Written by Herself: Volume 2: Women's Memoirs From Britain, Africa, Asia and the United States

Written by Herself #2

by Jill Ker Conway (Editor)

In this powerful new collection, the author of two of the most celebrated memoirs in recent years presents the autobiographical writings of 14 of her English-speaking predecessors and contemporaries. The women who tell their stories in Written By Herself, Vol. II represent three generations, four continents, and a range of experience that is equaled only by the diversity with which they transform life into literature.

Here are England's Vera Brittain, commemorating the deaths of the men she loved in the carnage of World War I; Emma Mashinini, who endured imprisonment and torture as a labor organizer in South Africa; Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, the daughter of Indian aristocracy who became an architect of her country's independence; and Edith Mirante, the wisecracking American whose passion for justice took her to the opium trails of Burma. Collected in this stirring volume, their voices demonstrate the ways in which women strive for power, inclusion, and autonomy-- and never fail to move, inspire, and instruct us.

Contributors Margery Perham,Isak Dinesen,Shudha Mazumdar,Vivian Gornick, Vera Brittain, Elspeth Huxley, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Gloria Wade-Gayles, Angelica Garnett, Emma Mashinini, Meena Alexander, Edith Mirante, Mary Benson, and Ruth First.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography, Feminism

688 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 1996

About the author

Jill Ker Conway was an Australian-American author. Well known for her autobiographies, in particular her first memoir, The Road from Coorain. She was also Smith College's first female president, from 1975 to 1985, and served as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2004 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading it slowly, like choosing gourmet chocolates from a 10-pound box....

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

unfortunately, my copy of this book has missing pages of Meena Alexander's and Vivian Gornick's memoirs ><

i enjoyed reading and learning from most of these women. i may start reading more memoirs as it shows how different lives are lived every day and that we all make similar decisions in the face of adversities--to persist despite it all. jill ker conway provides sufficient context and insights on the lives and writing styles of these women, but leaves room for readers to discover cultures and to read between the lines.

i have to mention, isak dinesen's memoir disrupts the flow of making a meaning and owning what you have. her tone is superior and clearly racist... :/

i adore emma mashinini's the most. despite being "uneducated", she managed to write an engaging and enlightening chronicle of her life from being in the background into the front lines of change. it was so honest.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less stunning than Vol I but well worth reading.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

KSKS