Book Description
When Confederate men marched off to battle, southern women struggled with the new responsibilities of directing farms and plantations, providing for families, and supervising increasingly restive slaves. Drew Faust offers a compelling picture of the more than half-million women who belonged to the slaveholding families of the Confederacy during this period of acute crisis, when every part of these women's lives became vexed and uncertain. Faust chronicles the clash of the old and the new within a group that was at once the beneficiary and the victim of the social order of the Old South.
Customer Reviews:
Roots of the "lost cause" mentality.......2007-07-31
Faust does not try to hide her sympathy for these women or admiration for those who were resourceful, nor does she pull any punches in revealing their selfishness. The point of the book, however, was not to solicit sympathy for upper class white women, but to illuminate their influence on the outcome of the war and on the mind of the south as it evolved after the war. The ladies deserve much of the credit--and blame--for the "lost cause" mentality that holds sway with many Southerners still today. For that insight alone we owe a great debt to Drew Gilpin Faust.
Academic But Still Interesting.......2006-07-13
Mothers of Invention is a very academic analysis of the impact of the civil war on the notions of role and gender long held by the upper class women of the old south. It rocked their world, that's for sure and it sounds as if they surely needed it. It is based on the contents of letters and diaries written by elite aristocratic women whose biggest concern about the war was that they were unable to attend social functions or obtain silk and satin for their dresses. Or that their husbands would die and not come back and restore their former way of life.
The subject of this book is a single class of women - rich, white, spoiled and utterly despicible. These women complainted bitterly of how the war effected their miserable self centered lives with little concern about the effects the war had on those who fought it and what they were experiencing. The war meant little more to them than a threat to their way of life.
Ms. Faust tries to portray her subjects as victims and prisoners of their circumstances but these women were anything but. They embraced the supposed chains that bound them and had little concern for the profound and widespread pain and suffering caused for millions of others as a result of the war they so glamorized and romanticized.
This book is rather tedious if you are not a fan nor speaker of that odd language known as academia (why in the world does she include long diary and letter passages in French?) But it has some very good moments and will give the reader new insight into how truly horrid those magnolia queens really were. Not even a feminist writer sympathetic to anything in petticoats can hide that fact; as much as she tries.
Well organized, but seems to be missing some material.......2005-03-06
The first thing to know when you pick up this book, is that first, it deals basically only with diaries and letters, and that probably only a woman interested in the history of women would be interested. The entire book is very...well, womanly. I did enjoy what I learned about Southern women (and believe me, it is ONLY slaveholding woman, as the title suggests), but I couldn't help but ask why Faust did not ever mention anybody over the age of about 30. If they don't have any records of any diaries of older women, she should have said so, because I was wondering about it the entire time. Basically it only covers how women felt about their husbands being gone (wanting protection, resorting to writing as comfort, scared about slave uprisings, etc) but hardly anything was said about SONS being gone. Where were they? And only a little bit more was said about fathers being gone. Over all, I did learn about women during the Civil War from the South, but only a very small portion of them. I would probably only recommend this book as an asset to research about women in the 19th century, or to anyone who wonders what else was going on in the country apart from the war.
Good, but a bit misleading.......2004-11-05
Reading this book, I got the impression that the author buys into the impression most people have of pre-war Southern women - the vapid Southern belle who basically did nothing until the war began, then suddenly she had to run the plantation. Not true! If one reads diaries and letters of the period, the daily running of the home was left to the women - managing the slaves (if the family owned any). Women handled a good deal more of the marketing and financial running of farms, especially, than is generally believed. Perhaps women weren't involved in politics, but the backbone of southern life was the home and that was the woman's province. Women proved their capability before and during the war by managing the homefront. As for refugees - the tales told by thousands of women who were forced to flee their homes are far in excess of the numbers suggested by the author. The worst atrocity of the war - the hundreds of women captured by the Union in Roswell, Georgia - is ignored. The author also suggests that support for the war by southern women waned as it went on, another questionable fact in light of the many diaries of the period and the tremendous outpouring of grief at the surrender. Most women couldn't bear to record the end of the Confederacy in their diaries and surviving letters are filled with bitterness. Still, this book is an excellent researcher. Also recommend Juanita Leisch's books on "Civil War Civilians" and "Who Wore What" although her fashion research should be taken with a grain of salt as it is theory only based on a sampling of period photos.
Excellent overview of elite women's Civil War experience.......2002-11-21
In "Mothers of Invention," Drew Gilpin Faust explores the ways in which the Civil War transformed traditional gender roles among middle- and upper-class southern women. Gilpin theorizes that Confederate women certainly were aware of the effect that government policies had on their lives-even if the leaders, at times, were not-and that women's views conscription, home defense, economic production and slavery influenced and, ultimately, undermined their support for the war.
Her key point seems to be that the war overturned the "social contract" in which elite women accepted subordination and dependence for male protection and privilege. Although men were off protecting their homes in the abstract sense, women were left to deal with the day-to-day realities of food shortages and an invading army occupying their homes.
Narrowing exceptions to the draft, the military's refusals to grant furloughs in times of great family need, and government policies regarding food requisitions especially galled women. Faust puts a particularly interesting gender perspective on the draft exemption for those owning 20+ slaves. Normally, this exemption is viewed solely in class terms: "Rich man's war, poor man's fight." Faust, however, brings attention to the fear that white women experienced being left alone to manage large slave populations without a man's help. Women feared murder and uprisings from a slave population that was growing increasingly rebellious. The priority ultimately given to equitably treating draft-age white men and the burden of managing slaves led to a decline in women's support for the slave system and for the Confederacy, she argues.
In addition to slave management, Faust explores other ways in which the war caused elite white women to step into traditional male roles. From the very beginning, secession and the war led to much greater involvement by women in the public sphere. Although politics had been considered the province of men, secession was a topic that no one could stop discussing-women included. The banding together of women to support the war effort also proved a new experience for southern women. Unlike their northern sisters, southern women typically had not been involved in social organizations before the war.
Faust's book includes a fascinating discussion about attitudes toward the refugee experience. In particular, she notes that becoming a refugee was the civilian equivalent of buying a substitute for the draft. A refugee, the term implied, had the money and connections to make a planned departure from home-often to protect property. In support of this view, she cites the diary of Mary Lee of Winchester, who disdained the term refugee in favor of "displaced person" to describe those fleeing with little in the face of the enemy.
"Mothers of Invention" contains one of the most interesting analyses of the hoop skirt that I have seen. Faust notes that the trend for full skirts, ultimately supported by hoops, coincided with the Victorian ideals of domesticity and women's separate sphere. The caged crinoline or hoop offered women a portable enclosed private space and the wide skirts symbolized a circle in which women were protected. In an era where upper-class women's sexuality was repressed, the style also hid and reformed female anatomy. The conspicuous consumption of fabric and the difficulty performing physical labor in these skirts made a class statement as well.
"Mothers of Invention" provides a good overview of the different ways that the war affected southern women's lives, including changes within the household, relations between husbands and wives, paid employment outside the home, the likelihood that young women would remain single due to the deaths of so many young men, religious views on the war, increased educational opportunities for women, dealing with Yankee men, etc. Her accessible writing style and use of interesting quotes and numerous pictures make this a relatively quick read. The book is well-organized with subheadings that make locating important points quite easy.
For those interested in exploring the southern woman's war experience, this book would be a good starting point for gaining some good general knowledge. Readers should keep in mind, however, that Faust is focusing on elite and middle-class women, and that the experiences and attitudes she describes do not reflect the lives of lower-class women.
Book Description
In Port Cities and Intruders, historian Michael Pearson explores the role of port cities and their orientation, relations between the coast and the interior, the place of the coast in the world economy, and the impact of the Portuguese in the early modern period.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1302 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Port Cities and Intruders: The Swahili Coast, India, and Portugal in the Early Modern Era.(Review) (book review)
Author: Ivana Elbl
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 2000
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 35
Issue: 2
Page: 392
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
The scientific correspondence of Watt, Black, Robison and others, together with James Watt's notebook of experiments on heat, edited by Eric Robinson and Douglas McKie.
The close friendship that grew up between Dr. Joseph Black, the discoverer of specific and latent heats, and James Watt, the scientific instrument maker who was destined to become perhaps the greatest engineer of all time, is in itself a dramatic relationship, not before fully appreciated, Here for the first time is the full text of all their surviving correspondence, known only fragmentarily before in J. P. Muirhead's Life and Mechanical Inventions of James Watt, and there rather freely amended by the editor.
The amazing range of Watt's interests--in the firing of delft and stoneware, the manufacture of alkali from salt, the invention of scientific instruments as well as the copying press, and many other matters beside the steam-engine--is revealed here. Watt's own position as a scientist and the quality of his association with Black in further experiments on latent heat are fully documented. But the correspondence is also valuable for the light it sheds on many aspects of life in Britain in the later half of the eighteenth century.
In addition, Watt's notebook on his experiments on heat, known before only through quotation, is presented complete. This is a primary source of first-rate importance to the historian of science.
Average customer rating:
- Trash Talk
- Trash Talk : A call to conscientiousness
- Book Review of "Trash Talk"
- Save money and help the earth
- Good for the Environment
|
Trash Talk: An inspirational guide to saving time and money through better waste and resource management
Lillian Brummet , and
Dave Brummet
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 141372518X |
Book Description
North Americans are overwhelmed by the immense environmental problems our world faces yet studies report that 66% would do more if they knew it had a measurable impact. Psychologists have long known that simply performing one small step will aid in defining a positive outlook on life and will inspire further participation from the individual.Trash Talk is about changing peopleÂ's mind-sets by providing thought-provoking ideas that inspire readers to participate from the ground level in their waste reduction efforts. All the ideas are relatively simple and do not require any special skills or tools.
Customer Reviews:
Trash Talk.......2006-03-22
Trash Talk
by
Dave and Lillian Brummet
Waste Not, Want Not - Benjarmin Franklin 1706 - 1790
Reviewed
by
Ameasha
Brown
This book was written out of a labour of love for Mother Earth. Dave and Lillian Brummetco - wrote Trash Talk with the hope of reaching others. By giving of their thoughts, ideas and resourses to heal Earth, they share with the reader facts, percentages and studies that were so carefully tried and proven. The numbers will stun you and the immensity of these tasks gives one pause. The book has part one through four filled with a wealth of knowledge for those who want to learn how they can do their part in giving back to the world around them. The three R's (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle) has been joined by a fourth R, Refuse. The fourth R is for refusing to buy fancy packaging and the process it takes to make them, which adds to our landfills. The three R's are certainly put into motion in this fasinating book. Dave and Lillian have gone as far as drawing diagram examples in their book Trash Talk. It is a great learning tool for youngsters to start getting involved in their ecosystem at an early age and discovering how they can do their part. I myself am very passionate about this topic and I was doing some of the same things that were mentioned, back in the 70's, but by reading this book I have learned many new things that I can put into practice today.
This book is one I strongly recommend to those that have the same endearment to Earth and can spread the word. Remember Earth is not ours ! We only borrow Her.
Authors of:
Trash Talk - An Inspirational Guide to Saving Time and Money through Better Waste and Resource Management. ISBN# 1-4137-2518-X
Towards Understanding - a collection of 120 poems on society, the environment and overcoming trauma. ISBN# 1-4137-9337-1 Release Date January 23, 2006
Members of: Seeds of Diversity Canada & The Recycling Council of BC
Trash Talk : A call to conscientiousness.......2006-03-02
Trash Talk
" North Americans account for only 8% of the world's population yet we produce 50% of the world's garbage and consume more than 35% of the its resources. Production processes in our society result in94% of the materials extracted turned to waste..." In light of such dire, disturbing statistics as this, the book Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet is a most welcomed resource for simple, easily assimilated time and money saving habits that actually make an appreciable difference in our planet's overall health.
Whether one is already a dedicated advocate of the 4R's of waste management, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, or a curious newcomer who appreciates conservationist ideals but has no real program in effect, Trash Talk is a detailed, well organized, thoroughly researched guidebook. The Brummets offer a wealth of information, not only about the harsh realities of how the rampant misuse of our natural recourses is rapidly depleting the world of its ability to support the excesses of the average North American lifestyle, but also provide many excellent suggestions as to how one might immediately start to effectively reduce one's own wastefulness and start enjoying the unexpected benefits of extra time and money to spend on more worthwhile activities.
Trash Talk is not the typical tree-hugger's tome commonly associated with the practice of conservation and recycling. In fact, Dave and Lillian place recycling at the bottom of their list of the 4R's, encouraging everyone to "shout with your dollars - demand to be heard." The Brummets recommend that the first step in reducing waste should be to simply refuse to buy products from companies that have wasteful processing policies, excessive packaging, and unnecessary energy expenditures. Buying in bulk diminishes the amount of packaging used, as well as, saving time spent shopping and traveling back and forth to the store. This is a very simple practice that a single city dweller or someone with a large family living on an organic farm could began to do and immediately realize the many benefits with the very first exercise.
Trash Talk is organized into four general sections, each one broken down into an extensive list of topics and items and how these everyday products not only waste limited natural resources but, for most people, limited resources of discretionary time and money as well. Drawing on their years of personal experience, Dave and Lillian generously share their ideas and suggestions based on extensive research and practical applications on how to reap the most benefits with the least amount of negative impact.
Part 1 offers suggestions on how everyday items found regularly in every household can be made far more economical and earth friendly through inventive and creative usage, minimizing the need for landfills and maximizing benefits. At the end of each discussion is a list of the immediate and long-term benefits that can be realized by implementing the simple but practical ideas outlined in the chapter.
Part 2 concentrates on the many opportunities that one has to make a positive impact on his or her immediate community as well on people they may never even meet through the wise and conscientious use of products that might otherwise be wasted. From donating items such as prescription eyes glasses to the Gift of Sight program to just basic good sense or good cents measures as Dave and Lillian call them such as turning off electronic devices when not in use and weather-stripping to reduce gaps around windows and doors, everyone can make a difference. Just by participating in these two projects communities can help the less fortunate and save a substantial amount of energy reducing the possibility of shortages and brown outs and the individual saves real money on utility bills. Good Sense earns Good Cents!
Part 3 is devoted almost entirely to reducing the wasteful consumption of paper products. "...62 million tress and 28 billion gallons of water were used to produce the U.S. mail - 50% of which was never even opened." The Brummets provide a list of contact addresses for direct marketers that can be used to effectively reduce junk mail by up to 75%. The savings in aggravation alone from all that unwanted mail clogging our mailboxes and littering our desks is well worth the price of this excellent resource book.
Part 4 is dedicated to instilling a sense of hope and inspiration, offering encouragement and empowerment to everyone attempting to make an effective contribution to the welfare of the world or, perhaps, just trying to provide a better environment for themselves and their families in their immediate community. Dave and Lillian provide an extensive list of websites to businesses, government services, and environmental agencies for anyone who wishes to have additional information on how they can become more active in promoting effective waste management programs in their homes, communities, country, or world wide.
Dave and Lillian have drawn from generations of practical experience and knowledge in compiling this extremely informative and helpful manual. Trash Talk is presented in such a practical and affable manner that this book is not so much a call to arms as it is a call to conscientiousness. Although the Brummets are passionate about talking trash, Trash Talk is a real treasure. Review by R. deVoll Fisher for deVoll Reviews Feb. 2006
Short review: Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet, PublishAmerica-2004,
Trash Talk
" North Americans account for only 8% of the world's population yet we produce 50% of the world's garbage and consume more than 35% of the its resources. Production processes in our society result in94% of the materials extracted turned to waste..." In light of such dire, disturbing statistics as this, the book Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet is a most welcomed resource for simple, easily assimilated time and money saving habits that actually make an appreciable difference in our planet's overall health.
Trash Talk is not the typical tree-hugger's tome commonly associated with the practice of conservation and recycling. In fact, Dave and Lillian place recycling at the end of their list of the 4R's, encouraging everyone to first "shout with your dollars - demand to be heard." The Brummets recommend the first step in reducing waste should be to simply refuse to buy products from companies that have wasteful processing polices, excessive packaging, and unnecessary energy expenditures. Buying in bulk diminishes the amount of packaging used, as well as, saving time spent shopping and traveling back and forth to the store. This is a very simple practice that a single city dweller or someone with a large family living on an organic farm could began to do and immediately realize the many benefits with the very first exercise.
Dave and Lillian have drawn from generations of practical experience and knowledge in compiling this extremely informative and helpful manual. They generously provide helpful advice and successful projects in Trash Talk in such a practical and affable manner that this book is not so much a call to arms as it is a call to conscientiousness. Although the Brummets may be passionate about talking trash, Trash Talk is a real treasure! Review by R. deVoll Fisher for deVoll Reviews Feb. 2006
(For the amazon.com editors, if you choose to reduce this review I wrote this review so that by using just the first paragraph and the last paragraph it still is a perfectly adequate review without compromising my basic ideals as you can see in the short review which I also encluded. I'll check back to see what is posted and design my future reviews accordingly thank you, deVoll)
Book Review of "Trash Talk" .......2006-02-02
Do you feel guilty when you throw away things like old brushes,
cloth, containers and soap? What...no guilt trip? Well, you may
change your mind after reading "Trash Talk".
I am amazed by the amount of research that Dave and Lillian have
don. This is a truly indepth study on dealing with waste and it
should be on everyone's bookshelf.
Trash Talk is full of wonderful ideas on how to re-use items such
as pieces of carpet, dryer sheets, nylons, plastic rings,
styrofoam and much much more, to make them useful again.
Besides saving money by re-using everyday items, the wonderfully
creative ideas in this book will be helpful to the environment by
producing less waste.
Each chapter ends with a special section on benefits from using
the ideas in that chapter by pointing out all the ways you've
saved money, improved on natural resources, saved time and
perhaps created a new gift.
This comprehensive, easy to understand, manual is recommended for
anyone looking to save money, improve their lifestyle and help
protect the environment. I know that I'll never again be able to
look at my used drying sheets in the same light! The money you
save by using some of these ideas will pay for this book many
times over.
Save money and help the earth.......2005-08-04
When I was very young, the authorities drained most of a small lake in the state park near my home. My mother took my best buddy and me out to the lake, and we walked around for hours picking up trash. It was a stewardship lesson I never forgot. To paraphrase Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday," I will treasure that time cleaning up the lake for as long as I shall live.
But, it was one of many lessons about being a responsible resident of the planet. I grew up in a home where we already practiced much of the advice in Trash Talk. That made us unusual, in a positive way. As an adult, I continue those same practices--because they are good for the earth and good for my wallet. They simply make sense.
I did learn some new things from Trash Talk, which in itself was a surprise because I am noted for being able to stretch a buck and not waste things. I like the ability to live cheaply without being a cheapskate to do it. Not all surprises are good, but this one was. And I've already begun implementing some of what I've learned. Even very frugal, waste-conscious people are likely to realize monthly savings in excess of what they paid for this book. The average person could easily save that much each week.
As a professional speaker on time management, I was delighted with the way the Brummets organized this book. The "don't waste" philosophy of Trash Talk also applied to the actual reading of the book. That shouldn't be surprising, as planning and organization are key elements of reducing trash and cutting costs.
Trash Talk explains the three Rs: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle. It then adds a fourth R: Refuse (as in, refuse to buy the wrong items). These principles form the foundation for the hundreds of useful tips in Trash Talk.
The book is organized into four parts.
Part One addresses commonly wasted items and explains how to reduce waste and extend the usefulness of each item. Every item has its own section, and each section ends with a bulleted list of the benefits from following the advice in that section. The items include such things as bags, carpets, cloth, containers, dryer sheets, furniture, glass, hangers, nylons, plastic rings, soap, and toothbrushes.
Part Two is less oriented around specific products and more around areas of concern. Each of these has its own section, as well (again, with those wonderful bulleted lists). Areas of concern include energy use, holidays, indoor air, infant and feminine hygiene, kitchen waste, organic gardening, and water use.
Part Three is really about saving trees. There's much more to this than most people realize. If everyone followed some simple steps, as outlined in Trash Talk, the benefit to our forests, streams, and air would be immense.
Part Four provides short examples of good things happening. The point of including these is to show that significant trash reduction is a reality for many corporations and other organizations. An extensive list of resources follows the examples.
Form is important and Trash Talk could use some editing. But even so, it was enjoyable read and easy to understand. This book is valuable, in many ways. First, remember that this book is a financial investment. It will pay dividends exceeding its purchase price, not long after you start putting it to use. Second, it provides badly-needed advice on how to be good citizens of the world. It's not a "feel good" book written by some politician or celebrity who wants to spout some politically correct blather. It's a practical "how to" guide written by people who walk the walk.
Buy this book for yourself. But also consider giving it as a gift to others. It may be one of the most durable gifts you have ever bestowed on another person. Your planet will thank you.
Good for the Environment.......2005-07-14
A great book on suggestions on how to reuse everyday household items instead of throwing them into the trash. If you want to do your part and help our environment, Trash Talk gives some excellent advice.
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Resources, Conservation & Recycling, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
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