Gail Collins, New York Times columnist and bestselling author, recounts the astounding revolution in women's lives over the past 50 years, with her...
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Aug 19, 2011
Julie
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I like Gail Collins' columns so I picked this up, but did not expect to learn much that was new only because I've read a lot of post-WWII history and women's history. But I learned a lot! Collins weaves interviews she did with regular folks who lived through these times with reporting on the events of those years. I thought this approach gave the reader the best of both worlds--the broader picture, and the individual people moving through it. The sections on the 1960s and 70s were especially
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Feb 21, 2011
Florinda
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American society has changed at an amazing pace in the last fifty years, especially for women. In 1960, when Gail Collins begins the narrative of When Everything Changed, most white, middle-class women were married, stay-at-home mothers well before their thirtieth birthdays; they may have worked before they married, but their choices of acceptable careers were limited - sometimes by convention, sometimes by actual barriers to entry, including the law. It was more expected for poor women to work,
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Jul 01, 2011
Diane
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Gail Collins set a monumental task for herself when she decided to write When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. Collins is the former editorials editor of The New York Times and writes a column for the Times oped page. Her method of detailing the history of the second wave of the feminist movement is to include personal anecdotes of individual women with the historical events that marked and shaped their lives.
As a person who came of a More...
As a person who came of a More...
Feb 27, 2011
Keith
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I found myself chuckling at least once every time I read Collins' column in the newspaper, so I decided to try this book. I really enjoyed it, though I was a little disappointed to find it closer to a college thesis than a Molly Ivins-style romp (or a Collins-style romp, for that matter). Her humor is sprinkled through the text, but I think she toned it down out of respect for what she rightfully sees as an important topic.
Still, it was a good thesis--well researched, multifacteted i More...
Still, it was a good thesis--well researched, multifacteted i More...
Jan 27, 2011
Ken
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As a New York Times columnist I expected a very readable book but I never expected such a great book.
As a Young Adult Librarian I was asked to submit a couple of titles and short reviews for Women's History Month. It had to be recent and in many libraries of our system. I started to read it to see if I should include it and I found I could not stop reading it. The stories are personal and uplifting. I remember the times and I thought I understood what was going on, after all I am a child More...
As a Young Adult Librarian I was asked to submit a couple of titles and short reviews for Women's History Month. It had to be recent and in many libraries of our system. I started to read it to see if I should include it and I found I could not stop reading it. The stories are personal and uplifting. I remember the times and I thought I understood what was going on, after all I am a child More...
Jan 04, 2011
Laura
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I loved this book! Born in 1973, I'm too old to have learned about this time in history class (it was still new!) and too young to have lived through it. Reading this book made me feel like I'd taken a really great women's studies survey course about the US. It is both academic and readable covering political issues that stunned me (Republican women were in favor of the ERA), dramatic barriers women faced (no ability to go to graduate school, no ability to prevent pregnancy, no ability to pur
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Dec 08, 2010
Jrumrill
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I thought this was a pretty balanced portrayal of the journey of the women's movement and what became of it. I was very hopeful when I started the book that it would not be an "Amazing Journey of [white, middle-class, college- educated feminine mystique] American Women, and I was not disappointed. Collins wove together the expreiences of women from all social classes, racial backgrounds, levels of education, wealth, etc.
I was most excited to read the section about my generation of More...
I was most excited to read the section about my generation of More...
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Sep 12, 2010
John
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I learned a lot from this book, and unlike other books about women that I've started--but not yet finished--(Feminine Mystique, Second Sex) this one really grabbed me. It's a brisk read, funny in parts, and it deftly provides an overview of the seismic cultural shifts in American culture over the past fifty years.
In 1960, women had a small number of choices in life: get married and raise children, stay single and become a social outcast (this view hasn't been stamped out entirely), More...
In 1960, women had a small number of choices in life: get married and raise children, stay single and become a social outcast (this view hasn't been stamped out entirely), More...
Sep 03, 2010
David
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Long but readable survey of exactly what the title suggests. She works for the NY Times, and a lot of it read like quick summaries of Times trend stories, one after another (women outnumber men in college; highly educated women are opting out; Michelle Obama exemplifies the strain of trying to have it all..........). It's a book you could enjoyably read in any order, a little at a time. That is, there's not a close analysis of a particular topic or study or issue that you need to track (such
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Jun 21, 2010
From Musings:4 stars
This book is a modern history of women in the United States from 1960 through the 2008 US Presidential campaign. Gail Collins, the first woman to serve as editor of the New York Times editorial page, begins with a detailed review of the role of women, and societal attitudes towards women, in 1960. There were virtually no women doctors or lawyers. Television had taken the nation by storm, with 90% of American families owning a TV, and most programs portrayed the More...
This book is a modern history of women in the United States from 1960 through the 2008 US Presidential campaign. Gail Collins, the first woman to serve as editor of the New York Times editorial page, begins with a detailed review of the role of women, and societal attitudes towards women, in 1960. There were virtually no women doctors or lawyers. Television had taken the nation by storm, with 90% of American families owning a TV, and most programs portrayed the More...
Mar 07, 2010
Linda
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Gail Collins' new social and political history, "When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present," is not just an eminently readable book, it's a page-turner — and the perfect choice for International Women's Day (March 8). Though Collins doesn't appear to have left anyone or anything out — and has packed the volume with quotes and stats — the book is both fast-paced and entertaining. Having come of age during much of the history Collins writes a
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Feb 26, 2010
Elevate Difference
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Oh, Gail Collins, you had me at New York Times columnist. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived away from New York for so long now and have to read it online most of the year, but holding printed and bound words from a witty Times writer in a book that I can dip into for a few minutes, or a hour, whenever I like is brainy self-indulgence that I can say yes to.
My mother grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and I’ve always had a thing for vintage and retro pop culture. If this is you, too, you’ll quick More...
My mother grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and I’ve always had a thing for vintage and retro pop culture. If this is you, too, you’ll quick More...
Feb 20, 2010
When Everything Changed-the Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. By Gail Collins, narrated by Christina Moore, produced by recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.
Gail Collins is one of my favorite New York Times columnists. Her sharp wit and keen observations are very much present in this book. She starts out in around 1960-before the birth control pill, when a witness bringing in a traffic ticket to traffic court was scolded roundly for wearing slacks More...
Gail Collins is one of my favorite New York Times columnists. Her sharp wit and keen observations are very much present in this book. She starts out in around 1960-before the birth control pill, when a witness bringing in a traffic ticket to traffic court was scolded roundly for wearing slacks More...
Feb 02, 2010
Chris
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I've always thought of myself as "moderate" on most political issues, but recent conversations with co-workers have helped me realize my views fall squarely in the "liberal" category. So, when The New York Times gave a rave review to this book, I decided it was time to educate myself about some true liberals (or "libbers", as the case may be) and added it to my library hold list.
My first impression was the one I get from so many columnists-turned-book-wr More...
My first impression was the one I get from so many columnists-turned-book-wr More...
Oct 25, 2009
Ruth
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I loved this book. I was well written, with lots of stories of individual women that gave a personal touch to what could have been a dry history book. Being at the tail end of the baby boom, I'm of an age to remember most of what she wrote about. I found it interesting that she said something I've written before--that at least part of the women's movement happened because of the recession of the 1970's. Basically, it got to the point that in order to main the lifestyle to which they had become a
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Sep 05, 2010
Jan
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Unfortunately, I waited a very long seven months on the hold list at my local library to finally receive a copy of this book. Perhaps my expectations rose a little too high through this waiting period. I wanted to really, really like this book. I wanted to give it 5 stars. But I simply didn't think it was as great as I had anticipated.
I did greatly enjoy the first half of the book, where Collins explains where women's rights were prior to 1960 and what happened throughout the 1960s ( More...
I did greatly enjoy the first half of the book, where Collins explains where women's rights were prior to 1960 and what happened throughout the 1960s ( More...
Jan 10, 2010
Katherine
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I enjoyed this book in the same way I enjoy Gail Collins' columns in the New York Times each week: Collins' writes with an enthusiasm and a sense of care for her subjects that seems to have become lost or passe among may op/ed writers, yet she never loses her talent for witty and sharp observation, nor her ability to hone in on the important detail.
This is the history of the "Women's Movement" with a capital M and W. There isn't a lot here that I didn't know before, but th More...
This is the history of the "Women's Movement" with a capital M and W. There isn't a lot here that I didn't know before, but th More...
Feb 12, 2010
Matt
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A really solid, and satisfying read-- a coherent overview of the women's movement since the 1960s. I knew some of these stories, but the vast majority of them were new to me, and I feel like I have a much broader understanding of the subject matter than I did going into this.
It's hard, with a book like this, to really discern an argument-- if anything, it seems to be that the women's movement has really improved the lot and lives of women, and the last sections of the book, which docum More...
It's hard, with a book like this, to really discern an argument-- if anything, it seems to be that the women's movement has really improved the lot and lives of women, and the last sections of the book, which docum More...
Apr 02, 2011
Tad
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I probably would have never even read this book had it not my church book club's book this month. I am very glad I took the time to read it, though. It was a fascinating and engaging read. A lot of the stories and events in here I had heard about but it was good to hear personal accounts of them. I will confess to not really knowing about a lot of what she writes about in here. As a product of the 80s, I was fortunate enough to have grown up in an age when women already seemed to be equals in ev
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Mar 04, 2010
Grumpylibrarian
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I feel strongly that this is among the most important books I have ever read and perhaps is the most important book I will ever read. Collins gives shape to the early development of gender politics in America until present day, always giving credit where credit is due, always noting where mistakes were made, where improvement would have helped, where shortcoming existed, and where the future has to go.
Most importantly, Collins manages to emphasize the point that while a woman's lot More...
Most importantly, Collins manages to emphasize the point that while a woman's lot More...
Feb 07, 2011
Phyllis
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So much of this has happened in my lifetime. I can remember going to buy my first (used) car on my own in 1985, and the salesman asking me if my daddy was going to co-sign the loan for me. There I stood, college degree in one hand and downpayment I had earned in the other, and was being asked if my daddy was going to stand for me. Things have come very far, very fast. However, it's sad and scary the movie '9-5' could be remade today with updated fashions and little if no other changes to the scr
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Feb 24, 2011
Jenna
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Well, that explains a lot.
I also finally "get" the book Stranger in a Strange Land, which I was completely flummoxed by when I read it back in high school. The sci-fi story, written in the 60s, really shows more of the time it was written in than anything else. The notion of free love and the sexual revolution are obvious themes, and the treatment of women as suitable for supportive roles but never leaders is an attitude that permeates the entire story and is the main reaso More...
I also finally "get" the book Stranger in a Strange Land, which I was completely flummoxed by when I read it back in high school. The sci-fi story, written in the 60s, really shows more of the time it was written in than anything else. The notion of free love and the sexual revolution are obvious themes, and the treatment of women as suitable for supportive roles but never leaders is an attitude that permeates the entire story and is the main reaso More...
Aug 26, 2011
Woodall
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As a woman in her early 30’s, I feel that I have been blessed with many great opportunities in my lifetime. Privileges in which I would not have been entitled to if it were not for the struggles and perseverance of the generations before me. In her chronicling of American woman, Collins captures an interesting picture of a relatively recent American past. It is a past that I was aware of but a history that I had never really understood or even appreciated until recently in my life. Collins p
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Apr 05, 2010
Alex
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This was an interesting history of American women from 1960 to the present (as the title says!). I certainly learned some things I didn't know before, and felt grateful, as I always do, to be a women born in 1982, when many of the actions of the women of the generations before me came to positive fruition. In general, however, I found that this book would be much more enjoyable as an introduction to women's history over the past 40 years for someone who doesn't know a lot about the subject. Havi
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Jan 20, 2010
Kristen
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This history has received some criticism for not getting as worked up and fiery as the subject matter warrants. Overall, that objective tone made it even more appealing to me, but I wonder whether it's also why I read it unusually slowly. Along with working well as an introductory overview of the era, there are many examples ordinary individual lives that will be interesting to anyone. The book includes the first in-depth explanation of the ERA that I'd come across, including a profile of the re
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Dec 27, 2011
Janelle
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This isn't normally the type of nonfiction I choose, but my sister lent me the book last summer and I finally picked it up earlier this month. Two things prompted me to do so. First, I've been engaged in a learning series about Conflict and Resistance in the Middle East all fall, and women's rights issues have been commanding some of my attention. Second, I attended a program in October about the 10th president of Gettysburg College, who served 1961-77. As part of the program, history students
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Jan 31, 2010
Sharon
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An excellent book that presents the status of women in American from the 50's through the women's movement and beyond. Being "of a certain age" it was a stroll down memory lane for me...as vivid as some of the situations in "MAD MEN" the AMC series. I especially recommend this to women in their 20's and 30's who take for granted the opportunities they enjoy today.
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Dec 05, 2009
Matt
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While reading this book has gone a long way to impressing the women in my life, in all honesty, I picked it up solely because it was written by Gail Collins. I love her New York Times column, and expected more of the same extended for 400+ pages. While lacking some of the giggle-inducing snarkiness of her column, I was not disappointed. Prior to indulging I thought I was fairly well versed in the feminist movement of the last half-century. This self-assessment turned out to be woefully inadequat
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Jul 17, 2010
Billy
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Was useful in raising my consciousness, and I was won over to her thesis that the most drastic changes for women in American social, political and economic life happened rapidly over about two generations. There's a lot in here, but I was surprised to find almost nothing on the role of religion in enforcing traditional gender notions. Gail Collins has a talent for civility and charm even when disagreeing vehemently (see her joint online columns with David Brooks); the effect is of someone with
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Feb 05, 2010
Genevieve
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I thought I didn't need to read this book because I knew the history already. I was wrong. Collins traces the history of 2nd-wave feminism largely through first-person accounts (interviews, testimony, anecdotes), which gives this book a kick and vivid intensity that is particularly gripping for someone, like me, who wasn't around when all of this happened. There are definitely grounds for critiquing it--the structure can be a bit loose; there's stuff that gets left out--but overall it's a rou
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