misajane79's reviews
1586 reviews

bought this book because she talks extensively about one of the magazines I studied for my thesis. The book did not disappoint, but she didn't answer all the questions I still have about the Half-Century. Probably best for history nerds.

I really enjoyed this book--it was a fascinating journey into the mind of an autistic boy. But the ending fell flat. I wasn't expecting happiness or the main character to conquer some of his difficulties, but I was expecting something else.

This book has been recommended many times by people I trust quite highly (the betsy-tacy list), but it didn't quite do it for me. I finished it because I was curious, but the whole fairyland and the fairies being mean and. . . It just wasn't for me. But I did like the main character, which is also part of the reason I managed to finish it.

A great memoir written by the daughter of immigrants, who grew up in the 1930s. A great study in the culture clash between immigrants and their children, a smart independent woman, and finding an education when all the fates are against you. She went on to become a fairly prominent artist, specializing in pottery.

Neither great nor terrible, this is a mildly amusing gothic boarding school tale. A little ridiculous at times, but entertaining. I might eventually check out the sequel from the library, but I won't be purchasing and the book won't stay on my shelf. This seems like a nit-picky complaint, but I couldn't get over the size of the font--here's this ultra-YA book with dark serious themes, and it's a font size that can be compared to Besty-Tacy--a book about five year olds. It made no sense.

Written decades before Uncle Tom's Cabin, this book led to Child's virtual ostracization (she was already a popular novelist and writer of domestic guides). It's an amazing work, especially when the full context is taken into account. It was written in 1833 and written by a woman--she frequently apologizes for "being so bold". Worth reading, especially if you're interested in the abolitionist movement.

Such a great book! It's very personal, and not unbiases--which is the main part of the fun. I love Katharine Hepburn anyway, and it's good that I didn't read this with my netflix queue in the same room. If you're at all interested in Hollywood history, this is a must read!

One of my favorites--looking at the settling of the West through a child's eyes is a very different story indeed. This is a classic.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages, and I can't believe it took me so long to pick it up! The basic argument is that during the late 19th century, museums and universities were fighting it out to see who would be the dominant American intellectual institution. How would knowledge be organized? How would the public be taught? The repurcussions of all of this are things museums still struggle with today.

I read it during college, but it wasn't assigned. It's a seminal work in women's history--one of those great books that takes one "little" life and expands upon it to reveal amazing things about history. A great book to make the argument that you can learn a lot about American history when you start studying women's history.