Finally! The majority of studentsby which I mean womenwill have the opportunity to read biographies of women from our nation's past. (Men can read them too, of course!) The ‘Lives of American Women' series features an eclectic collection of books, readily accessible to students who will be able to see the contributions of women in many fields over the course of our history. Long overdue, these books will be a valuable resource for teachers, students, and the public at large.”
Cokie Roberts, author of Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty
“Just what any professor wants: books that will intrigue, inform, and fascinate students! These short, readable biographies of American womenspecifically designed for classroom usegive instructors an appealing new option to assign to their history students.”
Mary Beth Norton, Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History, Cornell University
“For educators keen to include women in the American story, but hampered by the lack of thoughtful, concise scholarship, here comes ‘Lives of American Women,' embracing Abigail Adams's counsel to John‘remember the ladies.' And high time, too!”
Lesley S. Herrmann, Executive Director, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
“Julia Lathrop offers the historical context in which women reformers had to maneuver at the turn of the century. If we can measure the advancement of social welfare by the opportunities that existed at the time, then Miriam Cohen has done a service to us all by bringing Julia Lathrop's career back into focus. I am eager to share Julia Lathrop's strategic, political, and careful policy making with my classes.”
Joanne L. Goodwin, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Julia Lathrop brings out the subject's intense commitment to improving the health and lives of impoverished children, her skillful negotiation of local and national politics, her determination to expand women's professional opportunities in social welfare work, and her collegial way of working with others. The writing is clear and accessible for students.”
Barbara Steinson, DePauw University
“A great strength of this book is its depiction of the Progressive Era, and women's activism particularly, as diverse. In reflecting the breadth of Lathrop's work, and the limitations as they applied to issues of racism, Miriam Cohen has crafted a complex look at progressive era reforms.”
Tonia M. Compton, Columbia College
Praise for the Lives of American Women series:
“These books are, above all, fascinating stories that will engage and inspire readers. They offer a glimpse into the lives of key women in history who either defied tradition or who successfully maneuvered in a man's world to make an impact. The stories of these vital contributors to American history deliver just the right formula for instructors looking to provide a more complicated and nuanced view of history.”
Rosanne Lichatin, 2005 Gilder Lehrman Preserve America History Teacher of the Year
“Students both in the general survey course and in specialized offerings like my course on U.S. women's history can get a great understanding of an era from a short biography. Learning a lot about a single but complex character really helps to deepen appreciation of what women's lives were like in the past.”
Patricia Cline Cohen, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Biographies are, indeed, back. Not only will students read them, biographies provide an easy way to demonstrate particularly important historical themes or ideas. . . . Undergraduate readers will be challenged to think more deeply about what it means to be a woman, citizen, and political actor. . . . I am eager to use this in my undergraduate survey and specialty course.”
Jennifer Thigpen, Washington State University, Pullman