We Are Our Mother's Daughters Book Review
The Interconnection of Women Through A Selection of Essays
Feb 21, 2009
The first role model that little girls have growing up is their mother. As little girls they follow their mom around and mimic the things she does. Cokie Roberts, an American news correspondent, knew that first hand and that was the purpose for writing We Are Our Mothers' Daughters.
A Woman's Place
In her book, Roberts’ examines how times have changed for women throughout American society. She explains her generation was pre-revolution; that they did not fight for equal rights. She says in 1964 when she graduated from Wellesley it was legal to discriminate against women. That summer the Civil Rights Act was passed. The class of ’64 was the first educated females to go into the workforce after the passing of the Civil Rights Act.
Roberts point out, that her generation now has grown daughters and that their daughters are now making their way through life by juggling work and family. It is evident how times have changed.
As Roberts goes through a woman’s life piece by piece she brings up the various roles of females such as
- politician
- soldier woman
- mechanic
- athlete
- scientist.
She states that since the first woman was elected to congress in 1917 woman’s issues were not easily ignored. Jeannette Rankin was from Montana and was one of the few states that allowed women to vote.
Roberts further states that, “Women simply experience life differently from men. And these mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives brought perspectives of those roles to governing.”
When Roles Change
One of the more sensitive subjects in the book was when Roberts’ daughter, Becca, decided to go to Princeton. Roberts’ sister, Barbara lived near by, so Becca decided to move in with her and commute.
Roberts goes on to say that while attending classes Becca helped her aunt campaign for Governor. Barbara lost the primary due to the fact that the two were enjoying each others company more than campaigning. All that would change when Barbara was diagnosed with incurable cancer and Becca became her aunt's caregiver.
Women as Journalist
Included in the book is a chapter on the female reporter. How could Roberts not have this subject in a book she writes? This section goes into a little more detail on the history of women journalists.
She explains the significance of the oil painting outside the Senate Family Gallery that depicts the meeting of the Electoral Committee of 1876. She noted that there were more women in the press gallery in 1876 then there were in 1976. She asked the guard why that was and he stated that in 1876 women had better handwriting than men, which meant the women were used as stenographers rather than reporters.
Roberts' shares that Eleanor Roosevelt would only let women journalist cover her press conferences. She goes on to tell the story of Anne O’Hare, a journalist who attended the First Lady’s press conferences. Her father deserted her mother and children when O’Hare was small. She says her mother supported her and her two sisters by managing a general store. Her mother also wrote poetry and traveled door to door selling it. She raised enough money to send Anne to college, which helped Anne get a job as Associate Editor of the Catholic Universe Bulletin.
Leaving a Legacy
Throughout this book Roberts talks about various women in all types of roles, but all were at some point daughters as she mentions in the Introduction. Some of the women were also mothers. As these women went on with their lives doing the best they could they hopefully left a legacy their daughters could be proud of. And learned that a woman’s place is any place and every place, any where she wants it to be.
Source:
Roberts, Cokie. We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters. New York, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2000.
