TAKING A STAND AGAINST SEXISM AND SEX DISCRIMINATION

An administrator at the Emma Willard School considers its connections with history--in a lively but impersonal cultural overview. While presenting the viewpoints of varied disciplines (anthropology, religion, statistics, education), Hanmer shows how historical thrusts like the drive for abolition and for women's rights were intertwined, She vividly portrays such figures as Willard, Stanton, Addams, and Friedan and clearly explains how history yielded ""women's"" professions--e.g., women came to the rescue as nurses during the Civil War. She does not, however, provide a handbook on effecting change. Perhaps the problem here is in the series title: little of this book is about ""Taking a Stand."" When the author cites young people who did make a difference, the examples are by first-name only, undated--and sometimes outdated (e.g., boys fighting to have a cooking class). Surely there are newsworthy teens who would be proud to have real circumstances described; it's a strange letdown and a contradiction. Illustrated with b&w photos. Bibliography; notes; resources; index.