Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America

by Karenna Gore Schiff

Karenna Gore Schiff’s nationally bestselling narrative tells the fascinating stories of nine influential women, who each in her own way, tackled inequity and advocated change throughout the turbulent twentieth century.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett, who was born a slave and fought against lynching; Mother Jones, an Irish immigrant who organized coal miners and campaigned against child labor; Alice Hamilton, who pushed for regulation of industrial toxins; Frances Perkins, who developed key New Deal legislation; Virginia Durr, who fought the poll tax and segregation; Septima Clark, who helped to register black voters; Dolores Huerta, who organized farm workers; Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias, an activist for reproductive rights; and Gretchen Buchenholz, one of the nation’s leading child advocates.

Gore Schiff delivers an intimate and accessible account of the nine trail-blazing women who deserve not only to be honored but to have their example serve as beacons.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Womens, Feminism, American History, Womens Studies

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jake Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely well researched biography that gets a lot of mileage out of people that don't normally get high profile biographies by giving them each a deep but concise 50 some odd pages. Lots to learn here, and from a wide enough berth of American history that it can really give you a great perspective on America since the industrial revolution. This isn't women's history; it's just plain history.

The problem is that the challenge of the biographer is to be objective and present facts, letting those facts tell their own tale. Too often I feel the author here injects herself into discussions in a way that can only be described as speculation. While I agree with her opinions almost 100% of the time, it's difficult to not feel a bit talked down to when the objective facts were leading me in that direction already.

These interjections are at best an assumption that the reader doesn't understand what they're being told and at worst a cynical attempt to force modern political discussions into the lives of people who couldn't have possibly anticipated these debates. I tend to think it's more the former than the latter.

This is definitely a book worth reading, and if it had been more objective I could have easily given it 5 stars.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al Gore's daughter Karenna writes engaging mini-biographies of women, some well known but most not, who brought about change in America. I loved the stories and I learned a lot about the Gore family from little asides (all of which made me like and respect them even more than I already had). Karenna came across as quite a bit more substantial than I typically think children of famous people are--and also as someone I'd love to know.

[McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book. Incredibly readable, and it provides a fascinating series of inspirational stories of the capacity for an individual working at a grassroots level to effect real change in our society. From a history perspective, it is also a great overview of a number of battles for social justice in this country, most especially focusing on labor and civil rights movements.

[Dan Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

We will not be getting any reviews of this book from the new Republicans. Not guts enough. And it does take a lot of guts to read through these profiles. To live these lives, to live the lives these women strove to help also took guts, incredible, huge, lasting, heroic guts.
To throw one's self against union busters, against racists, lynchers, powerful landlords, fruit growers, corrupt police, sadistic Religious, and on and on; to devote one's life to thwarting evil, to championing the betterment of life for others: that all takes guts. From stories of 'Mississippi appendectomies' to the whining of slum lords these are stories of fights to improve the living standards---indeed, to even grant continued life---to the downcast of America. Stories of really making America better while showing ways it has been less than great. Stories the willfully ignorant do not want to read. Easier to continue thinking that our history is one unbroken journey from independence to...to what? When did we become less than great? When the Civil Rights Act passed? When gay marriage was recognized as legal? When the Federal Government formulated Social Security? When DDT was outlawed?

These short biographies shed light on our history; they make us feel how little we each do to make the world a better place.

Highly recommended.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book outlines the lives and contributions of nine American women who changed the country. Some of the women I had heard about before, others I had not. My favorite person to learn about that was featured in this book was Alice Hamilton. Hamilton was a physician who made tremendous contributions for toxicology and industrial medicine. I really enjoyed learning about all of these women.

I thought it was interesting that the author of this book is the oldest daughter of Al Gore. She did a wonderful job highlighting iconic and important American women that made big impacts on the country. She did a good job researching each woman and getting all of the important details and snippets of personalities out in this book.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you really want to know how women and children fare in this country, read this book. It's a collection of biographies of real women who spent or are spending their lives working to make the lives of women and children in America better. Well worth your time to read.

[K Steward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional and inspiring book. Each of the nine stories is a biography in itself.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying and illuminating mini-biographies of influential American women. Schiff captures lifetimes worth of on-the-ground dedication to improving lives.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the passages I read, but not very objective...? And I don't know if the point was objectivity or not, haha

[Musiquedevie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been telling my parents that as a history buff, I feel that I've received more of a true history education in just this one book than I did in all my years of schooling, college prep/AP history courses and all, hands down.

Karenna profiles amazing, trailblazing women such as Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mother Jones, Alice Hamilton, Virginia Durr, Septima Poinsette Clark to the woman I'm reading about now, Dolores Huerta. The struggles, the strife and the integral strength and courage that it took for these women to stand up for their rights, their beliefs and the issues that they took to heart to fight for is phenomenal reading. These women helped set the strong foundations that we as women, as people, take for granted today. From segregation, to child labor, to women's rights to immigrant workers' rights, to safe working facilities, these women took government and big business on and conquered in their own ways. The book tells their stories in such matter-of-fact ways that doesn't paint them as perfect heroines, but as heroines who helped establish rights for those oppressed. It's powerful stuff and their "badassery" really helped move women's rights ahead by lightyears, even if their personal issues weren't directly to fight for them. It's more of a history lesson than anything I've read before and seen on tv. You learn things in this book that history books probably would never touch. It's an amazing book and one I'll keep on my bookshelves proudly for a long, long time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother Jones, Ida Wells-Barnett, Dolores Huerta, Virginia Durr, Septima Clark, Frances Perkins, Alice Hamilton, Helen Rodriguez-Trias, Gretchen Buchenholz.

KGS profiles these courageous, progressive women, their activism, and their accomplishments in making the United States a better place. I had heard of many of them before, but the only one I knew much about is Frances Perkins, who was Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor and who was also the first female Cabinet Secretary. It was inspiring to read about these women -- all of whom became feminists at some point in their lives -- and to learn more about them.

Particularly when reading about the labor activists -- Jones, Huerta, Perkins, and Hamilton -- I thought that this would be a good book for people in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the U.S. who doubt the importance of unions and collective bargaining for our nation's, and particularly our people's, welfare.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book. Liked that it had a diverse selection of women. Was a good balance of academic and readable. Could have done without the side stories about the Gore family and Gore history,b ut that is really only the critique.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book profiles the lives and contributions of nine extraordinary women, ranging from radical poor and marginalized labor organizer Mother Jones to the educated and diplomatic first secretary of labor, Frances Perkins.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just saw something online that triggered my memory of this pretty outstanding book I read a couple of years ago. I'm not much for nonfiction, but the nine women profiled have truly amazing stories.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important and fascinating biography of women who were never mentioned in history class. Each biography reads like a well written short story.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned American History from a perspective I didn't know. The writing was dry, but I learned so much.

[N.M. Shevory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational! My high school English teacher purchased this gift for me for graduations. It's probably one of my most cherished books in my collection.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Your basic textbook reading.