Janet Allured

This book is a collection of essays on various exemplary women of various backgrounds (from the African American slave to slave owner and plantation mistress Marie Therese Coincoin to the rich white historian Grace King) throughout Louisiana's history. It is edited by Dr. Janet Allured and Dr. Judith F. Gentry who both hold Ph.D.'s in History which is a great start in assessing the accuracy of this collection. Each essay is taken from a different period in Louisiana History and each essay has its own citations at its conclusion. The sources are largely primary and stand up to fact checking done by this author (BA in history from University of New Orleans) The book also has acknowledgements and a very in depth index. Since this is a collection of essays it cannot be rated so much for the content as it is rated on its selection and the method of presentation which both are free of any sort of biases, inconsistencies or anachronism, and both utterly amazing. The aim of the book is to tell the story of these exceptional women of Louisiana's history. In examining these essays the reader is given a vivid picture of the times in which these women lived. What is most interesting is that this picture is from the woman's perspective which, is sadly most often overlooked or is relegated to conjecture and speculation (usually that of MALE historians) The variety of styles, perspectives and voices is both refreshing and wide in scope. I will make it a required reading in ANY Secondary AP Louisiana History course.… (más)