In many parts of Appalachia, family ties run deep, constituting an important part of an individual's sense of self. In some cases, when Appalachian learners seek new forms of knowledge, those family ties can be challenged by the accusation that they have gotten above their raisings, a charge that can have a lasting impact on family and community acceptance. Those who advocate literacy sometimes ignore an important fact -- although empowering, newly acquired literacies can create identity conflicts for learners, especially Appalachian women. In "Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment," Erica Abrams Locklear explores these literacy-initiated conflicts, analyzing how authors from the region portray them in their fiction and creative nonfiction. Abrams Locklear blends literacy studies with literary criticism to analyze the central female characters in the works of Harriette Simpson Arnow, Linda Scott DeRosier, Denise Giardina, and Lee Smith. She shows how these authors deftly overturn stereotypes of an illiterate Appalachia by creating highly literate characters, women who not only cherish the power of words but also push the boundaries of what literacy means. "Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment" includes in-depth interviews with Linda Scott DeRosier and Lee Smith, making this an insightful study of an important literary genre.

Have you ever dreamed of running away to a tropical island? In 1996 Jane Grossman left behind a comfortable life in Chicago and set off on with her husband on their 34-foot sailboat, Iniki, to sail South America. What began as a chance to simplify their lifestyle and to see the islands gradually evolved to a sojourn of self-discovery, renewal and triumph over breast cancer. "Windshifts" is a true sailing adventure that chronicles the wonder and excitement, the difficulties and fears from a woman's perspective. Vivid details and delightful descriptions of exotic lands, cultural interactions and inevitable conflicts of a husband and wife confined to close quarters involve the reader with all of their senses. More importantly, it is a reflection on dealing with the unexpected challenges that confront us all throughout our lives.

The public image of Arabs in America has been radically affected by the "war on terror." But stereotypes of Arabs, manifested for instance in Orientalist representations of Sheherazade and the Arabian Nights in Hollywood, have prevailed for much longer. Here Somaya Sabry argues that the Arab-American experience has been powerfully shaped by racial discourse and Orientalism, and is further complicated today by hostility towards Arabs in post-9/11 America. She shows how Arab-American women writers and performers confront and subvert racial stereotypes in this charged context by recasting representations of Sheherazade. Shedding new light on Arab-American women's negotiations of identity, this book will be indispensable for all those interested in the Arab-American world, American ethnic studies and race, as well as diaspora studies, women's studies, literature, cultural studies and performance studies.

British women who resisted their own enfranchisement were ridiculed by the suffragists and have since been neglected by historians. Yet these women, together with the millions whose indifference reinforced the opposition case, claimed to form a majority of the female public on the eve of the First World War. By 1914 the organized "antis" rivaled the suffragists in numbers, though not in terms of publicity-seeking activism. The National League for Opposing Women's Suffrage was dominated by the self-consciously masculine leadership of Lord Cromer and Lord Curzon, but also heavily dependent upon an impressive cadre of women leaders and a mostly female membership.
Women Against the Vote looks at three overlapping groups of women: maternal reformers, women writers and imperialist ladies. These women are then followed into action as campaigners in their own right, as well as supporters of anti-suffrage men. Collaboration between the sexes was not always straightforward, even within a movement dedicated to separate and complementary gender roles. As the anti-suffrage women pursued their own varied social and political agendas, they demonstrated their affinity with the mainstream social conservatism of the British women's movement. The rediscovered history of female anti-suffragism provides new perspectives on the campaigns both for and against the vote. It also makes an important contribution to the wider history of women's social and political activism in late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Britain.

In this book, Sister Angelita tells her story of those 15 years in Nigeria. Sister Angelita did all this missionary activity while constantly begging for prayers and financial support to carry on her work. Her love of God shines through in everything that Sister Angelita accomplished. During her worst tribulations, and there were many, her constant prayer was "God is Good." Indeed, each of the stories Angelita relates in her little book radiates her dependence on Divine Providence. The chapters show how God worked through her to ease the afflictions of body, soul, and spirit of the people she loved so much. Because of her, their lives became a little more bearable. This little dynamo of a person never takes "no" for an answer. When the going gets tough, she works all the harder to accomplish her objectives. I know of no one with a more determined spirit. Sister Angelita and I have known each other for 45 years and this is my testimony to a woman of God who radiates the words of Jesus: "Live in Me as I do in you ... those who live in Me and I in them will bear much fruit." John 14:4-5 Sarah E. Wellinger Longtime Friend

Ervin has brought together 16 reviews and 26 essays that chronicle the literary reception of Ann Petry and her three novels in America from 1946 to the present. Collectively and individually, all of the reviews and essays gauge the historical, cultural, social, political, literary aesthetic, and theoretical depths of Petry's novels. While specific essays will offer overviews of Petry's life and works, others will name literary influences, explore and evaluate her style and structure, identify her aesthetic positions as a writer and novelist, and define her positions in larger discussions of the male and female in general and the African American female in particular. Teachers, students, critics, and others will appreciate this volume. Select reviews and essays provide an overview of Petry's life and works, style, and literary position as a novelist, while other reviews and essays present her as a writer of community, cultural traditions, literary traditions, and characters. As a social critic, she speaks for the voiceless and the maligned; her criticism is sympathic, yet frank and honest. She speaks to and for men and women, rich and poor, young and old.

Pilar is a capable, energetic merchant in the small, Peruvian highland settlement of Chiuchin. Genovena, an unmarried day laborer in the same town, faces an impoverished old age without children to support her. Carmen is the wife of a prosperous farmer in the agricultural community of Mayobamba, eleven thousand feet above Chiuchin in the Andean sierra. Mariana, a madre soltera-single mother-without a husband or communal land of her own, also resides in Mayobamba. These lives form part of an interlocking network that the authors carefully examine in Women of the Andes. In doing so, they explore the riddle of women's structural subordination by analyzing the social, political, and economic realities of life in Peru. They examine theoretical explanations of sexual hierarchies against the backdrop of life histories. The result is a study that pinpoints the mechanisms perpetuating sexual repression and traces the impact of social change and national policy on women's lives.

Because women are more likely to seek professional help, and because they are more likely to be the victims of abuse by people in positions of power, women who do seek professional assistance may end up being victims of sexual exploitation by the very people from whom they seek help. Unlike other problems which primarily affect women, such as rape and domestic violence, this issue has received little public attention and has had little success in building a social movement to combat it. Bohmer analyzes the social construction of this unique problem and the response it has received from individuals, groups, and various institutions, such as the law and the regulatory process. Bohmer explains why this problem has a different history from other problems facing primarily women, and why it has not had much success in stirring social movement for addressing the problem.

Using other issues of feminist concern, Bohmer connects the problem of professional sexual exploitation to issues of gender and power and shows the ways in which women seeking help are punished for doing so. In addition, the available self-help groups and organizations are examined in light of their benefits and relative lack of success in combating the problem. The legal and regulatory systems in place are also discussed in terms of the ways in which society responds to new social problems as they receive public attention.

Flying High is a tantalizing and graphic peek into the lifestyle of flight attendants told by someone who lived it. Amanda Callaway, a flight attendant for 32 years, takes you back to the good'ol days when the word stewardess was equivalent to a VIP ticket to the good life. They lived in the fast lane only to find that there was a price to pay. Some found true love, some found heartbreak and pain, while others paid with their lives. Now sit back relax and enjoy the flight.

From writer and veteran columnist Jennifer Grant comes an unflinching and spirited look at the transitions of midlife.

When Did Everybody Else Get So Old? plumbs the physical, spiritual, and emotional changes unique to the middle years: from the emptying nest to the physical effects of aging. Grant acknowledges the complexities and loss inherent in midlife and tells stories of sustaining disappointment, taking hard blows to the ego, undergoing a crisis of faith, and grieving the deaths not only of illusions but of loved ones. Yet she illuminates the confidence and grace that this season of life can also bring.

Magnetic, good-humored, and full of hope in the sustaining power of the Spirit, this is a must-read for anyone facing the flux and flow of middle age.

This book explores the career paths of Australian women who have succeeded in achieving professorships and beyond, where for the most part, such positions are predominately occupied by males. It also explores the gendered culture that exists across faculties and universities as reported by participants in a survey questionnaire of 525 new professors (female and male), and nearly 30 interviews of women in Australian higher education, either in small focus groups or individually. Futher, it identifies catalysts for and inhibitors of success for women and looks in depth at "the boys' club" and how it impacts women's progression. The book also highlights how critical life decisions - doctoral study, work and family - shape the careers of academic women. It identifies five distinct career profiles for women academics and the pressure points and effective support for each profile. Thus, this book can assist women academics who are making life decisions and those supporting their career progression. It also provides insights into why affirmative action initiatives to improve the proportion of women in the professoriate have had minimal impact despite considerable investment over the past 30 years.

Guidance. Reassurance. Science. Stories. Practical tools. Support.

Has this middle part of life left you wondering: Is this . . . it? I thought it would get easier. I thought I'd have more figured out by now. Something is wrong, and I just can't put my finger on it. Is it my thyroid? Perimenopause? Or is this just what midlife feels like?

Dr. Mikala Albertson draws on her eighteen years in evidence-based clinical practice as well as her own personal experience to offer real stories and current medical information on a wide range of topics common to women in their later thirties, forties, fifties, and beyond.

Full of practical tools to empower you to care for and find healing in the body you actually have in this life you are actually living, Everything I Wish I Could Tell You About Midlife digs deep into:

    · Preventive health and well-being specific to YOU and your unique parameters
    · Perimenopause, mood disorders, and body image (as well as the harmful effects of cultural and societal expectations)
    · Co-occurring life stressors like relationship issues, caregiver expectations, and shifting work/motherhood roles
    · Support systems, purpose, and healing in your one precious, beautiful life

Life is hard--and today you may feel weary--but there are steps you can take toward health, growth, and healing while discovering along the way: There is beauty here, too.

FIFA, the world governing body of association football, declared 'The Future is Feminine' in a 1995 press release. Since then, football has been claimed as the fastest growing participation sport for women globally. An estimated twenty million women play the game around the world, and that figure is on the rise. However, the history of women's participation goes back to at least 1895 and in our enthusiasm for the present, the memory of that longer history can be overlooked or forgotten. A Beautiful Game, supported by a two-year FIFA/ CIES Joao Havelange Research Scholarship, examines contemporary women's football internationally, with case studies from England, the United States, China and Australia. In each case study, Jean Williams considers the evolution of the women's game against a backdrop of issues, such as media representation, access to facilities, lack of resources, coaching, sponsorship, talent identification, training and professionalisation. T he author examines contentious questions, such as why women are absent from the highest levels of professional football, combining source material from archives, oral history and artefacts. A Beautiful Game analyses the status and image of the women's game from the late nineteenth century to the shifting social values of the present.

More women are receiving advanced degrees and ascending to the ranks of deans, provosts, and presidents, but despite gains in advancing gender equality, efforts at true empowerment are still met with significant resistance within academia. The contributors to this collection are committed to promoting the issue of gender and empowering women in higher education.

The approach of this book is both theoretical and applied. On one level it evaluates pedagogy from the perspective of what we teach, how we teach, and curriculum development that enables and empowers women. On the other level it examines the institutional barriers that continue to exist that thwart the educational development of women while also examining the areas in which institutional support does promote efforts toward change.

Women are the growing majority population, yet women in higher education are not provided an equal education. This book includes strategies for change, teaching suggestions, and curriculum development ideas.