Boston: Beacon Press, (1996). Hardcover first edition - A diverse collection, arranged by topic, which "includes the work of well-known authors such as Toni Morrison, Adrienne Rich, Alice Walker, Amy Tan, and Gwendolyn Brooks, along with several new voices, many appearing in book form for the first time. Writing as mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, lovers, and friends, these women represent a cross-section of religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic classes. In their essays they discuss nearly every conceivable issue permeating contemporary American female life?family and relationship dynamics, birth and death, infertility, sickness, the violation of rape, the complexities of ethnic identity, discrimination and stereotyping, and 'finding oneself' in today's world. Especially notable are Betty Friedan's 'Thoughts on Becoming a Grandmother,' Jane Slaughter's 'A Beaut of a Shiner,' and Maya Angelou's 'The Deterioration of My Marriage'." (Library Journal). Other authors include Sandra Cisneros, Annie Dillard, Linda Hogan, Terry Tempest Williams, Dani Shapiro, bell hooks, Cherrie Moraga and many others. Notes on contributors. xvi, 310 pp. ISBN: 0-807063460.