If I Had a Hammer Women's Work - Softcover

Martz, Sandra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0918949092 ISBN 13: 9780918949097

Publisher: Papier-Mache Press, 2010

Synopsis

Empowerment and self-determination are two words that come to mind when trying to describe this collection. This is not to say that a utopian workplace is portrayed herein. Exploitation has not been eradicated; equal pay is still the goal, not the reality. Work can often be boring and unfulfilling.But women here are not victims. These are strong women

About this title

About the Author

Sandra Kay Martz founded Papier-Mache Press in 1984. Papier-Mache Press was known for publishing accessible books which presented important social issues through enduring works of beauty, grace, and strength, and created a bridge of understanding between the mainstream audience and those who might not otherwise be heard. As an editor and publisher, she has compiled several successful Papier-Mache Press anthologies including If I Had My Life to Live Over I Would Pick More Daisies, and I Am Becoming the Woman I've Wanted, a book that explores the powerful feelings women have about their bodies.

Reviews

This collection, conceived to broadly address the subject of women's work, focuses mainly on women in dead-end jobs struggling to make ends meet, with little hope of finding fulfilling employment opportunities. In Candida Lawrence's witty tale, "Spotter," for example, Alice labors as a cashier at an amusement park, demeaned by her overzealous boss and the ridiculous uniform she must wear. Nevertheless, several of the stories here are noteworthy for their uncompromising portrayals of women fighting to gain respect and financial security in various work milieus, particularly Karen Loeb's "Machines," Barbara Unger's "Search Committee" and Virginia Rudasill Mortenson's "Hideaway Inn." Overall, the poetry tends to be amateurish and cliched. Kate Braid's "These Hips" is spoken by a female contractor whose "strong hips are built for the birth of buildings," and Leslea Newman's "Ode to Secretaries of America" urges women to "get up off their chairs and take a walk in the sun." The photographs are unexciting representations of women going about their everyday work routines. Martz is editor of Papier-Mache Press.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This anthology of poetry, prose, and photography by women deals with their feelings about the work that they do. The contributors write about all type of work--paid and unpaid, professional, clerical, technical, and artistic. They talk about their hopes and frustrations, their fatigue and triumphs. The quality of the writing varies, but the spirit of these 60 women is evident. They take pride in their tasks, and they demand respect from co-workers and managers. The photographs capture the energy of the work place exceptionally well. This is not a necessary purchase for most collections, but it is an interesting and intimate look at women's lives. Women's studies collections will want to add it.
- Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Papier-Mache Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0918949092
• ISBN 13: 9780918949097
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 261