About the book
In a compelling approach structured as theme and variations, Barbara Sicherman offers insightful profiles of a number of accomplished women born in America’s Gilded Age who lost — and found — themselves in books, and worked out a new life purpose around them.
Some women, like Edith and Alice Hamilton, M. Carey Thomas, and Jane Addams, grew up in households filled with books, while less privileged women found alternative routes to expressive literacy. Jewish immigrants Hilda Satt Polacheck, Rose Cohen, and Mary Antin acquired new identities in the English-language books they found in settlement houses and libraries, while African Americans like Ida B. Wells relied mainly on institutions of their own creation, even as they sought to develop a literature of their own.
It is Sicherman’s masterful contribution to show that however the skill of reading was acquired, under the right circumstances, adolescent reading was truly transformative in constructing female identity, stirring imaginations, and fostering ambition. With Little Women’s Jo March often serving as a youthful model of independence, girls and young women created communities of learning, imagination, and emotional connection around literary activities in ways that helped them imagine, and later attain, public identities. Reading themselves into quest plots and into male as well as female roles, these young women went on to create an unparalleled record of achievement as intellectuals, educators, and social reformers. Sicherman’s graceful study reveals the centrality of the era’s culture of reading and sheds new light on these women’s Progressive-Era careers.
Editions of Well-Read Lives
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807833087
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807839096
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890883407
- EBook
- ISBN 9798893133363
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469604152
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807898246
Read an Excerpt
In a compelling approach structured as theme and variations, Barbara Sicherman offers insightful profiles of a number of accomplished women born in America’s Gilded Age who lost — and found — themselves in books, and worked out a new life purpose around them.
Some women, like Edith and Alice Hamilton, M. Carey Thomas, and Jane Addams, grew up in households filled with books, while less privileged women found alternative routes to expressive literacy. Jewish immigrants Hilda Satt Polacheck, Rose Cohen, and Mary Antin acquired new identities in the English-language books they found in settlement houses and libraries, while African Americans like Ida B. Wells relied mainly on institutions of their own creation, even as they sought to develop a literature of their own.
It is Sicherman’s masterful contribution to show that however the skill of reading was acquired, under the right circumstances, adolescent reading was truly transformative in constructing female identity, stirring imaginations, and fostering ambition. With Little Women’s Jo March often serving as a youthful model of independence, girls and young women created communities of learning, imagination, and emotional connection around literary activities in ways that helped them imagine, and later attain, public identities. Reading themselves into quest plots and into male as well as female roles, these young women went on to create an unparalleled record of achievement as intellectuals, educators, and social reformers. Sicherman’s graceful study reveals the centrality of the era’s culture of reading and sheds new light on these women’s Progressive-Era careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Well-Read Lives about?
In a compelling approach structured as theme and variations, Barbara Sicherman offers insightful profiles of a number of accomplished women born in America’s Gilded Age who lost — and found — themselves in books, and worked out a new life purpose around them.
Some women, like Edith and Alice Hamilton, M. Carey Thomas, and Jane Addams, grew up in households filled with books, while less privileged women found alternative routes to expressive literacy. Jewish immigrants Hilda Satt Polacheck, Rose Cohen, and Mary Antin acquired new identities in the English-language books they found in settlement houses and libraries, while African Americans like Ida B. Wells relied mainly on institutions of their own creation, even as they sought to develop a literature of their own.
It is Sicherman’s masterful contribution to show that however the skill of reading was acquired, under the right circumstances, adolescent reading was truly transformative in constructing female identity, stirring imaginations, and fostering ambition. With Little Women’s Jo March often serving as a youthful model of independence, girls and young women created communities of learning, imagination, and emotional connection around literary activities in ways that helped them imagine, and later attain, public identities. Reading themselves into quest plots and into male as well as female roles, these young women went on to create an unparalleled record of achievement as intellectuals, educators, and social reformers. Sicherman’s graceful study reveals the centrality of the era’s culture of reading and sheds new light on these women’s Progressive-Era careers.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Well-Read Lives?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Gender studies, gender groups > Gender studies: women and girls
Where can I read a sample of Well-Read Lives?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807833087
How long is Well-Read Lives and how many pages does it have?
Well-Read Lives has 392 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Well-Read Lives?
Barbara Sicherman
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Well-Read Lives is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807833087) and paperback(ISBN 9780807839096) and ebook(ISBN 9798890883407) and ebook(ISBN 9798893133363) and ebook(ISBN 9781469604152) and ebook(ISBN 9780807898246)
Where can I buy Well-Read Lives online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Well-Read Lives from below
Where can I buy Well-Read Lives?