| Top 100 in Women's History |
It must be the millennium fever in the air -- this tendency to summarize history in "top ten" or "top 100" lists.
The recent release of lists of "top 100" fiction and nonfiction books, "top 100" films, "100 most influential people of the millennium," and others, have prompted me -- and, I'm guessing, many of you who are interested in women's history -- to notice significant gaps. Few women authors were included in these lists.
Earlier, I reviewed Time Magazine's "Time 100" pioneers of the 20th century, noting the twelve (yes, only twelve!) women mentioned in the categories already published. When Time publishes the last category, "Heroes and Inspirations," I'll update that list and add any women they honor as heroines -- I'm guessing Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be there.
I've even found a timeline on the net (the location shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) of turning points in the 20th century which managed to list few of the critical turning points that have affected women's lives and general culture. Marilyn Monroe's birth and death are listed, but not the victory of the women's suffrage movement with the 1921 passage of the 19th Amendment, nor the 1960s women's liberation movement (the civil rights movement IS mentioned). The publication of Winnie the Pooh is mentioned, but not Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique.
I wrote last month about the Barbara Walters ABC-TV special honoring 100 Women of the Century. What a refreshing change, even though the list was heavily slanted towards women in entertainment!
The New York Times Magazine has done two issues attempting to summarize the millennium. While the first issue, focusing on "best stories, best inventions and best ideas" had proportionately few women mentioned, the second issue focused on "the shadow story of the millennium": Women! Issues included the current rapid change for women around the world, a readable but sophisticated discussion of why women's history doesn't necessarily match the milestones of traditional history, images of women through the work of women artists, and others. I particularly enjoyed the balance struck by the author of the article on the sufferings of mystic saints, including Catherine of Siena, which reported on serious women's history research and used these conclusions to illuminate important women's issues today, discussing the seeking of salvation through suffering, including anorexic practices.
Books like Constance Jones' 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Women's History (1998) and Christine Lunardini's What Every American Should Know About Women's History: 200 Events that Shaped Our Destiny (1997) are helpful in balancing the record. Brief summaries of events and women's lives, these books make up in their wide range of subjects what they lack, understandably, in depth.
Our Turn
It's our turn, now, to add to the lists. Who or what would you add to these lists?
- 100 Most Important Women of World History
- 100 Books That Changed the World, by American Women
- 100 Most Important Non-Fiction Books by 20th Century Women
Author: Jone Johnson Lewis.
Title: "Top 100 in Women's History"
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