I Am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women in Their Own Words

GERDA LERNERWHY HISTORY MATTERSLife and Thought"With her customary brilliance and clarity, Gerda Lerner offers us her own story and in theprocess explains how history happens, is interpreted, utilized, transmuted into meaning andmemory, and denied and distorted by those with the power to do so. This book is a gift toall who hope to understand the role of the past in the present"—Letty Cottin Pogrebin."This moving collection of essays is testimony—if more were needed-—to the breadth ofGerda Lerner's spirit and her humane wisdom"—Linda K. Kerber, co-editor of U.S. Historyas Women's History: New Feminist Essays. In Why History Matters, Gerda Lerner brings togethersome of her most significant thinking and writing on history that she has done in herentire career. A founding member of NOW and a past president of the Organization ofAmerican Historians, Gerda Lerner is a pioneer in the field of Women's History and one ofits leading practitioners. Why History Matters is the summation of the work and thinking ofthis distinguished historian. $30.00, 288 pp.RACECHANGESWhite Skin, Black Face in American Culture"This rich and fascinating study testifies to the long history of white Americans' ingeniousand insatiable envy of blackness"—Barbara Johnson. Co-author of the influential TheMadwoman in the Attic, Susan Gubar now turns her attention to the incendiary issue of race.Through a far-reaching exploration of the long overlooked legacy of minstrelsy—crossracialimpersonations or "racechanges"—throughout modern American film, fiction, poetry,painting, photography, and journalism, she documents the indebtedness of "mainstream"artists to African-American culture, and explores the deeply conflicted psychology of whiteguilt. Drawing on a stunning array of illustrations, including paintings, film stills, computergraphics, and even magazine morphings, Racechanges sheds new light on the persistence ofracism and on the exciting aesthetic possibilities for lessening the distance between blacksand whites. $37.50, 336 pp., 96 illustrationsSUSAN GUBARMOLLY HASKfLL•HOLDING MY OWNIN NO MAN'S LANDWomen and Men and Film and Feminists"At their best, Ms. Haskell's essays not only make us rethink the history of women in film,but also provide a fresh, ideology-free look at the noisy gender wars"—Michiko Kakutani,The New York Times. "I can't think of a better way to refresh my mind than by readingMolly Haskell. She is the most sophisticated, well-informed film critic ofour time, and she has a genius for putting unconventional insight into witty,graceful, seemingly effortless prose. I read many of these pieces when they firstappeared with delight and discussed them with glee. Collected, the delightremains, the impact grows. Holding My Own in No Man's Land is a major statement—anda treat!"—Phyllis Rose. "Watch this elegant, razor-sharp mind weavethrough the forest of our prejudices—these essays interest, challenge, amuse, awake thedesire to give chase"—Anne Roiphe. $25.00, 216 pp.N E W; »© X F O R DAt better bookstores. Or call 1-800-451-7556 (M-F, 9-5 EST) OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS www.oup-usa.org