A Century of Women

The history of 20th-century American women is writ large and glossy in this attractive coffee-table book conceived as a companion to a television documentary. It skims a rich historical vein that includes labor struggles; fights for the vote, civil rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment; war work; and the second wave women's movement. Fiery quotes and many iconic pictures and eye-catching layouts conjure up women's lives in hot, crowded tenements, on dustbowl farms, working in the mills, or as political or popular celebrities. Some--such as Eleanor Roosevelt and birth control maverick Margaret Sanger--staunchly supported women's rights, while others--such as comedian Lucille Ball and assorted actresses--seem to have been chosen for box office appeal.