Monday, January 25, 2016

New Book On Women in American History

The role of women in history, science, and culture often goes unheralded. I'm proud to announce that I contributed to a new four-volume reference book now available from ABC-CLIO Publishing.

Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection 
edited by Peg Lamphier and Rosanne Welch
Available in the Spring 2016 catalog: http://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A4276C

More than a standard encyclopedia, it brings together the women, movements and original documents connected with social change, court cases, science and culture. You might know the role Rachel Carson played in alerting the public to chemical toxins and inspiring the modern conservation movement, but did you know her earlier work The Sea Around Us sold more copies than Catcher in the Rye in 1951? She encouraged average people to be interested in science.

Did you know that your cell phone depends on science developed by Hedy Lamarr, a woman most known for starring as a sex kitten in Hollywood movies from the 1940s. Her beauty made it difficult for her to be taken seriously as an inventor.  

It's time to peel back the misconception of "women's roles" and understand the influential positions women held in pre-Revolutionary America, the true social status of Native American women prior to the erosion of their original cultures, and the influence of female French colonists in North America. How did women of all race contribute to politics, business, culture, and science help to build modern society? What can we learn from them and use to build a better future?

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