The Boundaries of Her Body: The Troubling History of Women's Rights in America

by Debran Rowland

Book Overview

Chicago-based writer, artist, and civil rights attorney Rowland covers the period from the 1600's to the early 1900s in the first section, then examines developments in the 20th century in a long second section. Final sections look at the politics of female adolescence and violence and women, mainly as contemporary issues but with some historical c

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1572483687
• ISBN13: 9781572483682
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Sphinx Publishing
• Length: 788 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

superb legal reference for everybody

I picked up Rowland's new book because of it's topic on the history of women's rights, but I bought the book for it's extensive footnotes and excellent documentation. As many other readers have noted, Rowland writes in a language we all can understand and with such enthuasiasm that we all can share for the topic. What few writers talk about is that women's history is NOT and should NOT BE studied as a line of progress until we are all "liberated" by the 21st century. There's still a long way to go and the history of any demographical group has NEVER been more complex than that of women in global cultures. What Rowland writes in this book is not a cozy bed time read, but an empowering, disturbing, amazing, narrative of the twists and turns of the legal battles that have created the status of women in America as we know it today. What bothers me is that readers have dismissed Rowland's book simply because she is pro choice and does not write with a bias against abortion or contraception. It's silly to turn down such an important book as Rowland simply on politics, but unfortunately many people expect that history isn't accurate without it. If you want to read something white washed, conservative, elitist, and politically biased, read "American Heroines" by Senator Kay Balley Hutchinson. If you want to read something that's intellectally challenging, accurate, and well writen read Rowland.

The Boundaries of Her Body

I decided to read Boundaries of Her Own Body because as a woman of the twenty-first century I felt like it was my obligation to know the history of my own sex. Womens rights are sometimes completely ignored by society and by the world. Reading about my gender and how we liberated from nothing is nothing but remarkable. The author, Debran demonstates remarkable and thought provoking issues such as women and the constitution and women's rights after the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. I was very intrigued by the topic of the of women's history since I viewed the liberal movie Iron Jawwed Angels. I was excited to read Boundaries of Her Own Body because of the numerous topics and how diverse the topics were. They were not all about a certain race, there were topics that impacted Cauasians, blacks and every race in-between. My favorite topic was chapter five which was titled "The Birth Control Debates Begins". I foiund this to be the most interesting because in politics and in our society,women's rights to choose are always under fire from politicans and by the media. I think the most interesting subchapter was "How 'Choice' Became Law: 'Jane Roe' Takes on Texas". In this subchapter, it has remarkable and in-depth information about the landmark case in 1973. Also, another interesting topic that the book goes into depth about is the constitutional law cases such as Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton, just to name a few. So if you are into law or anything that changed society into the way we know it today, these chapters and book are benifical to you. As a high school student,I review some chapters still to get some backing on my political papers that I have to write for my classes so it can help you tremendously for your papers and your intelligence. I would highly recommend this book to a person who wants to know an indepth look in womens history. The fight that women have made to the point where we are now is remarkable. Since I have read this book I take a new appreciation about who I am as a woman. The battle for women's rights is an emotional roller coaster and this book is sure to bring you on the ups and downs of womens history.

Man's Perspective

A remarkably well researched book. Women's Rights can now be studied chronologically, as separate issues within the text and anecdotal studies illuminating both issues and the general concept of women's rights. I found particularly startling the section describing the victimization of(very)young females in an international, commercial sex trade. The chapter endnotes, while initially appearing quite daunting, do a good job of providing references for further study of the many concepts, facts and history that receive(understandably)truncated treatment in a chapter.

An authority in women's rights

The single best authority from which to begin or continue the study of women's rights is The Boundaries of Her Body. Ms. Rowland fills each page with rich history, thought-provoking analogies, and the most original points of view ever printed in any women's studies work. There are more than one's share of end-note referencing, which eliminates the frustration of not knowing where a piece of information comes from. This masterpiece is both the beginning from which one can continue learning about the developments(or lack thereof) in women's rights in America, and the culmination of so many well-articulated works and facts tied together in a way not seen until now. You will be brought through the journey that women have made since coming to America, and you will be forced to ponder why even the latest developments in the law work against the burgeoning woman. Be prepared to grapple with the contradictions that adolescent females must face in an already confusing time in their life and the violence from which few women are protected in the name of the law. The theme, in the words of the author, is "A debate over what a woman is, what a woman ought to be, and what a woman should, therefore be allowed to do." Get absorbed in this debate as Ms. Rowland so passionately does.

Amazing Overview of Women's Rights in the U.S.

This is an amazing and comprehensive book that describes the evolution and current status of women's legal rights in the U.S. It is a legal history, describing the major legal decisions that have generated and defined women's rights. The book describes these legal decisions in easy to understand language that does not oversimplify or condescend to the reader. It also puts these decisions in a social context, by discussing many of the societal events in which these legal decisions were made. Another reviewer complained about the use of statistics in this book, but I found no such problems. There are many statistics in the book and I generally found them to be illuminating. Overall, this is an important book that is worth the time of anybody who cares about what rights American women have and how they got them.