Women Books - Page 2

All You Need to Be Impossibly French: A Witty Investigation into the Lives, Lusts, and Little Secrets of French Women

Helena Frith-Powell

Amazon Price: $10.40 List Price: $13.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $5.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Surprisingly Good 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was afraid it was going to be too frilly, but it is great. Love that she talks about real & famous french women. Funny at times. Very entertaining!

Editorial Review:

The allure of the Frenchwoman—sexy, sophisticated, flirtatious, and glamorous—is legendary. More than an eye for fashion or a taste for elegance, the French je ne sais quoi embodies the essential ingredients for looking and feeling beautiful.

With wit, whimsy, and wonder, British expatriate Helena Frith Powell uncovers the secrets of chic living in All You Need to Be Impossibly French, a cheeky guide to releasing your inner Frenchwoman. Delving deep into a mysterious realm of face creams, silk lingerie, and shopping- as-exercise, Powell reveals how French women stay impossibly thin and irresistibly sexy by achieving the maximum effect from the minimum amount of effort. Forget diet and inspiration books and style guides—this is all you need to embrace the wisdom of French living, and learn how to turn every day into la petite aventure.

No Disrespect

Sister Souljah

List Price: $23.00 By: Crown Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $4.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 113 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Harsh realities 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sistah Souljah created an honest look at the truths of society. To call her a racist for being honest reporting her realities and what she has witnessed in her work and service to communities is mere ignorance. I do not fully agree with every word Sistah writes. However, I commend her honesty, her openness, and her consciousness.

The book is a must read regardless if one agrees or disagrees. It is not to be used as a life manual. It is to be used as a mirror, or a stepping stone. If you are the person she regrets being or you want to elevate to another level the book will give you insight that may not be easily found in accessible literature.

Editorial Review:

Rapper, activist, and hip-hop rebel, Sister Souljah possesses the most passionate and articulate voice to emerge from the projects. Now she uses that voice to deliver what is at once a fiercely candid autobiography and a survival manual for any African American woman determined to keep her heart open and her integrity intact in 1990s America.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Feminine Mystique

Betty Friedan

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton & Company Amazon Marketplace: 100 new & used starting at $3.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Housewife phobia 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I have long avoided reading this book, since I knew that Ms Friedan had a low opinion of housewives, and being one myself, I didn't think reading this book would do me any good. However, I finally took the plunge, and found it even worse than I had imagined.

Ms Friedan's loathing for the housewife is so venemous that it took me quite aback. Housewives, she reckoned, are mentally arrested, infantile women, afraid to engage in the 'real world' of work (it goes without saying that the workplace is more 'real' than the home, at any rate in Ms Friedan's estimation).

Her theory was that any woman who spent her life as a housewife was wasting her time, only in paid work could a woman really find fulfillment. And not just any paid work either. She doesn't have a kind word to say for the men who work at jobs which are not exciting, fulfilling, and challenging either. The housewife is no more making a significant contribution to society, she tells us, than is the man imagines he has built a car because he tightens the bolts on the assembly line. It doesn't seem to occur to Ms Friedan that we can't all be brain surgeons, college professors, and high court judges. Someone's got to tighten the bolts.

Ms Friedan believed that the rash of divorces in America at the time she was writing the book (early 60s) were caused by men being sick of supporting their useless wives. However, since nowadays most wives work, and since the rate of divorce has not noticeably decreased, I can't help feeling that perhaps the zombie-like housewife is not ENTIRELY to blame for this situation. She thought housewives were to blame for child-battering and homosexuality as well. Neither of those things have noticeably decreased since women gave up being housewives.

Even women who are not housewives are not necessarily safe from Ms Friedan's icy disapproval. She launches an attack on Shirley Jackson and Jean Kerr, both of whom wrote sublimely funny books about raising their children. Ms Friedan seems to be annoyed that even a career woman might think that her children are worth writing about.

But then I'm only a dumb housewife, what would I know?

Editorial Review:

The book that changed the consciousness of a country—and the world. Landmark, groundbreaking, classic—these adjectives barely describe the earthshaking and long-lasting effects of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. This is the book that defined "the problem that has no name," that launched the Second Wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with its insights into social relations, which still remain fresh, ever since. A national bestseller, with over 1 million copies sold.

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women

Geraldine Brooks

List Price: $22.95 By: Doubleday Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $1.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 142 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

nine parts of desire...ten parts intrigue 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Geraldine Brooks takes us inside her personal trip trough the Islamic world and gives as close to an UNBIASED view of the treatment of Islamic women that i could imagine. she is careful to point out the reasons that are given for wierd practices. She doesn't shy away from her disgust for certain treatments.

For example the propagation of so-called "honor killings" that still take place all over the world, as well as many other ways women are opressed in the mainstream Islamic world.

O by the way the writting style is smooth and easy to read. You can really enjoy this book even though the topic is sad the way it is told is great!

Islam Means Submission 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is just one of the facts that I learned from this book. It became not just a fact but an insight as I continued reading it.

The book's excellence is demonstrated in that 13 years after its publication it is still being read. Its continued relevance is evidenced by so many current reviews here on Amazon. Since its publication there have been many books on this topic, including social studies and personal narratives, but this one still stands out.

Brooks spent 6 years in traveling to Middle Eastern Islamic countries covering the plight of women. While there is a chapter on Queen Nour, the book is primarily on the many anonymous middle class women who must submit to decisions about their lives, their health, their time, their children, where they can travel and even their dealth, all made by men. These men are not required, and most are not conditioned to, value her or consider her opinions or needs. They seem to be driven by their "honor" which is reflected by how well she masters the art of submission.

Brooks gives the clearest presentation I've read on the origins of the anti-woman practices that are permitted. She describes Mohammed's relations with his wives and the aftermath of his death which set the stage for others to interpret and misinterpret his words and actions.

The last chapter, where the author summarizes the issue and the lack of attention it receives world wide is pithy and strong.

Editorial Review:

An intimate portrait of the lives of modern Muslim women reveals how male pride and power have distorted the message of Islam to justify the subjugation of women and how a feminism of sorts has flowered in spite of repression. Tour.

Fascinating womanhood

Helen B Andelin

By: Pacific Press Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $9.71

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 167 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

How to Make Your Marriage a Lifelong Love Affair

What makes a woman fascinating to her husband? What is happiness in marriage for a woman? These are just two of the questions Helen B. Andelin answers in the bestselling classic that has already brought new happiness and life to millions of marriages.

Fascinating Womanhood offers timeless wisdom, practical advice, and old-fashioned values to meet the needs and challenges of today’s fascinating woman. Inside you’ll learn:

∑ What traits today’s men find irresistible in a woman
∑ How to awaken a man’s deepest feelings of love
∑ Eight rules for a successful relationship
∑ How to rekindle your love life
∑ How to bring out the best in your man—and reap the rewards
∑ Plus special advice for the working woman—and much more!

Fascinating Womanhood offers guidance for a new generation of women—happy, fulfilled, adored and cherished—who want to rediscover the magic of their own feminine selves.

A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps Workbook

Stephanie S. Covington Ph. D.

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hazelden Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $5.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Women's recovery can differ from men's, and each person's recovery is in many ways unique. That's why Stephanie Covington has designed this workbook to help a woman find her own path-and find it in terms especially suited to the way women experience not just addiction and recovery but also relationships, self, sexuality, and everyday life.

Deepening and extending the lessons of a book that has helped countless women, this workbook makes A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps that much more measured, meaningful, and clear. Unlike many "rewritten" Twelve Step interpretations for women, this guide works with the original Step language, preserving its spirit and focusing attention on its healing message. In sections devoted to each of the Twelve Steps, Covington blends narrative, self-assessment questions focused on a feminine definition of terms such as "powerlessness" and "letting go," guided imagery exercises, and physical activities.

Designed to be used in conjunction with A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps, this workbook helps deepen and extend understanding of the lessons taught there and further empowers each woman to take ownership of her recovery process as well as her growth as a woman.

A clinician and past consultant at the Betty Ford Center, Stephanie S. Covington, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is the author of A Woman's Way Through the Twelve Steps, Leaving the Enchanted Forest: The Path from Relationship Addiction to Intimacy, and Awakening Your Sexuality: A Guide for Recovering Women.

Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts : Using the Power of Pleasure to Have Your Way with the World

Regena Thomashauer

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $4.68

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Stupid 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I've never given a book a one-star review before. The one star is for the exercises in the book but the writing itself is awful. What a waste of money. I'm not even going to give this one to the library -- it's going straight into the recycling bin.

A Classic on Man/Woman Relationships and Pleasure 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I love Moma Gena's attitudes about having more fun and pleasure for both the man and the woman. What happens outside the bedroom clearly translates into the bedroom. This book is one of my favorites!

Attracting What You Want, Just by Being Female 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It was the pink cover that attracted me. I picked it up, and put it down a few different times.

I ended up reading the book over the course of one week, while relaxing each evening in a perfumed bath. How fitting, since the book is all about pleasure. Specifically, female pleasure - of every kind.

Having my way with the world - radiating joy and pleasure as a means to attract, to draw wonderful things toward me--how revolutionary! And better, so much better than what's currently playing on the "female misery" channel!

I tried out Mama Gena's suggestions - "pleasure exercises" mainly because they seemed like fun. People in my world, even strangers, began to respond immediately, treating me like a delicious dish that they could not get enough of ... Just as Mama Gena predicted.

It's quite the adventure, learning to use fun and enjoyment as the barometer for how to lead one's life.

I noticed a copy of this book in my local bookstore yesterday, the last one left on the shelf. Pink as ever, and just as alluring. I'm saying to you now: why not take it out for a spin?

You'll be amazed at how much fun and pleasure can be squeezed into the most ordinary day.

Turn off the "female misery" channel once and for all - and start really living.

Editorial Review:

Relationship expert Regena Thomashauer teaches the lost "womanly arts" of identifying your desires, having fun no matter where you are, knowing sensual pleasure, befriending your inner bitch, flirting (in a way that makes your day, not just his), and more -- because making pleasure your priority can actually help you reach your goals. So if you need a refresher course in fun -- and you know you do -- come to Mama.

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History (Vintage)

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good, if incomplete, overview 4 out of 5 stars.
22 of 24 people found this review helpful.

I've seen thousands of those bumper stickers and t-shirts stating (incorrectly, as it turns out), "Well-behaved women rarely make history." (I interned at NOW years ago, and they were everywhere!) Learning the source of the quote, which Ulrich explains in her preface to this book, was alone worth reading this book. From such humble beginnings it came!

Ulrich may have bitten off more than she could chew, though, with writing this book. In her attempt to assess the accuracy of her now-legendary quote, she focuses on three prominent female figures in history: Christine de Pizan, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Virginia Woolf, then branches out with anecdotes from there. Clearly she had to narrow her focus; "women's history" is too vast and varied to be condensed into a single volume. (In that regard, look at what grade school textbooks have done to American history!) But Ulrich's choice of focus seemed arbitrary and, despite occasionally short forays elsewhere, was distressingly White and Western. Even the torso on the cover is White! Anyone considering writing a similar book in the future, I beg of you: remember to be inclusive! If you can't meet the goal of inclusivity in your target page length, perhaps you need to re-think the whole idea of your book.

So why do I give this book 4 stars despite my criticism? First of all, because any book that aims to tell the stories and histories of women deserves to be read, for reasons Ulrich details excellently in this book. Second, I enjoyed learning more about Christine de Pizan and Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Pizan because I'd never previously heard of her, and Stanton because she was complex (and controversial) far beyond her enduring fame as a suffragist.

In sum, this book is a recreational (and educational) read for those interested in the topic, but it should not be a primary source for learning about the histories of women.

Editorial Review:

"A bravura performance. . . . Ulrich is brilliant here. . . . Few have done as much to so profoundly enrich and enlarge our vision of the past."
—The Boston Globe

"The book is a pleasure to read. . . . Ulrich's style is plain and direct."
—The Washington Post Book World

"Ulrich writes with deep insight and humor about subjects that touch our daily lives."
—The Washington Times

Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture

Ariel Levy

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Free Press Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $7.10

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 104 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Girls in Reserve 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Whenever I read essays like Ariel Levy's "Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of the Raunch Culture" I only regret that the author could not see into the future. Joe Francis, the creator of Girls Gone Wild videos, went to prison for tax evasion and drug trafficking charges related to prostitution. He was also a hero in prison. I've written a book of poems called "Atlantis", about the modern world's resemblance to the society of the lost continent of Atlantis. Big deal. I also read a book called, "On Blondes", in which the author, Joanna Pitman, relates how in ancient Rome, women used to dye their hair blonde with horse's urine. I think we are battling human nature. The Women's Movement brought us a long way, baby, and we still have a way to go. When I see the girls in GGW commercials hiking up their shirts, I recall the line in Altered States, "We spend most of every day just trying to prove we're alive." I hear the girls, "Here I am! I exist in this moment in time, this is my chance to show everyone how beautiful I am!" I also remember, because I'm old enough, when Johnny Carson used to cover a female guest's cleavage with a handkerchief. Now, we have news anchorwomen in push-up bras. We need to teach little boys right away, and I'm not the first to say that! They will never NOT love the female body, but we can teach them to respect it - and I actually know a few mothers who have taught their children well. Some girls are in reserve for the future. They keep their shirts on, even in searing New Orleans' heat while they spend their Spring break helping to build homes with Habitat for Humanity.

Editorial Review:

Meet the Female Chauvinist Pig -- the new brand of "empowered woman" who embraces "raunch culture" wherever she finds it. In her groundbreaking book, New York magazine writer Ariel Levy argues that, if male chauvinist pigs of years past thought of women as pieces of meat, Female Chauvinist Pigs of today are doing them one better, making sex objects of other women -- and of themselves. Irresistibly witty and wickedly intelligent, Female Chauvinist Pigs makes the case that the rise of raunch does not represent how far women have come; it only proves how far they have left to go.

Praying for Purpose for Women: A Prayer Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever (Pathway to Purpose)

Katie Brazelton

Amazon Price: $11.69 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks By: Zondervan Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

You Can Discover Your Purpose! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This devotional is excellent! I have enjoyed the layout which offers biblical examples, as well as everyday life examples and questions for personal contemplation. Dr. Katie Brazelton writes in a way that relates to women in all seasons of life. This devotional can help you press through the distractions and clear out the clutter to see where you've been and where you are at. As you work through each day of the devotional, and seek the Lord, you will discover where you are going, and the purpose He has for you.

Life Changing Questions 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

In Praying on Purpose, you are asked for insights, prayers and action steps. As I read the stories, struggles and sucesses of other women I was amazed at how many insights were there for me.... This book was very inspiriational and a great devotional tool that I will read and re-read..

Editorial Review:

This 60-day prayer experience will guide you to ask God to mentor you in your life’s purposes. Included are insights from modern-day role models, examples of biblical characters, specific questions to ask yourself and to seek God’s answers and an eye-opening analysis of your life patterns and purposes.