Describing the stories of a frontline nurse, a committee organizer for troop supplies, and a female doctor for the Union forces, a historian presents the Civil War struggles of three women outside of the traditional roles of the time.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Elizabeth Leonard is a professor of history at Colby College.
Although at times unevenly woven, this account of three women's struggles to serve the Union adds new texture to the well- worn Civil War metaphor ``a house divided.'' Drawing on their letters and journals as well as formal historical sources, Leonard (History/Colby College) chronicles the lives of three women who battled gender stereotypes in order to participate in the war effort: Sophronia Bucklin, a volunteer nurse; Annie Wittenmyer, a soldiers' aid activist; and Mary Edwards Walker, a licensed physician. Each of the three struggled daily against their male co-workers and superiors, who operated under a rigid set of assumptions about women's abilities (for self- sacrificing nurture, not compensated service) and proper place (maintaining home and hearth, not participating in war). Bucklin persevered even though she, like other nurses at the front, was denied pay and expected to perform menial jobs. Male stubbornness obstructed Wittenmyer in her efforts to institutionalize services; even her Special Diet kitchens, attached to army hospitals, met with stubborn opposition, probably because they offered paid, public work for women. Despite achieving the respect of army officials in the field, Walker was repeatedly rebuffed in her applications for a formal commission. Leonard describes how all three of her subjects helped create new possibilities for women after the war, but she especially appreciates Walker's radical assault on gender prescriptions--her pursuit of a paid commission, heroism on the bloodiest battle fronts, and insistence on practical, ``un-womanly'' attire. While postbellum accounts of women and the war commended both Bucklin and Wittenmyer, Walker was denigrated as a ``freak'' or a ``crank.'' This discrepancy, in Leonard's radical feminist view, attests to the singular strength of Walker's character and demands historical notice. Despite some narrative discord arising from the uneasy mix of broad cultural generalizations and minute historical details, a valuable contribution to our understanding of the durability and vulnerability of ideas about gender in the 19th century. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00073802428
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. 1st ed. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 15978394-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. 1st ed. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP17190673
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.25. Seller Inventory # G0393036669I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_405116354
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Hawking Books, Edgewood, TX, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good Condition. Clean, tight and Neat. Five star seller - Buy with confidence!. Seller Inventory # X0393036669X2
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Unique Books, Lexington, KY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Seller Inventory # b-651-18
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Powell's Bookstores Chicago, ABAA, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Used - Very Good. 1994. Hardcover. Cloth, d.j. Some shelf-wear. Else clean copy. Very Good. Seller Inventory # SON000015741
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: BASEMENT BOOKS, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.
Half-Cloth. Condition: About Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition stated, 1st Printing. hard cover 8vo. About Fine w/ "Not for Resale" stamped on page edges, else Fine and unmarked; rear flap on unclipped DJ creased. 308pp inc. Select Bibliography, Index. 334 p. Book. Seller Inventory # 042533
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: BookMarx Bookstore, Steubenville, OH, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Collectible Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Family-owned bookshop in Steubenville, Ohio: BookMarx Bookstore. Books shipped within 24 hours. FIRST EDITION: No marks or writing observed in text. Dust jacket clean with minor shelf wear. Binding tight and square. Seller Inventory # 24012
Quantity: 1 available