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Women in History

On the Basis of Sex

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On the Basis of Sex Directed by Mimi Leder
Format: DVD
Who it’s for: Adults

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the second female to become an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. There have only been four women in this position in our great country’s history. This in itself is remarkable.

What is also remarkable, as On the Basis of Sex highlights, is the fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the only women in her law school class at Harvard. Before starting law school, Ginsburg earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and became a wife and mother. Ginsburg’s husband Martin, also attended Harvard Law School (in a class ahead of hers) and became ill during his final year. While Martin Ginsburg recovered from his illness, Ruth attended her husband’s classes, as well as her own, and helped him study so that he could earn his law school degree. When he graduated and took a job in New York City, Ruth Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School and earned her law degree there.

Having trouble landing a job in early 1960’s New York, in a male dominated profession, Ruth turned to academia. What is remarkable here is that Ruth did not give up. She became a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School where she was a strong supporter of women’s rights and gender equality.

On the Basis of Sex, tells this small portion of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s professional story. The movie highlights her strength of character as she fights to end not “sex” discrimination, but the more favorable term “gender” discrimination. The movie presents a strong woman role model, but also reveals how much Ruth’s husband Martin loved her and supported her career.  As a supportive married couple, the Ginsburgs were an important part of our country’s legal history.  This is an excellent movie! Find it on DVD.

 

The Spymistress

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The Spymistress by Jennifer Chiaverini
Format: Book
Who’s It For: Teens and Adults

Elizabeth Van Lew is true to her southern roots. Yet when delegates in Richmond, Virginia vote to secede from the Union, Elizabeth cannot bear to contribute a stitch to Confederate sewing circles. How can Lizzie aid President Lincoln?

After hearing of bloodied battles, Lizzie discovers that local prisoners of war live in squalid conditions. The food is inadequate. Blankets are nearly nonexistent. Wounds are often left to fester and worsen. Intrepid and creative, Lizzie and her mother bake their way into the prison, bribing guards to reach those behind bars. Soon Lizzie is smuggling messages to and from imprisoned leaders.

As the war continues, Lizzie must protect her family from possible deadly repercussions.  She holds dinner parties for Confederate leaders to obscure her true allegiance.  She enlists the help of a freed black woman to ferret out military secrets within the Confederate president’s home. Lizzie and her mother have a secret room built in their mansion.  They temporarily house runaway prisoners and slaves. Also, Elizabeth is introduced to a network of other spies in Richmond.  Together, they smuggle, confound, and plot for the sake of the Union.

Although this is a fictionalized account, Elizabeth Van Lew was an actual person in history. Through her eyes, the reader experiences this unique time in which our country was fiercely divided in its loyalties and devastatingly bloody in its consequences.

And look!  It’s in our catalog!

Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World

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Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Little Dreamers is a collection of true stories about the women creators, inventors, scientists, artists, and thinkers who changed the world with their ideas. From computer programmer Ada Lovelace to activist Wangari Maathai, this book tells the inspirational tales of those women whom perhaps were previously left out of history’s spotlight. The contributions of these women had profound influence in their respective cultures and ultimately helped to shape our world as we know it today.

The recognition given to each of these women’s accomplishments is presented by Vashti Harrison in a format that is both informative and succinct which would appeal well to the younger, targeted age group. However, I do believe that this could be an enjoyable book for readers of all ages. Harrison’s stories paired with her charming illustrations create a visually appealing timeline; one can flip through the book noting the distinct changes to the illustrations for each woman. While each woman is artistically rendered to represent her unique self, there is a standard stylistic format the author uses for her illustrations which implies that these women are of a strong and singular power. I found this book important because it reminds young audiences us that even the visionary, trail-blazing women of history were all once little dreamers, who dared to dream big.

Find it in our catalog.

Varina

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Varina by Charles Frazier
Format:  MP3 Audiobook
Who it’s for:  Adults

This book, written by the author of Cold Mountain, is the story of Varina Howell Davis, the wife of the only president of the Confederate States of America.  At 17, Varina Howell marries Jefferson Davis who is 19 years her senior.  Years after their marriage (based on an arrangement rather than love), Davis becomes the president of the Confederacy.  The book transports you to a time in our nation’s history when the Confederacy rises and then takes a catastrophic fall.

As an older woman, Varina reflects upon her young married life, her life as the wife of a politician, and her life as a young mother who grieves the loss of several of her children who died at young ages.  She explains in detail her escape from Richmond with her surviving children, as Union soldiers pursued her for being the wife of the treasonous Confederate president.   Varina details the resulting captivity of herself and her children, and what her life was like during the imprisonment of her husband.  Through Varina’s story, the reader is able to see the harsh reality of what life would have been like at the end of the Civil War.

I listened to Varina through our library’s Overdrive app.  Although I felt like the very beginning of the book took some time to get into, I quickly found myself wanting to listen continuously, in order to see what would happen to Varina and her family next.  When the book was finished, I felt compelled to research many of the events and characters mentioned in the story and their significance in our nation’s history.  I would highly recommend the book.  You can find Varina in book, book on CD, ebook and audio book form.

Find it in the catalog.