Women's History Book Reviews

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Developing Power
How Women Transformed International Development
Edited by Arvonne S. Fraser and Irene Tinker. Feminist Press, ©2004

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It’s hard to believe that women’s accomplishments from the 1970s and beyond can be documented as history, but indeed this is true. The authors, two well known activists of the period, have provided this service by encouraging twenty-seven women involved with various pioneering aspects of women’s development to write their memoirs. They chose women from a wide diversity of countries and fields, from those in educational development to those challenging international development institutions. Their stories are, of course, inspiring. But they also reveal how they, as women, managed to integrate work and family, thus dispelling the myth that career women cannot successfully do both.

Among many topics, readers will find information about the UN conferences for women, the expansion of women’s international NGO’s (non-government organizations), major global issues with regard to women, and, above all, the fascinating personal accounts of women who are true pioneers.