Table of Contents

Women's Lives

"An astute eye and courageous spirit." -The New York Times. With the same evocative prose as her highly acclaimed girlhood memoir, Bone Black, bell hooks tells of her coming of age as a woman writer. From bittersweet romance to her involvement with feminism at Stanford, hooks reveals her personal experience while bringing her searing insights to bear on Euro-American social institutions.

Helen Epstein's mother was the only one in her family to survive the Holocaust. When she died, Epstein (Children of the Holocaust) set out to discover her mother's story - and found survivors who had known her mother and grandmother, and a trove of archival material that together brought her ancestors back to life. A moving chronicle with the narrative pull of fiction.

"In a time when so many with so little perspective on their own lives rush breathlessly to the public confessional, Anita Hill is a rarity: She has given herself time and distance to consider her experience - and honored us with a measured, moving and insightful account. Her voice is the calm and dignified center of a continuing national whirlwind." -Susan Faludi, Backlash.

A rebellious 15-year old tomboy, Daphne Scholinski was diagnosed with "gender identity disorder" and locked in a mental hospital. She spent three years undergoing "femininity training," including how to apply makeup and how to "walk like a girl," and was discharged the day her insurance ran out. Funny, fresh and poignant, this memoir features a central character as memorable as "Bone" in Bastard Out of Carolina.

A terrific collection of intimate, behind-the-scenes chats with 40 of today's most talented rock, folk and jazz musicians. Backstage Pass features women who have distinguished themselves as independent and assertive voices - Alix Dobkin, Holly Near, Ani DiFranco, Joan Osborne, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ferron and more - and whose songs have influenced and enriched generations. Essential to anyone interested in contemporary women's culture.

Kim Chernin was a wife and mother, an attractive woman with a demure manner. So how did she, at thirty-something, begin turning into a boy - a boy full of mischief and recklessness who acts before he thinks? This book explores what could happen if the person who offers passion and intimacy happens to be of the same gender as the person who seeks it.

Hazel Barnes is best known for introducing French Existentialism to Americans through her translation of Sartre's Being and Nothingness. "In The Story I Tell Myself, Barnes provides critical insight into the ‘experience of women who chose to pursue careers in the period between Virginia Woolf and Betty Friedan'.... Her humane reflections on relationships (gay and otherwise) and aging are soothing." -Kirkus.

IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE HONOR. . .I'D RATHER HAVE WALKED:

Previously Untold Tales of the Journey to the ADA

The history of the Americans with Disabilities Act is a long one, textured with the lives and experiences of many. Jan Little, who became a paraplegic as a child, traces the development of the ADA through the efforts, joys and agonies of some of the individuals who made this progress possible. An inspiring, personal account by one who lived through it.

MISS MUFFINS LOST:

The Polly Guidorzi Story

Beaten and abused by three husbands, Polly Hartle had given up on marriage. Then she met Jim Guidorzi, the man with whom she finally found happiness. Their life together was short - Polly's teenage son from a previous marriage shot and wounded Jim and, in a plea bargain, falsely implicated her in the crime. Polly is now in prison serving a 45-year sentence.

CHASING GRACE:

Reflections of a Catholic Girl, Grown Up

Martha Manning, author of the critically acclaimed Undercurrents, turns her wickedly sharp wit to her Irish-American upbringing. A caustic and perceptive tale, Chasing Grace mirrors the seven sacraments of Catholic life in evocative, poignant, sometimes relentlessly funny autobiographical stories. "She gives the reader the truthfulness of hard-won wisdom." -The New York Times Book Review.

SPIRITED THREADS: A Fabric Artist's Passion for Life

The Art & Writings of Patricia Roberts Cline

cynthia grant tucker

"A remarkable collaboration between a fabric artist, surviving for decades with cystic fibrosis, and a professor who specializes in women's voices.... A special journey into the heart of an artist." -Bloomsbury Review. "It is also a larger story - about the struggle of women everywhere to overcome marginalization and remain connected to our vision." -Audrey May, Meristem Bookstore. 46 b&w photos, sketches; 24 color images.

See also:
WRITING AS RESISTANCE
MAKING MORE WAVES
DOES YOUR MAMA KNOW?
ON MY HONOR
CRAVINGS
OUR LITTLE SECRET
WAITING IN THE WINGS
STUMBLING TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT