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A review by olosta
For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts Advice to Women by Deirdre English, Barbara Ehrenreich
2.0
After a rather great and intriguing premise (woman's changing social position in light of the evolution of the economic market/changes of the social system), this book was quite a disappointment.
To mention two most prominent let-downs:
1. Factual inaccuracies and mistakes, which I noticed especially in the first quarter of the book. Firstly, the completely misleading numbers and facts regarding witch hunts in medieaeval and early modern Europe. Secondly, the picture of medical professionals in the same historical epochs. Both are topis I am interested in and know a bit about, and I was very put off by these mistakes.
Just to mention a couple: witches, especially in the beginning, were not predominantly women. On the contrary, the ratio was more or less 50/50 female/male (in some areas, it was even more men), and most of the witches were accused or religious haeresy (at the beginning). The punishment was not death, but most often monetary fine. Burnings and hangings mostly occured later, in Early Modern times. Also the numbers given of executed people is way blown out of proportions: it was not millions, but maybe ten thousands of people - during the whole time of persecutions. Quite a difference, I would say.
Another one, the book paints a very black-and-white and two dimensional picture of the medical practitioners in medieaveal and early modern times - it puts into stark contrast male medical "professionals" (i.e. doctors who were academically educated) and "peasant" female healers. There was a broad plethora of practitioners in between, and for long times they co-existed quite succesfully. Also, though academic medicine indeed relied generally on the Theory of four humours, observation played an important role as well, especially when administering medicine (plant- or otherwise based).
I cannot say much to the developement of medicine in the early US, as I am not knowleadgeable in this area, but the botched beginning of the book makes me suspicious about the rest of the presented facts.
2. The other problem I had with this book is that although women are supposed to stand in the focus, the text often handles so many different topics in such a broad context that the woman literally sinks under and disappears out of sight. A bit ironic, isn't it?
Also, the conclusion of the book comes of somewhat weak. Women had been told for centuries what to do - well, yes, and? What am I as a woman to take away from this book? Other than bitterness and disillusionment?
To conclude: not a complete loss of time, but the gain is definitely not worth the hours invested in reading.
To mention two most prominent let-downs:
1. Factual inaccuracies and mistakes, which I noticed especially in the first quarter of the book. Firstly, the completely misleading numbers and facts regarding witch hunts in medieaeval and early modern Europe. Secondly, the picture of medical professionals in the same historical epochs. Both are topis I am interested in and know a bit about, and I was very put off by these mistakes.
Just to mention a couple: witches, especially in the beginning, were not predominantly women. On the contrary, the ratio was more or less 50/50 female/male (in some areas, it was even more men), and most of the witches were accused or religious haeresy (at the beginning). The punishment was not death, but most often monetary fine. Burnings and hangings mostly occured later, in Early Modern times. Also the numbers given of executed people is way blown out of proportions: it was not millions, but maybe ten thousands of people - during the whole time of persecutions. Quite a difference, I would say.
Another one, the book paints a very black-and-white and two dimensional picture of the medical practitioners in medieaveal and early modern times - it puts into stark contrast male medical "professionals" (i.e. doctors who were academically educated) and "peasant" female healers. There was a broad plethora of practitioners in between, and for long times they co-existed quite succesfully. Also, though academic medicine indeed relied generally on the Theory of four humours, observation played an important role as well, especially when administering medicine (plant- or otherwise based).
I cannot say much to the developement of medicine in the early US, as I am not knowleadgeable in this area, but the botched beginning of the book makes me suspicious about the rest of the presented facts.
2. The other problem I had with this book is that although women are supposed to stand in the focus, the text often handles so many different topics in such a broad context that the woman literally sinks under and disappears out of sight. A bit ironic, isn't it?
Also, the conclusion of the book comes of somewhat weak. Women had been told for centuries what to do - well, yes, and? What am I as a woman to take away from this book? Other than bitterness and disillusionment?
To conclude: not a complete loss of time, but the gain is definitely not worth the hours invested in reading.