Booklist Review
This book features primary documents (including presidential executive orders, Supreme Court rulings, and congressional statements) focused on major events in women's history in the U.S. Each work has a helpful sidebar giving greater detail to the historical and social contexts to highlighted paragraphs and sentences. Chapters are broken up by issues in women's rights, and back matter includes a time line, glossary, bibliography, and index. This is an easy-to-read, helpful book, although with the broad topic of women's rights, in all likelihood, it could stand to be longer. Still, it is a good collection of primary sources and recommended for high-school and public libraries.--Linsenmeyer, Erin Copyright 2014 Booklist
Choice Review
Shouse (Western Illinois Univ.) offers a new volume in the "Documents Decoded Series." She is the author of other reference works written in a similar format, including Presidents from Nixon through Carter, 1969-1981 (2002). This work provides an illuminating glimpse into the changing status of women in the United States from 1848 to 2013. Following a foreword and general introduction, six topical sections cover subjects including women and work, education, politics, and heath and reproduction. The volume offers overview essays and primary documents arranged from oldest to most current. The text of the primary sources is paired with Shouse's interpretations, explanations, and references to original sources. A unifying conclusion follows the topical sections. Also provided are a short chronology of women's rights activities and a glossary of key terms. This volume is broad in scope and includes information on the progress women have made and on the challenges that still exist. The format and the content are very suitable for students without much prior knowledge. Those looking for a more up-to-date book than volumes such as Women's Rights in the United States: A Documentary History, edited by W. E. Langley and V. C. Fox (1994), may wish to acquire this volume. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. T. McDevitt Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Library Journal Review
Shouse (women's studies, Western Illinois Univ.) has compiled excerpts of documents pertaining to women's rights that provide an excellent overview of related policy statements, court rulings, and legislation. The book is divided into six policy areas: work, education, politics, health and reproduction, violence against women, and women's rights in the 21st century, with the documents in each policy section featuring highlighted key passages, and comments in the margins providing additional information about the document. Entries include coverage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Supreme Court ruling ending gender-based exemptions for jury duty, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. In her conclusion, Shouse indicates that there will forever be new women's rights issues that need to be addressed in the political arena and for that reason feminism will never disappear. A chronology, glossary, and extensive bibliography close the book. VERDICT A solid starting point for anyone researching women's rights history, this title will make a worthwhile addition to reference collections at high school, public, and junior college libraries.-Diane Fulkerson, Univ. of South Florida, Lakeland (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
