historians, politicians and activists. When the war ended, women who survived the trauma readjusted to their very different lives.

Much of their stories are being challenged by the Japanese government today, however, with interviews and resources covering their testimonies and the records documenting the history, it is evident that comfort women did exist in Asia during the war. The subject is often sensitive but needs to be discussed so that history will not repeat itself.

Selected Resources about Comfort Women:

NYPL Resources on the History of Comfort Women
An interview with a Dutch woman who was a comfort woman: 50 Years of Silence: The Story of Jan Ruff-O'Herne
Washington Coalition For Comfort Women Issues
Discover the roles that women played in World War II
Resources on World War II in Asia
Hear about their women's testimonies in this artistic film called Comfort Women Wanted

Something so heinous still exists in society today. The dark side of immigration/emigration is human trafficking, the modern-day slavery.

This slave trade system has generated over billions of dollars for criminal organizations and networks from all over the world. The victims' stories and incidents are far more grueling than what history reveals it to be. The FBI puts it very clearly, "It’s sad but true: here in this country (the U.S.), people are being bought, sold, and smuggled like modern-day slaves." See here for the FBI's take on Human Trafficking >>

The 2000 United Nations Trafficking Protocol established the term trafficking as the following: "the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs..." Check out the CIA's World Factbook about Human Trafficking >>

New York City is no exception: there are cases after cases of humans being bought, sold and trafficked throughout the city; some may owe "debts" and must repay them by any means while others were hoping to find better opportunities for work in NYC but were innocently tricked into becoming a sex slave. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 100,000 to 293,000 children in America are in danger of becoming sexual commodities.

"Every minute of every day, the most vulnerable women and children are raped for profit with impunity, yet efforts to combat sex trafficking remain woefully inadequate and misdirected... Sex trafficking is one of the ugliest contemporary actualizations of global capitalism because it was directly produced by the harmful inequalities spread by the process of economic globalization: depending of rural poverty, increased economic disenfranchisement of the poor, the net extraction of wealth and resources from poor economies into richer ones, and the broad-based erosion of real human freedoms across the developing world..." (pg. 3-4 in Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery by Siddarth Kara)

Women and children from Europe can get transported to the U.S. or from Asia to Europe and from the U.S. to Europe; there are many criminal networks and trafficking activities going on throughout the world. Many films and historical accounts have covered this topic and displayed the horror of sex trafficking. The blockbuster thriller Taken starring Liam Neeson in his role as a former CIA agent is worth checking out; in this movie, Liam is trying to save his daughter from being sold and trafficked as a sex slave in Europe. The sequel is Taken 2. Keep in mind: there are many stereotypes depicted in these movies.

There is hope in combating human sex trafficking, consider the New York Asian Women's Center, a nonprofit organization devoted to women's issues including sexual and labor exploitation in New York or Restore NYC, another nonprofit devoted to end sex trafficking in New York City.

Resources on Human Sex Trafficking:

Discover our resources about the history, research and studies behind human trafficking in the United States.
Read more about about the epidemic of human trafficking in the world.
For films about human trafficking at NYPL, see here
For online resources, see our Articles and Databases page (recommended resources include JSTOR and Project Muse.)
Look at Wide Angle on PBS research on the routes and business of sex trafficking around the world.
Read about one victim's account of being kidnapped and trafficked in Nepal from the BBC.

La veuve Boivin: A Woman at the Beginning of the Music Publishing Industry

Bob Kosovsky, Library for the Performing Arts, Music Division — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:30:04 -0400

Consider this a late contribution to this year's Womens' History Month.

When most people think of the involvement of women in music they probably think of performers or composers. To be sure, women performers have been at the forefront of music for centuries, and in recent years awareness of women composers has grown enormously, particularly with those from the twentieth century. But there is at least one other music-related field in which women have made a significant mark: publishing.

Between the seventeen-century to the middle of the nineteenth-century, publishing was primarily in the hands of individuals. The "companies" that existed usually consisted of family members. Some publishing houses could even be considered dynasties in the way ownership passed from one generation to the next. But even a hasty look at music publishers during this period reveals an interesting phenomenon: when a publisher died, it was not uncommon for his widow to carry on the business. Sometimes these widows would sell off the remaining stock and sell the firm to another publisher in order to receive funds on which to live. For those getting a start in music publishing, it was advantageous to begin with a sizable stock of printed music. For the widows, funds from the sale were the equivalent of a pension.

Nevertheless a number of publisher-widows kept their businesses running after their husbands' deaths—possibly the result of their intimate involvement in production and business affairs while their husbands were alive.

One of the most successful of these widow music publishers was the one known by her imprint, La veuve Boivin [= the widow Boivin] or later as Madame Boivin, who ran a successful music publishing business in Paris during the first half of the eighteenth century. (She is not to be confused with another "veuve Boivin," 1773-1841, who was involved with medicine.)

What do we know of the widow Boivin? Not very much. Unless an individual was a member of nobility, biographical information about ordinary people in France during the 18th century is rare to find. What we know is based primarily on business transactions as well as marriage and death certificates that have been found in the National Archives of France. (I could not include an image of her face because there is none.)

The widow Boivin's story starts with her family, the Ballards, who ran a publishing firm. Established in 1551, the Ballard family received the title "sole music printers to the king" in 1553, thereafter making them the most prestigious music publishing firm in France for nearly 200 years. Holding a royal privilege to print music, they prospered not only through this exclusive right, but from their association with other publishing houses.

Despite the royal privilege, the Ballard family had competition. Documents from the turn of the century indicate various legal actions by and against the Ballards (all of whom lived in one house). Despite such occasional turmoils, Christophe Ballard (died 1690) and his son Jean-Baptiste Christophe Ballard (ca. 1663-May 5, 1750) had a keen understanding of business. One of their smartest moves was to invest in a stationary store "La regle d'or" or "The Golden Rule." Within a few years its success led them to change its status from stationary to "music store." By Ballard's death in 1750 it was the leading music store in France.

By the end of the seventheenth century, with several lawsuits in their past, evidence suggests that, rather than compete with rivals, the Ballards arranged marriages so as to mollify potential rivals. Elisabeth Catherine Ballard was born to in approximately in 1708. (The primary source for this information is the age indicated on her death certificate.). We do not know much about her early life. The first document of significance in which she is mentioned is a certificate attesting to her marriage on July 2, 1724 to François Boivin. Boivin, nephew of the composer Michael Pignolet de Montéclair, had been a competing publisher.

By marrying into the Ballard dynasty, Boivin was no longer seen as a competitor but as collaborator. We can surmise that Elisabeth, already familiar with her family's printing business, assisted her husband in his work. Ballard's investment in "The Golden Rule" paid off. By selling works published by both Ballard and Boivin firms, the store became one of the most successful of the time.

On November 25, 1733, after just 11 years of marriage, François Boivin died. By this time it is fairly certain that Catherine had been working most of her entire life in the music publishing business. At a time when widows could go penniless after the loss of a spouse, the incentive to continue the business must have been strong. Catherine must have realized there was no reason to stop production of what she had probably done her entire life. Taking on the name "La veuve Boivin" she continued to publish with the help of her brother-in-law Claude Boivin and her father.

Musicologists note that Elisabeth was able to function for so long because of the partnerships she was able to create. In effect, she was less directly involved with publishing than with commissioning other publishers for works she obtained. For most of her publications, she is listed with at least one other publisher.

Towards the end of her publishing career (which was longer than that of her husband's), Elisabeth dropped the "widow" appelation:

Far from naïve, the intelligence of Elisabeth's management is seen in her firm's value: In 1724 (at the time of her marriage to Boivin), the value of "The Golden Rule" was fixed at 29,586 livres. In 1753 when she sold the store to one of the workers, the estimated value of the store was listed at 36,400 livres, a sum that undoubtedly provided her with the equivalent of a pension. Interestingly, when her father died in 1750, Catherine forsook her portion of his inheritance and gave it to her elder sister (who presumably was not in as secure financial position). We don't know She died in Chartres on February 13, 1776.

To me it seems strange that in reference works, it is still François Boivin who is listed as the primary force, with Elisabeth receiving a a smaller space. Fortunately there have been articles that have tried to highlight her activity. Perhaps with further excavation of documents from the National Archives of France, some day there will be are more detailed picture of Elisabeth Ballard Boivin, as well as the role of women in the music publishing industry.

Novedades de Marzo 2013: ¡Celebra el Mes de la Historia de la Mujer!

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:15:46 -0500

Marzo es el Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. El lema de este año es: "Mujeres que inspiran innovación a través de la imaginación: Celebrando a las Mujeres en el ámbito de la Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas" (National Women’s History Project).

En conmemoración, ofrecemos esta breve selección de obras recientes que incluye historias extraordinarias clásicas y contemporáneas de mujeres notables, además de romance y otros temas de interés que ya esperábamos.

El arte de la guerra para mujeres
Adriana Ortemberg
Milenarias armas de mujer para hacer que el enemigo se rinda a tus pies.- Cubierta.

El libro secreto de Frida Kahlo
F. G. Haghenbeck
Una historia imaginada de la vida de la famosa pintora mexicana. – Cubierta.

Eve
Anna Carey
Un trama futurístico del 2032, en un mundo casi aniquilado a causa de un virus mortal, la joven Eve emprende un peligroso viaje para poder sobrevivir y librarse del destino que le espera.

Hijas del Muntu
María Mercedes Jaramillo
Biografías críticas de mujeres latinoamericanas de descendencia africana.

La chica de Cartagena
Dania Londoño
La mujer que puso en jaque al Servicio Secreto de los Estados Unidos.- Cubierta.

Las mujeres de la tormenta
Celia del Palacio
Una novela profundamente documentada, llena de emoción, suspenso y magia, sobre las leyendas más impactantes de las brujas en nuestro país y sobre la realidad que deben enfrentar muchas mujeres contemporáneas.-Cubierta.

La condesa perfecta
Elizabeth Boyle
El conde de Clifton se ha propuesto encontrar a la condesa perfecta para casarse con ella, pero le promete matrimonio a la dama más inesperada.

La tejedora de sombras
Jorge Volpi Escalante
En 1925, un ambicioso médico de Harvard, casado con una rica heredera de Boston y una obsesionada estudiante de arte, esposa de un veterano de guerra, se encuentran en Nueva York, y juntos viven una apasionante historia de amor.

Las mujeres de los dictadores
Diane Ducret
Habla de las esposas y amantes de varios de los dictadores más notorios del siglo XX, entre ellos Lenin, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, Salazar, Ceaucescu, Mao, Bokassa, y Franco.

Los amores de Lily
Julianne MacLean
Lily Langdon finalmente ha crecido, y después de saber que el amigo de su hermano ha sido rechazado por su prometida, advierte la oportunidad de encontrar prometido.

Los hombres las prefieren con curvas
Pierre Dukan
El nutricionista más influyente reflexiona sobre el poder de la figura femenina. -Cubierta.

Los 7 pasos para el éxito en el amor
Isabel Gómez-Bassols
Cómo crear la intimidad física y emocional necesaria para una relación feliz y sana. -Cubierta.

Mi mundo adorado
Sonia Sotomayor
La primera hispanoamericana y tercera mujer en un puesto de la Suprema Corte de Los Estados Unidos de America comparte su historia.

Si soy tan buena, ¿por qué estoy soltera?
Maria Marin
Los 7 errores que cometen las mujeres en el amor. –Cubierta. NO SE PIERDA DE LA PRESENTACION DEL AUTOR EN PERSONA EN LA BIBLIOTECA EL SABADO 23 DE MARZO!

Algunas de estas y otras obras también pueden estar disponibles en diferentes formatos. Para más información sírvase de comunicarse con el bibliotecario de su biblioteca local. Esta lista puede ser impresa en una sola pagina por MS Publisher.También puede seguirnos por ¡Twitter!

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Celebrating Women's History Month (Pt. 2) - Top 10 Women Authors of My Misspent Literary Youth

Lois Moore, Mid-Manhattan Library — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:15:58 -0400

March Story Time for Grown-Ups featured stories by Dorothy Parker to celebrate Women's History Month, as discussed in my previous blog post. During March, a lot of women's history-related lists were posted on the web: 10 powerful female fictional heroines, 10 most powerful women in history, 10 most powerful women in the world today, and top 10 hottest historical women (yes, Cleopatra made the list).

However, as a librarian of a certain age, the list that kept forming in my head as I was doing the research for Story Time was women authors that were important to me as I was growing up. Naturally I first met the authors through their fictional heroines. Liking the characters caused me to read more books by those authors, and curiosity led me to find out more about the women who created the characters.

My curiosity about their lives was partly because it was a revelation to me that women could earn their living writing. That may sound quaint now, but in rural Indiana from 1959 to 1974, the primary career path for women was marriage and motherhood (women didn't work outside the home after marriage). If you were not pretty enough or lucky enough to marry, the only career options open were nurse, teacher, or secretary. (Librarians were a rare sub-species under teacher.)

The other reason for my curiosity about the authors lies in the books themselves. There are some books that open the door to a new world, that remain with you for the rest of your life, and that stand as milestones on your journey to adulthood. Why some books are memorable to the point of eye-opening and others are merely good reads depends on the reader; consequently it varies widely (and wildly) by individual. The variability also depends on timing and availability, as in the Buddhist proverb, "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." My reaction to a book depends on where I am emotionally when I read it. Regarding availability, I read whatever was available to me at the time. Readers younger than I would probably have a different list of newer books and authors that weren't published yet (or even alive!) in the period from 1959 to 1974.

The following idiosyncratic list meets the milestone criteria for me. I've included the authors, the first book of theirs I read, any relevant screen or stage adaptations, and any recent or acclaimed biographies.

1. Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, published in 1868. I was introduced to Jo March when I was 10 years old. Bookish tomboy Jo, with her sharp tongue and short temper, was a big step up from Heidi. Most of the books I had read so far had male protagonists, from Tom Sawyer to Tarzan, and I couldn't muster much enthusiasm for their female counterparts, Becky Thatcher and Jane, as role models. In reading about Alcott, I soon learned that much of Jo's fictional life was based on Alcott's personal experience. Both Susan Cheever's biography of Alcott, published in 2010, and Harriet Reisen's Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, published in 2009, have received good reviews.

Little Women has been adapted to film several times; the three most well known star Katharine Hepburn (1933), June Allyson (1949), and Winona Ryder (1994) as Jo. In 2005 it was adapted for the Broadway musical stage with Sutton Foster as Jo and Maureen McGovern as Marmee. I saw and enjoyed them all, although (of course) not as much as the book. In 1998, it was adapted to an opera of the same name by American composer Mark Adamo, but I haven't seen or heard that yet. I went on to read Little Men, Jo's Boys, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Under the Lilacs, and Jack and Jill. When I was in my 30s and could finally afford it, I bought a 6 volume hard-cover set, which I still re-read periodically. As a young reader, I wanted to remember forever this author who gave me so much enjoyment, so I gave her the highest honor a ten-year old can bestow — I named my cat after her.

2. Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca, published in 1938. Moving from Little Women at age 10 to Rebecca at age 12 seemed like a radical step in 1961, but that's the way it happened. It was actually my mother's book. Fortunately I grew up in a household where no limits were placed on what we read. My parents (both avid readers) made sure that all the reading material in our home was accessible. Nothing was hidden or forbidden. I guess they figured that if we didn't understand something, we would ask. And I was reading everything, including the backs of cereal boxes at breakfast. (Have you noticed that the backs of cereal boxes nowadays are not nearly as interesting as they used to be?)

I loved Rebecca from that wonderful first sentence, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." Later I would describe the book as a mixture of romance, mystery, ghost story, and psychological thriller. However, then I was only interested in following the plot and solving the mystery. The novel won the National Book Award in 1938 and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1941, directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Joan Fontaine playing the second Mrs. deWinter. I saw the film and enjoyed it, but (naturally) the film wasn't as good as the book. Among du Maurier's many novels, my favorites were Jamaica Inn — something of a horror story, and Frenchman's Creek — historical fiction set in Cornwall during the reign of Charles II. Reading about Du Maurier's upper class early twentieth century British upbringing in a family of writers and actors was as romantic and mysterious to me as her novels. A recent biography by Nina Auerbach is Daphne du Maurier, Haunted Heiress, published in 2000.

3. Edna Ferber, Show Boat, published in 1926. Yeah, I borrowed another one of Mom's books; it must have been a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. I was blown away by Ferber's descriptive language and colorful characters that jumped off the page. There I was at age 13 reading about miscegenation when I didn't even know the word. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II adapted the novel into a Broadway musical in 1927. I saw the 1995 Broadway revival with Michel Bell playing Joe, the role tailored especially for Paul Robeson, who sang it in the 1936 film version. It was adapted for film several times, the most well-known being the 1951 version with an all star cast including Howard Keel as Gaylord Ravenal, Kathryn Grayson as Magnolia, and Ava Gardner as Julie. I loved it, but (surprise!) the book was better.

Among her other novels, I read So Big (1924), Cimarron (1929), Giant (1952), Ice Palace (1958), and Saratoga Trunk (1941). So Big won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925. It was adapted for film several times; the most well-known version from 1953 stars Jane Wyman. Cimarron was adapted for film twice, in 1931 when it won three Academy Awards and in 1960 starring Glenn Ford. Giant was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 1956; it was James Dean's last film role before his death in a car accident. Ice Palace was adapted to film in 1960 but was a critical failure despite starring Richard Burton. Saratoga Trunk was adapted for film in 1945 starring Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper. Both Giant and Saratoga Trunk were adapted into Broadway musicals.

Most astonishing to me was that Ferber, a small-town girl from Appleton, Wisconsin, moved to New York City, became a member of the Algonquin Round Table, and collaborated on five Broadway plays with George S. Kaufman in addition to writing all those wonderful novels. The best biography of Ferber, Ferber: Edna Ferber and Her Circle, was written in 1978 by her great-niece Julie Gilbert. To a 13 year old girl living on a farm in Indiana, Ferber's many literary accomplishments were truly inspirational.

4. Mary Anne Evans, writing as George Eliot, Silas Marner, published in 1861. This was required reading my freshman year in high school (age 14), and most of my classmates groaned aloud when they heard we had to read it. It was my first dip into the vast ocean of British literature, and I loved it. And that was before I knew George Eliot was really Mary Anne Evans. The complex plot interested me with its psychological overtones, but Eliot was also a master at setting the scene physically and historically. I immediately read The Mill on the Floss and Middlemarch. Silas Marner was adapted for television in 1985 starring Ben Kingsley in the title role. Two recent acclaimed biographies are George Eliot: The Last Victorian by Kathryn Hughes, published in 1999, and George Eliot: A Life by Rosemary Ashton, published in 1996.

As I read about Eliot's life, two things struck me: what an unconventional woman she was for her time and the lengths she had to go to in order to be published. It was common then for women to write under a man's name or under a name that was not obviously female in order to be regarded as a serious writer (see the Brontë sisters). I couldn't imagine giving up not only your name but also your gender in order to be taken seriously as a writer, not to mention the courage it took to live openly with a married man, critic and philosopher George Lewes, in Victorian England.

5. Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, published in 1847. Brontë's fictional heroine was strong and ethical even when the man she loved was not. It was originally published under Brontë's masculine pen name Currer Bell. I was still swimming happily in British literature at age 15 (in another life, I might still be there, but so it goes), enjoying the plot, the characters, and Brontë's masterful use of language. Jane Eyre has been adapted for the screen many times, most recently in 2011 starring Australian Mia Wasikowska in the title role; the BBC television miniseries in 2006 starring Ruth Wilson was also critically acclaimed. Most baby boomers are familiar with the 1943 version with Joan Fontaine as Jane and Orson Welles as Rochester. A Broadway musical version debuted on Broadway in 2000. I saw it twice, admittedly primarily for James Stacy Barbour, who played Rochester. Although I haven't seen all the screen and stage adaptations or the opera, none so far (wait for it!) has been as good as the book.

Margot Peters wrote a biography of Brontë called Unquiet Soul in 1975 that details the almost Gothic life Bronte and her sisters Anne and Emily, both published authors, lived at the parsonage in Yorkshire with their brother Branwell and their eccentric father Patrick, a curate in the Anglican church. A more recent biography is Charlotte Brontë: A Passionate Life by Lyndall Gordon. I discovered that Brontë experienced some of the same things as her fictional heroine (attending boarding school as a young child, the death of two older sisters from tuberculosis contracted at the school, working as a governess). I was appalled at the poverty in which the family lived and impressed with the fictional worlds they jointly created to escape it.

6. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813. I came late at age 16 to Austen's masterwork, being somewhat daunted by the title and by its classic status. I assumed it would be either too boring or too erudite (shades of Thackeray and Vanity Fair). When I finally gritted my teeth and attempted to read it, I was pleasantly surprised to find it full of humor and written in a very accessible style. I immediately read her remaining five novels: Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. Pride and Prejudice remains my favorite. I re-read it often and still laugh aloud at the antics of Mrs. Bennett and Kitty. Many biographies of Austen have been written over the last two hundred years, despite being hampered by a scarcity of Austen's personal papers and diaries, but Claire Tomalin's Jane Austen: A Life, published in 1997, has been praised for its intelligence and humor, the same virtues found in Austen's novels.

Pride and Prejudice has been adapted to the screen many times, most recently in the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett. Personally I preferred the 1995 BBC television series, primarily because Colin Firth played Mr. Darcy (enough said). That performance was almost as good as the book. Call me a purist, but I'm relentlessly ignoring the recent spate of Austen vampire and zombie parodies. However, I am putting full responsibility on Austen for my ongoing addiction to Regency Romances from Georgette Heyer to Stephanie Laurens and beyond.

Almost two hundred years ago a maiden lady living dutifully within the confines of her family wrote six novels that earned little money and less fame (they were published anonymously) during her lifetime. Today she is universally celebrated as a major English writer by virtue of her clear-cut observations and humorous commentary on the social customs of her day, many of them revolving around the dependent role of unmarried women. After all, as the first line of Pride and Prejudice asserts, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." As a dependent woman, she knew the limitations of the role intimately, yet she made time amidst her daily duties to express her opinions clearly and elegantly in her work if nowhere else. In her writing, she found the freedom her circumstances did not allow.

7. Emily Dickinson, over 1,800 poems, less than a dozen published during her lifetime, 1830-1886. After her death, her sister found Dickinson's poetry and realized it was more than a hobby, it was a lifework. The first volume (highly edited) of her work was published in 1890. The first complete unaltered collection of her poems was not published until 1955. Dickinson's poetry was unusual for its time due to its brevity, short lines, and use of near rhyme. As a senior in high school, I was impressed by the way she used deceptively simple language and style to convey complex emotions. As an example of her style, one of her most well-known poems is "'Hope' is the thing with feathers."

Cynthia Griffin Wolff wrote a definitive biography of Dickinson, published in 1988. A more recent book by Alfred Habegger is My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson, published in 2001. The Belle of Amherst is a popular one-woman play written by William Luce that opened on Broadway in 1976 starring Julie Harris, who won the Tony Award that year for her performance. Dickinson lived her entire life in her father's house in Amherst, Massachusetts, as a virtual recluse for the last 20 years. Her friendships were conducted solely by correspondence. I try to imagine the strong the need to communicate what she was thinking and feeling that compelled her to write so many poems in her solitude. Today she is considered a major American poet, and at last her voice is heard.

8. Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own, published in 1929. I didn't read any of Woolf's work until my junior year in college, and that was a deliberate choice on my part. I wasn't ready to read her work until then. It was at that point on my way from being my father's daughter to becoming someone's wife that Woolf's lecture on the need for a room of one's own resonated most strongly. Woolf's literary strengths do not stem from plot, character, setting, or genre, but rather from her lyrical style and use of language. The interest is not in the actions of the characters, but in what they are thinking and why they are thinking it. She was able to present complex ideas and emotions effectively but lyrically, almost like a prose poem. In a way, Woolf's writing is more like Dickinson's than any of the other authors on this list.

There have been many biographies published since Woolf's death by suicide in 1941, some focusing on the sexual abuse she suffered in her youth, others on her relationships with women, the madness and depression that led to her suicide, or her place in the Bloomsbury Group. The most recent biography, Virginia Woolf, is by Alexandra Harris, published in 2011; it gives an objective overall view of her life. Another acclaimed biography is by Nigel Nicolson, notable in part because of his personal reminiscences (Nicolson's mother was Vita Sackville-West, Woolf's lover). Woolf's nephew Quentin Bell wrote an acclaimed, authoritative account of her life, Virginia Woolf: A Biography, in 1972 that won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Perhaps a better way to learn about Woolf is in her own words directly from her extensive diaries, The Diary of Virginia Woolf.

In 1998, Michael Cunningham wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel called The Hours about how three generations of women were affected by Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway. In 2002 his novel was adapted into a film of the same name; Nicole Kidman won an Academy Award as Best Actress that year for her portrayal of Woolf.

9. Gloria Steinem, co-founder Ms. Magazine in 1972. It wasn't until 1983 that Steinem's book Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, a collection of essays on her life and feminist issues, was published, which is why it isn't on my list. However, I read every issue of Ms. cover to cover beginning in 1972, thrilled to read a news magazine written for women by women with articles on feminist issues instead of the recipes and relationship advice that filled the pages of most women's magazines of the time. It was in Ms. that I first read articles by authors like Letty Cottin Pogrebin (Free to Be You and Me, Stories for Free Children, Getting Yours), Barabara Grizzuti Harrison (Visions of Glory, Off Center), Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed, Bait and Switched), and Susan Brownmiller (Against Our Will). I learned about breast cancer, DES, abortions, female circumcision, and domestic violence. The magazine also contained feminist book reviews, poetry, and career and health advice columns.

Ms. Magazine is still in publication forty years later, now published by The Feminist Majority Foundation, a non-profit organization headquartered in Virginia. Mary Thom published a history of its first 25 years, Inside Ms.: 25 years of the Magazine and the Feminist Movement. Steinem is still active in feminist causes. She did an interview in December 2011 for Bloomberg.com about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Her official website lists all her work and current news. Years later when I was divorced, I was proud to claim Ms. as my title, one that didn't belong to daddy's little girl or my ex-husband's wife, only to me.

10. Erica Jong, Fear of Flying, published in 1973. At the time it was published, Jong's book was sensational. It addressed female sexuality, specifically female sexual fantasies, something whose existence was barely acknowledged and certainly a topic never to be spoken of aloud. Jong asserted not only that women have just as many (or more) sexual fantasies as men but also that women have as much right to talk about them as men do, and even, as her main character Isadora Wing did, to act on them. It was Jong who introduced the phrase "the zipless f***" to American pop culture. Jong's 1980 novel, Fanny: Being the True History of the Adventures of Fanny Hackabout-Jones is set in 18th century England. It is Jong's re-telling of John Cleland's erotic novel Fanny Hill with a bit of Henry Fielding's picaresque The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling and Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders. Jong's latest book, published in 2011, is Sugar in My Bowl. Her website lists her recent activities and books.

Although I didn't necessarily agree with Jong's (or Isadora's) fantasies, I applauded her courage in insisting on a woman's right to have them and to talk about them out loud if she wanted. Not talking about something doesn't make it go away or mean it doesn't exist. I learned from my marriage what silence can and cannot do. Of all of the books on this list, Fear of Flying is most dependent on the time it was pusblished. A young woman reading it today might call it a good read but not a milestone. Sexual attitudes in today's culture are more open, and gender equality is something young women now expect as their right. Fortunately reading this book did not engender in me a lifelong quest for sex with strangers on trains.

What about all the women authors that fit the time period but didn't make my list (and there are many)? Here are a few considerations and justifications:

Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, published in1847, Catherine — hated her, Heathcliff — hated him
Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936, great read but not a milestone book for me, Scarlett — talk about divisive heroines!
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960. To me Lee's novel transcended gender because its main theme went beyond male or female identifiers directly to the heart of humanity. While it opened my eyes in terms of racial injustice, I didn't feel compelled to find out about the author. As Lee herself said, she didn't need to write another book because she had already said what she wanted to say in Mockingbird. The one writer I would have liked to include in this list is Alice Walker for The Color Purple, published in 1982, for all of the reasons that the others made the list: plot, character, setting, use of language, strong female characters, plus it was a great story.

Since this is a highly individual list based on what was available and of interest to me in that specific time period, I'm sure other people have many different books that were milestones for them. I'd love to hear about them. I'm still on my journey and could use a few more milestones.

Who's that Girl? Books for Kids About Notable Women

Melissa Cardinali, Central Collection Development — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:19:08 -0400

One of the reasons we honor Women's History Month is to celebrate the women whose accomplishments history may have overlooked. Below you'll find recommendations for books in our collections about some of these women and their contributions to society. Additions are always welcome!

We may know a thing or two about Marie Curie's interest in radium or Rachel Carson's disdain for DDT, but did you know that for the past 20 years, Caitlin O'Connell has been studying how elephants communicate? Learn all about her work in the Elephant Scientist.

One of the women I remember learning about in elementary school was Amelia Earhart and her famous trip across the Atlantic — I highly recommend Amelia Lost for a refresher. Beryl Markham was the first woman to fly alone from England to North America. Promise the Night is a fictionalized account of her life.

Reach for even higher stars with Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream — the story of 13 women who were brave enough for space exploration AND to challenge NASA's rules limiting space exploration to men. These kinds of accomplishments paved the way for Sally Ride (astronaut and environmentalist) and Mae Jemison (the first African American woman in space).

Margaret Knight may not be a household name, but without one of her inventions, you would have a really hard time carrying your groceries home or packing a brown bag lunch! Check out Marvelous Mattie to learn more.

Acting against injustice requires bravery, and being courageous is a characteristic of every "shero" mentioned here. Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, A Civil War Hero is all about a civil war soldier... who contributed to the war effort disguised as a man! For older students, Women Heroes of WWII details 26 women who risked their lives as spies, information collectors, and Resistance Fighters. For a fantastic picture book about Josephine Baker (who worked for the Allies in France), check out Jazz Age Josephine.

Irena's Jar of Secrets tells the powerful story of Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who saved 2,500 Jewish children from ghettos in Poland during WWII.

Inspire future social activists with the Prudence Crandall's story in Forbidden Schoolhouse. Crandall was a white school teacher who, in spite of the efforts against her, opened and ran a school for African American girls in 1833. Another champion of the civil rights movement is Claudette Colvin. Learn about her role in the Montgomery bus boycott in Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice.

You're probably pretty familiar with tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams and IndyCar champ Danica Patrick, but did you ever wonder what it was like for girls to play sports a long time ago? Travel back in time with Touch the Sky, a free-verse biography about high jumper Alice Coachman. Rejuvenate your love of basketball by joining Agnes Morley and the Basketball Belles for the first game between two women's basketball teams!

Celebrating Women's History Month (Part 1) — Dorothy Parker: New York Writer, New York Woman

Lois Moore, Mid-Manhattan Library — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:54:38 -0400

In honor of Women's History Month, the theme for the March schedule of Mixed Bag: Story Time for Grown-Ups is "Dorothy Parker: New York Writer, New York Woman." Dorothy Parker, nee Rothschild, (1893-1967) was an American poet, short story writer, critic, and a native New Yorker. She is best remembered for her sarcastic wit as a member of the Algonquin Round Table in the 1920s. Although her marriage in 1917 to stockbroker Edwin Parker ended in divorce in 1928, she continued to be known as Mrs. Parker.

Parker wrote poems and short stories for The New Yorker, as well as (usually acerbic) book reviews under the byline “Constant Reader." All of her New Yorker stories published in 1925 and after are available online in the archives of The New Yorker. Her most well-known story is “Big Blonde,” published in The Bookman magazine in 1929. It won the O. Henry Prize in 1929. Sally Kellerman and John Lithgow starred in the television adaption shown on Great Performances in 1980. The stories from the Story Time program on March 7 are good examples of her work from this period.

Parker’s short, satiric poems were as popular as her short stories and book reviews. In 1914 she sold her first poem, “Any Porch,” to Vanity Fair. Her first volume of verse, Enough Rope, was published in 1926 and became a best seller. Her brief epigrammatic poems are often compared to Ogden Nash. An audiobook in the Voice of the Poets series called American Wits features poems read by both poets. In the archival recordings, you can listen to Parker herself read some of her poems. One of her most well-known poems is "Resume," a list of seven suicide methods, none of which she recommends.

After she married Alan Campbell in 1934, they moved to Hollywood to write screenplays. She was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for the 1937 version of A Star is Born and another for Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman, starring Susan Hayward in 1947.
After Campbell’s death in 1963, Parker returned to New York City, where she died in 1967 in her apartment on East 74th Street, not far from her childhood home on West 72nd Street. For more information about Parker, especially photos of her New York City homes and hangouts, visit the Dorothy Parker Society website.

The best biography to date of Parker was written by Marion Meade in 1988, Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? Although Parker herself did not write an autobiography, Barry Day used quotations from Parker to write the book Dorothy Parker In Her Own Words, published in 2004, that works as a companion piece to Meade's biography. Another book, part biography, part walking tour, and filled with photos and maps, is A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York, published in 2005 by Kevin Fitzpatrick.

The closest thing to a film biography is Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, which was released in 1994. Jennifer Jason Leigh played the role of Parker and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1995. Tallulah Bankhead, the whiskey-voiced actress and sometime visitor to the Algonquin Round Table, performed several of Parker's stories on the radio in the 50s. Audio clips are available on YouTube.

Parker established her literary voice as a liberated woman of her time, using her incisive wit to skewer the self-important people of her day and to mock the sexist attitudes prevalent in American society. She also addressed social themes, such as civil liberties, civil rights, and the horrors of war (based on her war correspondence reporting during the Spanish Civil War). In the 1940s, Parker was blacklisted in Hollywood because of her involvement in left-wing causes. Parker's personal life included many failed love affairs, several miscarriages, alcohol abuse, and at least three attempted suicides. Her sarcastic humor was often directed at her own failings, as in her short story "A Telephone Call," an interior monologue of a woman waiting (impatiently) by the telephone for a man to call. Perhaps her continued appeal to readers today is her attempt in her writing to deal with the tragedies of daily life by confronting them head on with humor. After her death, her estate was bequeathed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and reverted to the NAACP after his death. The stories from the March 21 Story Time program are good examples of her writing on these themes.

Researching Parker’s work for Story Time reminded me of many other women authors who asserted their independence in their work, and in so doing, encouraged all women to assert themselves. In my next blog post, Celebrating Women's History Month Part 2, I will list 10 women authors that most influenced me in my (distant and somewhat) misspent youth, assuming I can remember that far back.

The Pompadour's Book: A Mystery Manuscript Owned by Madame de Pompadour

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:48:41 -0400

It's a small volume, neatly but unostentatiously bound in mottled calf. The gilt ornamentation is discreet, except for an impressive coat of arms on both boards. That becomes even more impressive when we identify it as the blazon of one of the standout personalities of 18th-century France, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, marquise de Pompadour — elevated from her haute-bourgeois background and a boring union with a certain M. Lenormand d'Étioles (nephew of her mother's lover) to become the official maîtresse-en-titre to King Louis XV, who ennobled her under the ancient (but extinct) title of Pompadour.

The brothers Goncourt wrote of young Mlle. Poisson/Mme. d'Étioles as she was when she burst onto the French social scene in the 1740s:

"Marvellous aptitude, a rare and learned education, had given this young woman all the gifts and graces which made of a woman what the eighteenth century called a virtuosa, an accomplished model of the seductions of her sex... All the talents of grace seemed to meet in her. No woman was a better rider; none could dance more lightly; none more quick to excite applause with the notes of her voice or the strains of an instrument ... There was no one, again, who could tell a story in a more piquant way. And where others might compete with her in the field of coquetry, she took the palm over all by her genius of dress, by the turn she gave to a bow, the air she gave to the nothing which adorned her, the signature that her taste set upon all that she wore. ...

"To please and charm, Mademoiselle Poisson had again her face, a complexion of the most extreme whiteness, lips somewhat pale, but eyes with the vivacity of fire, glances which seemed of flame, and which veiled in lightning the languid air of her lymphatic nature ... Again she had her magnificent chestnut hair, ravishing teeth, and the most delicious smile ... her figure, rounded but not large, curved admirably, her perfect hands, the play of gesture from all her vivacious, passionate body, and, above all, a mobile, varying physiognomy, marvelously animated, which the soul of the woman ceaselessly moved, and which, with incessant renewals, displayed turn by turn a moved or imperious tenderness, noble seriousness, or wanton graces."

It's no wonder the King was bewitched. Pompadour would remain his Number One Mistress from 1745 until the day she died, aged just 42, in 1764. In this role, she occupied one of the few positions of power available to women of her era. Her influence reached beyond the King's bedchamber to ...

Matters of state and of might,
Things that great ministers do...

...as the Victorian poet Austin Dobson would write in a ballade about a pretty trinket of hers, "On a Fan,"

She was also a friend and patroness of Voltaire's, which explains why the Rare Book Division of The New York Public Library acquired the volume we're discussing here. The Rare Book Division has a large collection of Voltaireana, the Martin J. Gross Collection, acquired during the administration of the former Library president, noted Voltaire scholar Paul LeClerc. (Browse the collection here.)

La Pompadour counted acting upon the stage among her plethora of accomplishments, and to please and amuse the King and herself, she installed a small but fully-equipped theater at Versailles. One of the roles she performed, on December 30, 1747, was that of the title character in Zéneïde, a trifling one-act comedy by Louis de Cahusac that may or may not have been inspired by an episode in Zeneyde by Count Anthony Hamilton. Hamilton was a writer of Scottish ancestry who lived in France and wrote in French, and his Zeneyde was to be found in his Œuvres mêlées en prose et en vers, published posthumously in 1731. An English version appeared in 1760 in Select Tales of Count Hamilton.

It was presumably around the time of this performance that the Marquise acquired the present manuscript volume, which is identified in the captions of its three sections and on the spine of its binding as "Zeneyde." It has always been assumed to be a version of Hamilton's Zeneyde. In the catalog of Pompadour's books offered for sale after her death, it was listed immediately following her copy of Hamilton's Œuvres.

However, upon closer examination, the manuscript appears to bear little or no relationship to Hamilton's Zeneyde. For one thing, there is no character by that name in all of its 487 pages, and none of its major characters appear in Hamilton's conte, a short historical tale left incomplete at his death. There is a bit of overlap in the period. The subtitle (inscribed in another hand) of the manuscript's first section is "Anecdotes du règne de Childéric," and Hamilton's Zeneyde is also set in part among the half-mythical early Merovingians.

I have been able to establish the manuscript's true identity. The text is word for word the same as that of a work by Marguerite de Lussan that appeared anonymously in 1736 under the title Anecdotes de la cour de Childeric, roi de France. This work was indeed once ascribed to Hamilton, who died 16 years before it was published. The Bibliothèque du roi (predecessor of today's Bibliothèque nationale de France) listed it under Hamilton in its catalog of 1752. However, A.A. Barbier, in his classic Dictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes et pseudonyms (the 1822 and later editions) declares this attribution to be without foundation, and adds, "I have found the name of Mademoiselle de Lussan inscribed by hand in a copy."

Who was Marguerite de Lussan?

She was born in 1682, some say to a fortune teller named La Fleury and a coachman, while others declare her to be the child of Louis Thomas, Count of Soissons and Prince of Savoy, and an unknown courtesan. Or perhaps the child of La Fleury and the prince — modern research would seem to support this theory. At any rate, the prince, who was the older brother of the more celebrated Prince Eugene of Savoy, took a special interest in her education and permitted her to bear his arms. Feted and encouraged by older men of letters, she never married, but found a long-time companion in the minor dramatist, royal censor, and compulsive gambler Jean-Louis-Ignace de La Serre, to whom some of her works were, at times, unfairly attributed (a similar fate has befallen women writers in many eras).

Mining a vein uncovered by earlier French female romanciers, such as Madame de La Fayette and Madame de Villedieu, Lussan wrote a string of successful historical novels, mostly dealing with the tribulations of true love against the background of court life under various French monarchs. Such works were the "chick lit" of their day, popular but critically scorned — "except," writes Doris Cuff, "among enlightened people who favored literature in any form, such as, for example, Mme. de Pompadour." Indeed, Pompadour is said to have thought highly of Lussan, and possibly granted her a pension. Lussan's Anecdotes de la cour de François I (1748) is dedicated to the Marquise. She died in 1758.

I am still seeking an explanation as to why this manuscript bears the wrong title. If anyone reading this has any ideas, please tell me! In the meanwhile, the little volume keeps its secret. I've already quoted from the Austin Dobson ballade about another beautiful object that belonged to the Marquise de Pompadour. It concludes:

Where are the secrets it knew?
Weavings of plot and of plan?
— But where is the Pompadour, too?
This was the Pompadour’s Fan!

This was the Pompadour's book!

For further reading:

I've cited English translations of French works, when available.

Cahusac, Louis de. Zénéïde: comedie, en un acte, en vers, avec un divertissement. A Paris: Chez Prault fils, 1744. Available online via HathiTrust.

Catalogue des livres de la bibliothéque de feue Madame la Marquise de Pompadour, dame du palais de la Reine. A Paris: Chez J.T. Herissant, et J.T. Herissant fils, 1765. Available online via HathiTrust; Google Books.

Cuff, Doris A. "Introduction à une étude sur Marguerite de Lussan et le roman historique au commencement du XVIIIe siècle." Revue d'histoire littéraire de la France. 43e année, no. 1 (1936), pp. 1-19. Available online via JSTOR at all NYPL locations. Most of my information on Lussan is derived from this source.

Goncourt, Edmond de, and Jules de Goncourt. The Confidantes of a King: The Mistresses of Louis XV. Translated by Ernest Dowson. London: T.N. Foulis, 1907. Available online via HathiTrust; Google Books (v. 1; v. 2).

Hamilton, Anthony. Select Tales of Count Hamilton. London: Printed for J. Burd, 1760. "The History of Zeneyde": v. 2, pp. 154-230. Online resource; available onsite at the Library's research locations.

Jones, Colin. Madame de Pompadour: Images of a Mistress. London: National Gallery Company, 2002.

Jullien, Adolphe. Histoire du théâtre de Madame de Pompadour, dit Théâtre des petits cabinets. Paris: J. Baur, 1874. Available online via Google Books.

Lussan, Marguerite de. Anecdotes de la cour de Childeric, roi de France. A Paris: Chez Prault père, 1736. Available online via Google Books (v. 1; v. 2)

Lussan, Marguerite de. Anecdotes de la cour de François I . A Londres: Chez Jean Nours, 1748. Available online at the Library's research locations, and via Google Books; dedication to Pompadour follows the title page.

Salmon, Xavier, editor. Madame de Pompadour et les arts. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2002. "Madame de Pompadour bibliophile," by Isabelle Conihout: pp. 268-279.

At NYPL: Books about Pompadour in English, to borrow or read online.

I would be remiss not to mention madamedepompadour.com, a Madame de Pompadour "fan site" maintained by Lorenzo Crivellin, in Italian, French, and English. It's a great source of miscellaneous information, documents, links, and pictures of everything Pompadour, including dozens of portraits.

Women's and Gender Studies: A Research Guide

Raymond Pun, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, General Research Division — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:18:32 -0500

March is Women's History Month. This year, the theme of Women's History Month is Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This blog post will explore how one can conduct research in women's and gender studies and history.

The research collections of The New York Public Library are one of the most important resource centers for Women's Studies in the United States. The collections consist of vast retrospective holdings relating to women, including manuscripts and archival materials, as well as a broad range of current Women's Studies materials reflecting new trends and thoughts on feminist theory and scholarship.

In the United States, Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, history, and society from women's perspectives. Gender Studies is also an interdisciplinary field, but it incorporates race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and location within the study as well.

During the 1960s, the study itself was bolstered by the efforts of several political movements, such as the women’s liberation movement and second wave feminism. In the United States, San Diego State University established the first academic program in 1970 to address the patriarchal nature of society.

Because of its interdisciplinary nature, Women's Studies material is not kept together as a separate collection in NYPL, but is housed within various units of the Research Libraries. Refer to the location field in the Online Catalog to determine where your material is held. Users will need to request these materials to be brought up to them for use in the Reading Rooms.

Although this blog post focuses on relatively current resources in Women's Studies, NYPL's retrospective collections provide a wonderful and unique source for scholars in many areas. Our holdings document the progress of the women's movement in this country from its beginnings, and include manuscript materials, books, pamphlets, newsletters, and periodicals.

If there is a particular women's history or woman you are researching, the quickest way is to browse the Library's catalog. You can search via NYPL's homepage as well, using the search box at the top of the page. Be sure to type in the keyword of your search (Examples: Phyllis Schlafly Biography, Gender in Islam, or Women's Suffrage). On the left hand side, you will notice several lists of titles, topics, and subjects that can help narrow down your research. You can also narrow your search results by Availability, Format, Audience or Acquired Time on the left side of the page. If you know the exact title of the book, switch keyword to title.

For an in-depth search, consider the Classic Catalog and search under subject (you can also change collection to a Library near you) and type in "women -- United States -- history" or "women -- country of your research -- history" or "women -- history" or "women -- country of your research -- biography."

If the results are still not close to your topic, you can also browse nearby subject terms in the results to get further resources that are classified differently. The location of the item will indicate where it can be requested and viewed. If you need further assistance with your research, please contact the General Research Division >>

Selected Primary Sources

The Microform Reading Room in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building holds historical newspapers and periodicals covering various women's movements, as well as the Herstory collection (1973), which contains over 800 journals, newsletters, and newspapers relevant to the women's movement, published between 1956 and 1974.
There is also the History of Women collection (1975-1979), which is based largely on the holdings of the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Radcliffe College and the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College. This source reproduces books, periodicals, pamphlets, manuscripts, and photographs. Although less international than Gerritsen, it is an excellent source for research in U.S. women's history.
Gerritsen women's history (1975-1977) is another notable collection of over 4,000 books, pamphlets, and periodicals from the 16th to early 20th centuries. The collection, noted for its coverage of foreign material, includes titles in 17 languages. An excellent printed guide is available, with indexes by author, title, subject, date, and language.
To find out how to research historical newspapers at NYPL, consult this blog entry: Researching and Finding Historical Newspapers.
The Manuscript and Archives collections throughout the research libraries have original archival materials on various social movements. Learn more about accessing the Library's special collections >>
For LGBT research in women's and gender studies, the Manuscript and Archives Division in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building has an extensive LGBT activism collection. Learn more >>
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of four major research collections that houses and collects papers and primary resources from Black Women Oral History Project to papers from Zora Neale Hurston, among others. Contact the Manuscript, Archives and Rare Books Division for more information.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts also contains an extensive research collection of women in theater, music, and dance. From Music by American women composers to Katharine Hepburn's papers, the Library for the Performing Arts is the place to conduct research of women in the performing arts.
The Dorot Jewish Division in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building stores important oral history collections pertaining to Jewish women in history.
NYPL's Digital Gallery showcases a variety of digitized content, including images of women and men in political movements, as well as the social history of women in America and abroad.
In NYPL's Articles and Databases, consider LGBT Life with Full Text, Everyday Life and Women in America, c1800-1920, or African American Experience for reports, articles, and documents about women and men in social history. See more online databases on women's studies >>

Selected Secondary Sources

In NYPL's Articles and Databases, consider looking for scholarly articles under the following databases: JSTOR, Project Muse, and Academic Search Premier. In these databases, the keyword search might be "women's history," "gender studies," or "feminist theory," depending on your research interest. The databases will list journal articles pertaining to your search.
Perhaps one of the most important scholarly articles pertaining to women's history is Joan Wallach Scott's article "Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis" (available via JSTOR under American Historical Review). This groundbreaking article examines how "gender serves as a useful tool to 'decode meaning and to understand complex connections among various forms of human interaction.'"
Gender Troubles: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity by Judith Butler
Gender and the Politics of History by Joan Wallach Scott
Breadwinners: Working Women and Economic Independence, 1865-1920 by Lara Vapnek examines the working class women struggling for workplace equality.
Women's Periodicals in the United States: Social and Political Issues, edited by Kathleen L. Endres and Therese L. Lueck
Women's Studies Index is an annual publication indexing articles and book reviews from over 90 popular and scholarly periodicals.
Encyclopedia of Women and Crime, edited by Nicole Hahn Rafter
The Jewish woman, 1900-1985: A bibliography by Cantor Aviva
American women prose writers to 1820, edited by Carla Mulford
Native American Women's Writing, c. 1800-1924: An Anthology, edited by Karen L. Kilcup.
Feminist Literary Criticism: A Bibliography of Journal Articles, 1975-1981 by Wendy Frost covers English language articles selected from 450 periodicals.
Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present, edited by Susie Tharu and K. Lalita
Her Story in Sport: A Historical Anthology of Women in Sports, edited by Reet Howell, is a history of women’s sports in the U.S. and Canada.
The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History, edited by Wilma Mankiller and others
Chronology of Women’s History by Olsen, Kirstin
Recreating Japanese Women, 1600-1945, edited by Gail Bernstein
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: The Qing Period, 1644 –1911, edited by Lily Xiao Hong Lee and A.D. Stefanowska
Notable Hispanic American Women is a general biographical directory listing notable Latin American women in America.
The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Lives from Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century, edited by Marilyn Ogilvie and Joy Harvey
Interdisciplinary bibliographic guide to women's studies. This guide lists subject headings used in the area of women’s studies at the Library of Congress and The New York Public Library.
Women in the Third World: A historical bibliography by Pamela R. Byrne
Women, Race, and Ethnicity: A Bibliography, edited by Linda Schult and others
For women in science, business, or law, consider NYPL's Science Industry Business Library, which has an extensive collection of biography and historical resources covering women in those fields.
For more secondary resources, contact the General Research and Reference Division at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the General Research Division and Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History and Genealogy at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Selected Online Sites

American Women’s History: A Research Guide is is an excellent website on American women’s history, with a link to digital collections of primary sources.
Books about Women and Information Technology. Check this website for books about women and information technology.
A Celebration of Women Writers is a noteworthy website that provides a comprehensive listing of links to biographical and bibliographical information about women writers and complete published books written by women.
Monastic Matrix is an award-winning website that contains resources for the study of women’s religious communities.
Wisconsin Bibliographies in Women's Studies. Consult this comprehensive and current list of bibliographies from the University of Wisconsin’s Women’s Studies Librarian’s Office.
Victorian Women Writers Project. The Victorian Women Writers Project is working to create a full-text library of works by British women writers of the 19th century. Types of works included are anthologies, novels, political pamphlets, and volumes of poetry and verse drama.
Women's Studies / Women's Issues Resource Sites. This is an excellent introductory website for resources and information on women’s studies.
Explore NYPL Blogs and its Women's History Month channel >>

Women's History Month: Career Resources for Women

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:46:54 -0500

March is declared worldwide as Women’s History Month. It celebrates women’s triumphs and successes in history and contemporary society. The United States has observed it annually for the entire month of March since 1987. You can learn more about Women's History Month from the Library of Congress.

In celebrating Women’s History Month, Job Search Central presents Career Resources for Women. The following list of resources includes job listings, internships, and employment news. The job training programs provide basic job skills, as well as financial literacy, which is an integral part of workforce development. The women entrepreneurship programs include New York State and New York City funded programs for business education, community support, and financing resources. Also listed below are women's associations in New York, which include professionals from major industries. Their accomplishments contribute significantly to the economic growth and overall workforce in New York and are highlights in the celebration of Women's History Month.

Job Search And Career Resources

Careers for Women
This is an executive search firm that provides career advice and referrals to candidates in executive sales, marketing, advertising, and public relations jobs from their New York and Los Angeles offices.

Feminist Majority Foundation
This organization utilizes research and action programs to empower women economically, socially, and politically. The Career Center provides listings of jobs and internships nationwide.

Womans Work
This site lists alternative, flexible opportunities for women, including part-time, work-from-home, and flextime. You can also search for job share partners, post your resume, learn life balance tips, and more.

Women in Technology International
This is a global trade association empowering women in business and technology. At this site you can search for jobs and post your resume.

Job Training Programs

Access for Women
This is a Community Service Program provided by the Continuing Education Department of the New York City College of Technology, CUNY. It provides classes, workshops, basic skills, math skills, and vocational training for unemployed and underemployed women.
For information, call (718) 552-1131.

First Step/Coalition for the Homeless
First Step provides job readiness, job training programs, job placement, and social service support to homeless women.
For information, call (212) 776-2074.

Grace Institute
Grace Institute offers a Business Skills Day Program, Business Skills Evening Program, and 14 Week Microsoft Office Course.
For information, call (212) 832-7605.

LaGuardia Home to Work Center for Displaced Homemakers
This program is administered by the Workforce Education Center, Continuing Education Department of LaGuardia Community College, CUNY. It provides counseling services, transition workshops, short-term training, and job placement referrals and retention services.
For information, call (718) 482-5340.

Nontraditional Employment for women (NEW)
NEW trains women and places them in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades, helping women achieve economic independence and a secure future.
For information, call (212) 627-6252.

Women’s Empowerment Network
The YWCA of the City of New York’s Women’s Empowerment Network provides computer training, benefits counseling, displaced homemaker programs, ESL and GED classes, financial literacy workshops, and workforce development.
For information, call (212) 735-9708.

Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement
The Women’s Center provides a Job Ready Program that includes a monthly networking career club and access to their upcoming job fair.
For information, call (212) 964-8934.

Women and Entrepreneurship

Asian Women in Business
— A non-profit organization that provides workshops in building business skills, along with seminars, conferences, and networking opportunities to Asian women entrepreneurs

Count me in for Women’s Economic Independence
— A not-for-profit provider of resources, business education, and community support for women entrepreneurs seeking to grow micro businesses

New York City - Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises Program (M/WBE)
The Department of Small Business Services provides this program, which is dedicated to promoting fairness and equity in City procurement processes by providing services designed to strengthen the ability of certified M/WBEs to compete successfully in the marketplace.

New York State — Division of Minority and Women Business Development
This Division promotes the business development of MWBEs through education and outreach to agencies and MWBEs.

Women’s Business Center (WBC)
Women’s Business Center at the Business Outreach Center Network, Inc. offers business training, one-on-one counseling, and financing resources to help women entrepreneurs start and grow their business.

Women’s Brooklyn Enterprise Center
The Women’s Brooklyn Enterprise Center at the Local Development Corporation of East New York offers a variety of services in English and in Spanish that support entrepreneurs.

Women’s Associations In New York

WOW in Celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:58:25 -0400

WOW @ The Library presents a selection of recent fiction and nonfiction titles for adults and young adults portraying the incredible life stories, struggles, and strengths of remarkable women in celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May.

Fiction

The Breadwinner Trilogy
By Deborah Ellis

After her father’s unjust arrest, young Parvana did not only masquerade as a boy, in order to be able to work and support her family, but also struggled to reunite them when they scattered away after her father died. For young adults.

The End of Manners
By Francesca Marciano

Two outstanding women journalists are submerged in the daily brutality of the war-devastated Afghanistan after they were assigned to make a report about the suicide attempt of young women under marriage arrangement. For adults.

Enlightenment for Idiots: A Novel
By Anne Cushman

Amanda, a freelance writer travels to India on a research assignment about enlightenment for another guidebook for the “For Idiots” series, but during her trip, she does not only encounter a chain of spiritual traditions, but also made a surprising discovery that changed her life forever. For adults.

Girl in Translation
By Jean Kwok

Kimberly and her mother immigrated to New York from Hong Kong in search of a better life, but find themselves trapped in a different world, in debt with the relatives who helped her relocate, and living under depriving conditions with the only hope for a brighter future. For adults and young adults.

A Golden Age: A Novel
By Tahmima Anam

As she plans a party for her son and daughter, Rehana Haque's life will be transformed in a story of one family caught in the middle of the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence, as they face changes and decisions that will have a profound impact on their lives. For adults.

The Jewel of St. Petersburg
By Kate Furnivall

Russia , 1910. Valentina Ivanova is the darling of St. Petersburg's elite aristocracy—until her romance with a Danish engineer creates a terrible scandal and her parents push her into a loveless engagement with a Russiancount. Meanwhile, Russia itself is bound for rebellion. With the Tsar and the Duma at each other's throats, and the Bolsheviks drawing their battle lines, the elegance and opulence of Tsarist rule are in their last days. And Valentina will be forced to make a choice that will change not only her own life, but the lives of those around her forever. For adults.

The Loved Ones
By Alia Mamdouh

In this award winning novel, in a circle of hopes and prayers, benevolent women offer redemption to Suhaila, a charming Iraqi immigrant and former dancer living in Paris, who falls into a coma from a deep depression and rambles in her tumultuous past troubled by painful memories of her abusive father and husband, and the cruel separation from her only son. For adults.

Mafiya
By Charlie Stella

Former prostitute Agnes Lynn, aided by her lover, ex-cop Jack Russo, battles the Russian Mafiya as she seeks vengeance for the brutal murder of her friend Rachel Wilson. For adults.

The Red Scarf
By Kate Furnivall

Once, Russia was a place split between breathtaking wealth and desperate poverty. Now, as the country conforms under Stalin's violent rule, a young woman becomes a fugitive, and a storied hero turns into a living, breathing man. For adults.

Someone Else's Garden: A Novel
By Dipika Rai

The eldest of seven children born low-caste in rural India, Mamta is abused and rejected by a father who can see no reason to "water someone else's garden" until a husband is found for her. Seeking escape in matrimony, Mamta is soon forced to flee her village and the horrors of her arranged marriage to the bustle of a small city, where she struggles to find a precarious state of acceptance and make peace with her past. For adults.

Tiger Moon
By Antonia Michaelis

Sold to be the eighth wife of a rich and cruel merchant, Safia, a young bride also called Raka, tries to escape her fate by telling stories of Farhad the thief, his companion Nitish the white tiger, and their travels across India to retrieve a famous jewel that will save a kidnapped princess from becoming the bride of a demon king. For young adults.

World and Town: A Novel
By Gish Jen

In a small Vermont village, Hattie Kong meets her new neighbors, a family of Cambodian refugees haunted by the brutality of war in her homeland who are trying to adapt to their new life in America, but their family problems soon start to consume her life. For adults.

Nonfiction

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
By Amy Chua

Traces the rewards and pitfalls of a Chinese mother's exercise in extreme parenting, describing the exacting standards applied to grades, music lessons, and avoidance of Western cultural practices. For adults.

Bombay Anna: the Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the King and I Governess
By Susan Morgan

This story that inspired the acclaimed Broadway musical The King and I portraits the biography of Leonowens, a young widow born in India and mother of four children who was employed by King Mongkut to teach English to his many wives and children. For adults.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
By Adeline Yen Mah

Adeline Yen Mah tells the story of her childhood as an unwanted, unloved "bad luck" child of an affluent Chinese family. Based on the memoir "Falling Leaves." For adults and young adults.

The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy
By S. A. Tolstaia (Sofia Andreevna)

This first complete English translated biography of Sofia Tolstoy presents many of her regular diary correspondences with her husband, Count Leo Tolstoy, author of the Russian classic War and Peace. For adults.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe
By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Kamila was barred and forced to remain homebound after amazingly acquiring a teaching degree during the civil war, but it did not impede her from becoming a successful woman and active member of her community. For adults. Read more in Jennifer Allen's blog post.

Golda
By Elinor Burkett

The story of Golda Meir, one of the founders of the State of Israel and the first female head of state in the Western world, as well as one of the most influential women in modern history. For adults.

From Splendor to Revolution: the Romanov Women, 1847-1928
By Julia P. Gelardi

A captivating account of the life of Alexandra Romanov, the famous empress destined to rule Russia and the powerful influence of four strong women during the imperial dynasty in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For adults.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression to Opportunity for Women Worldwide
By Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Through powerful stories and anecdotes, this book makes an advocacy call on behalf of women worldwide to promote their wellbeing and freedom, particularly of those living in countries with the worst record of tyranny against females. For adults.

The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World
By Nawal el Saadawi

The author shares her painful life experiences and customary mutilations endured as a child, including other barbaric practices and abuses committed against women, she witnessed while working as a doctor. For adults.

I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced
By Nujood Ali

A courageous little girl in Yemen in her own words tells the shocking story of how she was sold by her parents, neglected by her brothers and repeatedly abused by her husband until she managed to escape and divorce him. For adults and young adults.

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
By Deborah Rodriguez

As part as a humanitarian aid group, a hairdresser visits Afghanistan and unveils a series of shocking stories Afghan women confided during her stay. For adults.

The Locust and the Bird: My Mother's Story
By Hanan al-Shaykh

In a medley of memoir and biographical prose, the author tells the incredible triumphant story of her mother, a remarkable woman who grew up in striking poverty in Southern Lebanon enduring serious hardships and forced to steal food in order to survive. For adults.

The Music Room: A Memoir
By Namita Devidayal

A journalist for the Times of India and gifted young singer shares her life story and explores the history of the classical Indian music chronicling some of its utmost performers. For adults and young adults.

Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East
By Isobel Coleman

The author travels to various regions of the Middle East and talk with Iranian, Iraqis, Afghan, Pakistani, and Saudi Arabian people about the history, challenges, and current issues women are facing and their campaign to protect and promote equal human rights and nonviolent treatment towards women. For adults.

Sweet Mandarin: the Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West
By Helen Tse

This story tells the efforts of various generations of talented and hardworking cooks to open their first Chinese restaurant, but when they lose it, Helen and her sisters struggle to fulfill their grandmother’s dream and reopen the award-winning restaurant. For adults.

Thera
By Zeruya Shalev

In Jerusalem, archeologist Ella Miller decides to separate from her husband, and former mentor, but must learn to cope with disapprovals and rejections from friends and family. For adults.

A Tiger's Heart: the Story of a Modern Chinese Woman
By Aisling Juanjuan Shen

Memoirs of a girl born in poor rural China who immigrated to US to become a successful business woman. For adults.

A Woman Among Warlords: the Extraordinary Story of an Afghan who Dared to Raise Her Voice
By Malalai Joya

The youngest member ever to win a seat in the Afghanistan’s Parliament, vividly narrates her difficult childhood, her courageous advocacy in behalf of other women and her efforts to bring corrupted leaders to justice. For adults.

These and other titles in different formats are available at your local library.

WOW: A Poetry Celebration

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:21:06 -0400

WOW @ The Library: Celebrating a Centennial of Women’s Poetry

April is poetry month! “What is poetry?.” Is poetry perhaps a garden of expressions blooming in the light of thoughtful thoughts? Wonderful words dancing to the rhythm of rhymes? or Sweet tweets that spring from swayable heartbeats?

According to Edmond Holmes, “Poetry is the expression of strong and deep feeling.”

But, anyway that poetry may be interpreted, this short selection of poetic works written by and about women, including Pulitzer Prize winners, will transport you into a journey around the world from the past into the present to find the answer.

Ain't I a Woman: Classic Poetry by Women From Around the World By Illona Linthwaite Voices of great women poets around the world, such as Anna Akhmatova, Maya Angelou, Judith Kazantzis, Gabriela Mistral, Marge Piercy, Irina Ratushinskaya, and Alice Walker will take the reader through centuries of life stages, struggles, and achievements. Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters By Brontë, Emily

A selection of poems by this pivotal English literary family reflects their domestic life and perspectives in the Victorian time.

The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, 1968-1998 By Giovanni, Nikki This medley of poems brings to light sentiments of love, community, and other matters of life. Early Grrrl: the Early Poems of Marge Piercy By Piercy, Marge This compilation of the works of a remarkable American poet contains many of her previously unpublished poems. Exilě; Temps Morts: Selected Works By Cha, Theresa Hak Kyung An autobiographical mixture of culture, language and identity.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, When the Rainbow is Enuf: a Choreopoem

By Shange, Ntozake

Recently made into a movie, the book presents the voices of seven women in a series of 20 poems that portray the struggles endured by African-American women.

How to (un)cage a girl

By Block, Francesca Lia

In her autobiographical journey from childhood to adulthood, the author shares inner reflections of self-discovery, as well as her experiences with the outside world, its wonders, afflictions, and the significance of our existence.

I Don't Want to Be Crazy

By Schutz, Samantha

The author shares intense feelings ignited by significant life events throughout her high school and college years.

Late Wife Poems

By Emerson, Claudia

2006 Pulitzer Prize winner, Claudia Emerson, delves into the wonders of life and failing relationships leading to the rebirth of new ones.

Native Guard

By Trethewey, Natasha D.

2007

Pulitzer Prize winner, Natasha Trethewey, intertwines sonnets with family life feelings, notable events in American history, and multiracial stories of her hometown.

A Poem of her Own: Voices of American Women Yesterday and Today

By Alcorn, Stephen and Clinton, Catherine

A selection of 25 poems by 25 notable poets of the world.

Versed

By Armantrout, Rae

In her philosophical poetry, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner, Rae Armantrout, explores transcendental feelings of life’s unfortunate events.

When Did I Stop Being 20 and Other Injustices: Selected Poems from Single to Mid-Life

By Viorst, Judith

A humorous look at the different phases of life is told through the multi dimensional domain of poetry.

These and other titles in different formats are available at your local library.

Language and Gender: A Reading List

Rabecca Hoffman, Kingsbridge Library — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:34:49 -0400

Do you ever feel like people of the opposite sex just don't understand you, like you're speaking another language? You're not alone! It is well documented that men and women have different styles of speaking and interacting, from conversations to their storytelling styles.

In conversation, women typically try to make connections while males approach conversation as a contest. Not surprising then, males typically tell stories involving competition, contests, and that are aggressive in nature. Males use male protagonists exclusively and their protagonist acts alone. Females write about community, relationships, social norms, and responding to the needs of others.

It is not just important to study gender differences in language to identify the differences and to better understand the other sex, but because it also holds an important place in feminism and women's history. According to Talbot, there are two views regarding the relationship between language and gender. First, and what she feels is the weaker view, is that language reflects society. So for example the use of "Miss" and "Mrs" as a distinction of marital status for women reflects how this is an important distinction for a woman (as opposed to a man, who uses only "Mr" no matter what the marital status). The other and stronger view according to Talbot is that language creates gender divisions instead of simply reflecting the divisions. So the use of "Miss" and "Mrs" don't just reflect society but create and sustain inequality. Feminists then have an interest in this inequality that language either reflects or creates in sustaining gender divisions.

Here are some suggestions for further reading that you can check out to explore this topic:

You Just Don't Understand: Men and Women in Conversation by Deborah Tannen

This easy to read book by sociolinguist Deborah Tannen is replete with examples of the different styles men and women typically use in conversation. It can be used as a tool to understanding the other gender's style, which Tannen views as different but equally as valid styles. Her examples show how men's style is punctuated by status, independence, advice, information, orders, and conflict, while women's style is centered on support, intimacy, understanding, feelings, proposals, and compromise.

Language and Gender: An Introduction by Mary Talbot

This is an introductory text that covers an overview of foundational research on the topic of language and gender and current research in the field. Talbot covers topics such as sex versus gender, women's language, man made language, interactions between men and women, and construction of gender and includes further reading suggestions at the end of each chapter.

A Beginner's Guide to Language and Gender by Allyson Jule

Also an introductory text in the study of language and gender. This book covers theoretical and practical perspectives in language interactions between gender in media, schools, places of business, places of worship, and at home.

Gender in Interaction: Perspectives on Femininity and Masculinity in Ethnography and Discourse edited by Bettina Baron, Helga Kotthoff

This book is a collection of articles examining the relevance of gender in interaction. One of the interesting articles included is Rachel Giora's “Theorizing Gender, Feminist Awareness and Language Change.” Giora suggests an alternative approach to Deborah Tannen's. Instead of men's and women's styles being different but equally valid, she hypothesizes a Self vs. Other point of view. A writer with the Self point of view will focus on in-group rather than on out-group members. This group relation based theory groups males and feminist writers on the basis of their similar strategy and non-feminists and males on the basis of their similar speech products. She tests her hypothesis by studying written storytelling (including novels,
magazine articles, and screenplays) by Israeli male and female authors.

Gender and Conversational Interaction edited by Deborah Tannen

This book includes twelve papers about gender-related interaction. Both anthropological and sociolinguistic in nature, this collection explores the complex relationship between gender and language use. One of the interesting articles from this book includes Barbara Johnstone's “Community and Contest: Midwestern Men and Women Creating Their Worlds in Conversational Storytelling.” This is a study of fifty-eight personal experience narratives told orally. Johnstone studies the differences between each gender in how they create the world of the story they are telling. Johnstone argues that neither the male or female strategy for resolving disturbances is more powerful or reflective of greater power than the other. She also suggests that their narratives are not the product of separate men and women’s worlds, but that these worlds are creations.

The Myth of Mars and Venus by Deborah Cameron

This book challenges the popular and widely accepted attitudes and assumptions about gender and communication. There are far-reaching consequences these myths and stereotypes can have, and Cameron argues that we must think about gender in more complex ways, recognizing that men and women's linguistic differences are related to the self-construction of personal meaning and identity.

Gendered Talk at Work : Constructing Gender Identity Through Workplace Discourse by Janet Holmes.

This accessible book examines men's and women's interaction in the workplace, exploring how gender contributes to the interpretation of meaning in workplace communication.

Gender and Politeness by Sara Mills

Mills challenges the claim made by language and gender literature that women are always more polite than men in this discussion of the relationship between gender and politeness.

Feminist Perspectives on Language by Margaret Gibbon

This book looks at how we learn language and addresses the question of sexist language, language as possible reflection of male dominance, and how language effects how we understand the world around us. An examination of methodology and interpretation of language in use and conversation analysis are also covered.

The Feminist Critique of Language : A Reader edited, with an introduction, by Deborah Cameron

This book is a guide to the major debates in current feminist thinking about language. Topics include sexist
language, political correctness, and gender and language on the internet.

Articles available full text from Academic Search Premier

Daemmrich, Ingrid G. “Paradise and Storytelling: Interconnecting Gender, Motif, and Narrative Structure.” Narrative 11:2 (2003): 213-233
Libby, Marion N. and Elizabeth Aries. “Gender Differences in Preschool Children’s Narrative Fantasy.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 13:3 (1989): 293-306
McAuliffe, Sheila. “Toward Understanding One Another: Second Graders’ Use of Gendered Language and Story Styles.” The Reading Teacher 47:4 (1993-94), 302-310
Newman, Matthew L "Gender Differences in Language Use: An Analysis of 14,000 Text Samples" Discourse Processes; May/Jun2008, Vol. 45 Issue 3, 211-236
Tannen, Deborah. "He Said, She Said." Scientific American Mind 21:2 (2010): 55-59

Essential Texts in Feminist Theory & Feminist Thought

Marie C. Hansen, Jefferson Market Library — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:19:16 -0500

In celebration of Women's History Month, I have put together a list of works that I feel are essential to feminist theory/feminist thought. From proto-feminism to third-wave post-modernist, here are some of my (mostly Western) favorites. What are some feminist works you favorite or feel are essential to the canon?

A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft: An 18th century work that argues for the education of women for the betterment of society. It was one of the first works to view men and women as equal and deserving of the same fundamental rights.

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf: A statement on women and the creation of creative written works. Equates artistic creation with financial freedom.

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvior: Published in 1949, this was one of the first works to separate gender from sex, recognizing that gender is a learned trait without biological basis. It was also the first to describe the male-gender as the standard from which women deviates, causing the creation "The Other".

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan: Published in 1963, this book was a catalyst to the second-wave feminist movement by bringing to light the deep lack of fulfillment pervasive in Untied States middle-class housewives. The popularity of the book has recently been rekindled because of the television show Mad Men.

Dear Sisters: Dispatches from the Women's Liberation Movement by Rosalyn Fraad Baxandall: A collection of pamphlets, comics, leaflets, and essential documents from the second wave of feminism 1968-1977.

The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer: A confrontational work calling for the sexual liberation of women.

Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions by Gloria Steinem: A diverse collection of essays by one of the pioneers of second-wave feminism.

Witches, Midwives, & Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English: A second-wave feminist statement on the historic demonization of women healers juxtaposed with the contemporary rejection of women from the traditional medical establishment.

Our Bodies, Ourselves by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective: Although primarily a health reference book rather than theory, OBOS historically challenged male-dominance over women's health by providing information and resources about women's bodies directly to women themselves.

Ain't I A Woman? Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks: Named after a Sojourner Truth poem, this book is a comprehensive look at black women within first and second wave feminist movements and examines the problematic aspects of black women feminists within white feminist structures.

Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis: Explores the underlying racism of the suffrage movement and the intersection of race and class within feminist contexts.

In A Different Voice by Carol Gilligan: Challenges the male standard of psychological testing, especially in relation to the stages of moral reasoning presented by Piaget.

This Sex Which is Not One by Luce Irigaray: Focusing more on female difference rather than female sameness, Irigaray challenges years of psychological and philosophical "phallogocentric" thought.

Gender Trouble by Judith Butler: Postmodern third-wave feminist queer theory, Butler calls into question the use of pronouns and rigid ideas of gender within feminist theories.

Dislocating Cultures by Uma Narayan: A post-colonialist feminist work which examines the appropriation of Western values by Western feminist on Third World women's ideology, particularly in relation to American and East Indian women.

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf: How the Western culture of beauty is damaging on a social and personal level.

Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi: Faludi explains how feminist achievements from the 1960s led to a (mostly media-fueled) backlash against American women in the 1980s.

Reviving Ophelia by Mary Piper: Explores how adolescent girls are in constant struggle with their "true self" vs. the "girl-poisoning" culture in which they live.

Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins: Interpretations of black feminisms within academic and non-academic platforms, including poetry and oral history.

This Bridge Called My Back by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua: Writings by radical women of color from an immigrant perspective.

Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Feminity by Julia Serano: Searching for acceptance as a transwoman in the feminist community.

Female Masculinity by Judith Halberstam: Theories of maleness & masculinity in relation to drag kings, butch women, and female-to-male transgenderism.

How to Research a Report for Women's History Month

Joanne Conte, Morris Park — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:50:51 -0500

Okay, so it's March 2nd and you need to do a report on a famous woman for Woman's History month. Who do you pick and where do you start?

The best way to pick a famous woman is to think about your interests. When you write about a subject that you are interested in, it just comes out sounding more convincing, and instead of being just another assignment, you might really enjoy doing your homework!

Let's get started. Do you especially love sports? If you do, you might think about the sport you like best. For argument's sake, let's say that you enjoy basketball. Babe Didrikson, one of the first female basketball players, might be a good choice to critique, or if you prefer a more modern approach, you might consider writing about Lisa Leslie, a three time Olympic gold medalist and a three time MVP of the WNBA. The New York Public Library has many books on these women, or you might consider using our wonderful database Biography in Context to gather information. I will provide a short book and website list at the end of this blog post. All of these resources are available through The New York Public Library's website. All you need is a valid library card which is available to all those who live, work, or go to school in New York State. For all the details, stop in at your local branch library in The Bronx, Manhattan or Staten Island.

Now, let's say that you are not interested in sports. You're just not that into them, but you are a wiz in the kitchen, and you would love to be a chef in the future. You might consider browsing through Women of Taste: Recipes and Profiles of Famous Women Chefs compiled by Beverly Russell, or checking out the lives of several famous chefs like Julia Child or Paula Deen.

So you think you can dance. Why not research one of the great prima ballerinas? That's Italian for first ballerina or the lead ballerina role in a ballet performance. If you've seen Black Swan, Natalie Portman won the part of the prima ballerina in that movie. However, that movie is fiction, so you would have to research a real ballerina like Margot Fonteyn, for example. If modern dance is your dance of choice you might consider Paula Abdul or Martha Graham.

I've highlighted just a few categories to think about. There are plenty more to choose from. Do you want to be a teacher? Then you might consider Annie Sullivan who taught Helen Keller, or Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. The topics go on and on...

Rule number one is to write about something that interests you. Just think outside the box, be creative and you will surely get an A+. Good luck with your Women's History Project, and don't forget to stop by your local library; we are here to help you.

Resources:

Biography in Context - once logged into this database, click on Person Search under the search bar. This will allow you to search by occupation, nationality, ethnicity, and gender, along with the time period she was alive, to find a woman you are interested in learning about.
World Book Online Reference Center
Gale U.S. History in Context (formerly History Resource Center)
BrainPOP (available at the library; try this search)
Babe Didrikson Zaharias: All Around Athelete by Jane Sutcliffe
Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion by Russell Freedman
Don't Let The Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion by Lisa Leslie and Larry Burnett
She's Got Game by Michelle Smith (call no. 796.3236S)
A History of Basketball For Girls and Women: From Bloomers to Big Leagues by Joanne Lannin (call no. 796.323L)
Women of Taste: Recipes and Profiles of Famous Women Chefs by Beverly Russell (call no. 641.5082W)
My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme
Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin': A Memoir by Paul Deen
Christa McAuliffe: A Space Biography by Laura S. Jeffrey
A Journal For Christa McAuliffe, Teacher in Space by Grace George Corrigan

WOW @ The Library in Celebration of Women’s History Month

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:38:56 -0500

Wonders Of Women (WOW) presents: Women Traveling The Leadership Road

Throughout time, women’s unique background has given them a special place in history. Traveling a long distance in the last century towards gender equality, women have remarkable stories to tell. The following list of titles despicts stories of women who have made their mark in leadership, including memoirs of U.S. first ladies and presidential candidates, revealing their motivations, struggles, and aspirations. Barbara Bush: Presidential Matriarch By Myra G. Gutin Reveals the wisdom and unique qualities of one of the most admired first ladies, the wife and mother to a U.S. president.

Belva Lockwood: The Woman Who Would Be President

By Jill Norgren

The amazing story of a courageous woman and first female lawyer to stand in front of the Supreme Court, and ran for the presidential candidate in 1884.

Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election That Changed Everything for American Women

By Rebecca Traister

A recount of a significant moment in U.S. History brings issues concerning women, gender and power to the surface.

A Few Good Women: America's Military Women from World War II to the War in Iraq

By Evelyn M. Monahan and Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee

An illustrated account of the efforts and obstacles that women faced to enter in the military and the struggles and adversities they endure during war.

Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation By Cokie Roberts Personal correspondence and private journals uncover the lifestyle, struggles and achievements of the first ladies in early America.

Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

By Rebecca Shambaugh

A former first lady, presidential candidate and current U.S. Secretary of State shares her story and inspiring leadership qualities that brought her success.

Michelle Obama: First Lady of Hope

By Elizabeth Lightfoot Examines the life of the first lady, her childhood, school years, political perspectives and the significant role she played in her husband’s presidential career.

Nancy: A Portrait of My Years With Nancy Reagan

By Michael K. Deaver

Portraits the life of the wife of former president Ronald Regan, her influence and participation in her husband’s political career and the challenges of the presidential and post-presidential years.

Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored

By Mary Gabriel

The story of a remarkable woman who aspired to the U.S. presidency takes the reader to a journey across continents in the nineteenth century.

Spoken From the Heart

By Laura Bush

The former first lady offers an intimate look at her childhood and her eight years in the White House.

These and other titles in different formats are available at your local library.

WOW @ The Library in Celebration of African-American Heritage

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:45:37 -0500

Wonders Of Women (WOW) features a mosaic of selected titles including recent resources on self-help, as well as powerful narratives by and about extraordinary African-American women, will submerge the reader into a journey of discovery from the past to the present.

At the Dark End of the Street: Black women, Rape, and Resistance—A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power

By Danielle L. McGuire

Reveals stuning new accounts of the civil right movements, the courage of women who stood up against social injustice and the success of their struggles.

A Century and Some Change: My Life Before the President Called My Name

By Ann Nixon Cooper

The memorable life story of an amazing 107 years old African-American woman who never thought she would live to cast her vote for the first African-American president of the United States.

Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone the First Woman to Play Professional Baseball in the Negro League

By Martha Ackmann

The intrepid and inspiring story of the first woman to play professional baseball in the men’s team, including legendary leagues.

Don't Bring Home a White Boy: and Other Notions that Keep Black Women from Dating Out

By Karyn Langhorne Folan

Addresses questions of interracial relationships and challenge readers to reconsider taboos that restrain women from engaging outside their ethnic circle and expanding their dating world.

Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family

By Condoleezza Rice

Remarkable Secretary of State and National Security Advisor for two consecutive terms under the Bush administration tells her family's tale .

Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture

By Sheri Parks

An overview at the role of women of color throughout history, including their image in popular culture, stereotypes, working conditions and enduring challenges.

The Grace of Silence

By Michele Norris

Co-host of National Public Radio All Things Considered realized that she couldn’t fully talk about racial issues, until she came to terms with her own racial roots and family secrets.

I'm Still Standing: from Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen— My Journey Home

By Shoshana Johnson

A story of valor and victory that vividly recounts the struggles of a female veteran and first African-American woman held prisoner of war, and the courage and compassion of her rescuers, including some of her captors.

Is It Just Me?: Or Is It Nuts Out There?

By Whoopi Goldberg
Multitalented comedienne, actress and talk show host, Whoopi, has noticed a few funny but interesting curiosities influencing the quality of our daily life.

The Heart of a Woman

By Maya Angelou

The fourth in the author’s autobiographical series describes her life as a writer and activist, and reminds the reader of what every woman has in common regardless of race or color.

Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work and the Family, From Slavery to the Present

By Jacqueline Jones

A refreshing view at history with a focus on justice and equality that offers an new in-depth interpretation of the African-American female experience, myths, stereotypes, and social differences.

The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women

By Elaine Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda Joy McLean

Life-skills instructions and professional advice to help create and maintain a profitable career.

Michelle Obama: A Portrait of the First Lady

By the editors of Life Magazine

An illustrated biography of one of the most influential First Ladies in history.

O's Big Book of Happiness: The Best of O, the Oprah magazine: Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration

By Terri Laschober Robertson

Empowering articles, essays and stories selected from a wide spectrum of word-class writers, artists, and other great personages.

Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women

By Iyanla Vanzant

A classic inspirational work to comfort the spirit and enhance wisdom.

Toni Morrison: A Biography

By Stephanie Li

The outstanding life story of critically acclaimed, bestseller and first African-American woman honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston

by Valerie Boyd

Chronicles the life of the great author of the classic Their Eyes Were Watching God.

These and other titles in different formats are available at your local library. For information about programs in celebration of African-American Heritage please visit: Bronx Library Center, Schomburg Center, Countee Cullen Library, and others.

Women, Creativity, & Madness: A Reading List

Marie C. Hansen, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 07:45:24 -0500

From addiction and cutting to depression and bipolar disorder: a list of memoirs and autobiographical books by women describing their struggles.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Prozac Nation and More, Now, Again by Elizabeth Wurtzel

Live Through This: On Creativity and Self Destruction edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev

Girl in Need of a Tourniquet by Merri Lisa Johnson

Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter by Jolene Siana

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

Madness: A Bipolar Life and Wasted by Marya Hornbacher

Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia by Stephanie Covington Armstrong

Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia by Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn S. Spiro

Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig

Willow Weep For Me: A Black Woman's Journey Through Depression by Meri Nana-Danquah

I Don’t Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas

Love Sick by Sue Willam Silverman

Gone to the Crazies: A Memoir by Alison Weaver

A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown

Shoot the Damn Dog by Sally Brampton

Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4D by Lizzie Simon

Get Me Out of Here by Rachel Rieland

Dear Diary by Lesley Arfin

How I Made it to Eighteen by Tracy White

Life Inside: A Memoir by Mindy Lewis

The Heart Too Long Suppressed : A Chronicle of Mental Illness by Carol Hebald

The Looney-Bin Trip by Kate Millett

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston

Rethink mental illness:

Reelabilities Film Festival

The Icarus Project

WOW @ The Library: Women of the Month

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:19:36 -0500

Wonders Of Women (WOW) presents the notable life and amazing accomplishments of three courageous women.

Amelia Earhart: the turbulent life of an American icon

by Kathleen C. Winters

Amelia Earhart Day is commemorated on January 11th. This book offers a fascinating look at the life of the courageous aviatrix, Amelia Mary Earhart—the first person to fly solo across the Pacific and first woman to perform a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic.

Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars

a film by Renee Sotile & Mary Jo Godges

Christa McAuliffe Day is observed on January 28th. A detailed documentary about the first teacher to fly in space and who tragically die along with 6 other astronauts during the space shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986.

Coretta Scott King: A Biography

by Laura T. McCarty

In remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday on January 17th, this biography reveals the remarkable life of his wife, Coretta Scott King, and her heroism and devotion to justice and the civil rights.

These and other related resources in different formats are available at your local library.

WOW @ The Library in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:10:11 -0500

Wonders Of Women (WOW) features a few inspirational stories from contemporary and notable Hispanic American women.

Dream in Color: How the Sanchez Sisters are Making History in Congress

by Loretta and Linda Sanchez

Two sisters share the values and traditions learned from their Mexican parents and openly express their professional challenges and key to their success.

Ellen Ochoa: Astronaut and Inventor

by Anne Schraff

The extraordinary life of a notable inventor, research scientist and first Hispanic woman astronaut in space.

Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina

by Rosie Molinary

Over five hundred Latinas overtly talk about their feelings, family conflicts, prejudices, and other challenges of growing up in two worlds.

Sandra Cisneros: Inspiring Latina Author

by Karen Clemens Warrick

Author's family life and growing-up years, as well as her struggles to get her works published and the story of her success.

Sonia Sotomayor: The True American Dream

by Antonia Felix

The remarkable story of the first Hispanic judge and third woman to preside in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Sum of Our Days

by Isabel Allende

The narrative of this autobiography starts when the Allende’s family gets together in the ceremony of scattering the ashes of Isabel’s daughter Paula.

These and other resources in different formats are available at your local library.

For information about programs in celebration of Hispanic Heritage please visit: Bronx Library Center.

WOW @ The Library: Resources for Women

Alexandra Gomez, Central Collection Development — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:57:40 -0400

Wonders Of Women (WOW) is a space to learn about various resources for and about women (as well as for men) to help them continue to enrich their literary world full of unique wonderful experiences, and innumerable inquiries on the many wonders of life. This brief selection of new titles from various subjects available at the library will either help fill in the gap, satisfy the hunger for knowledge, or entertain the senses in unimaginable ways... This month featuring:

Women, Self-help & Life Skills

Resources to learn how to cope with different life situations, handle everyday demands and challenges, and help embrace the future with optimism.

The Confident Woman: Start Today Living Boldly and Without Fear

By Joyce Meyer

Written with every woman in mind, author stresses essential elements that foster confidence in women, as well as explains ways to get rid of fear and pave the way to self-realization and independence.

The Modern Girl's Guide to Sticky Situations

By Jane Buckingham

Did you just send a regretful e-mail message? Did you find out your best friend's husband is being unfaithful? Or did you find yourself in an embarrassing position? The author of The Modern Girl's Guide to Life shares savvy solutions to show readers how to deal with these and other frustrating situations.

The Power of Women: Harness Your Unique Strengths at Home, at Work, and In Your Community

By Susan Nolen-Hoeksema

A practical analysis to help understand women's nature and explain innate capacities that they possess and can utilize to their advantages and self-fulfillment. The author presents the life of extraordinary women and how their strong abilities and sensible strategies are regularly used by other women in their daily lives.

Simply— Empowered!: Discover How to Create and Sustain Success in Every Area of Your Life

By Crystal Andrus

Through real-life inspirational stories, the author explains in detail the basic steps to start a journey of self-discovery, and develop individual potential for self-empowerment to help you become either your own hero or create a successful life for yourself and others.

Souls of My Young Sisters: Young Women Break Their Silence with Personal Stories That Will Change Your Life

By Dawn Marie Daniels and Candace Sandy

Various exemplary women share their fascinating stories of courage and triumph, and show practical approaches to confront challenging circumstances and common life issues that today’s young women may encounter.

These and other resources in different formats are available at your local library.