In 18th century France, letter writing became extremely fashionable, particularly amongst women. In this work, Dena Goodman opens up the world of these women though the letters which they wrote. Concentrating on the letters of four women from different social backgrounds, she shows how they came to womanhood through their writing.

With her older sister planning a wedding and her younger sister preparing to launch a career on the stage, Lulu can't help but feel like the failure of the Atwater family. Lulu loves her sisters dearly and wants nothing but the best for them, but she finds herself stuck in a rut. When her mother sends her to look for some old family recipes in the attic, she stumbles across a collection of letters written by her great-great-grandmother Josephine March. Jo writes in detail about every aspect of her life: her older sister Meg's new home and family; her younger sister Amy's many admirers; the family's shared grief over losing Beth; and her own feelings towards a handsome young German. As Lulu delves deeper into the lives of the March sisters, she finds solace and guidance, but can her great-great-grandmother help Lulu find a place in a world so different from the one Jo knew?--From publisher description.

During the nineteenth century, women authors for the first time achieved professional status, secure income, and public fame. How did these women enter the literary profession; meet the demands of editors, publishers, booksellers, and reviewers; and achieve distinction as "women of letters"? Becoming a Woman of Letters examines the various ways women writers negotiated the market realities of authorship, and looks at the myths and models women writers constructed to elevate their place in the profession. Drawing from letters, contracts, and other archival material, Linda Peterson details the careers of various women authors from the Victorian period. Some, like Harriet Martineau, adopted the practices of their male counterparts and wrote for periodicals before producing a best seller; others, like Mary Howitt and Alice Meynell, began in literary partnerships with their husbands and pursued independent careers later in life; and yet others, like Charlotte Brontë, and her successors Charlotte Riddell and Mary Cholmondeley, wrote from obscure parsonages or isolated villages, hoping an acclaimed novel might spark a meteoric rise to fame. Peterson considers these women authors' successes and failures--the critical esteem that led to financial rewards and lasting reputations, as well as the initial successes undermined by publishing trends and pressures. Exploring the burgeoning print culture and the rise of new genres available to Victorian women authors, this book provides a comprehensive account of the flowering of literary professionalism in the nineteenth century.

Historical events of the last three centuries come alive through these women’s singular correspondences—often their only form of public expression. In 1775, Rachel Revere tries to send financial aid to her husband, Paul, in a note that is confiscated by the British; First Lady Dolley Madison tells her sister about rescuing George Washington’s portrait during the War of 1812; one week after JFK’s assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy pens a heartfelt letter to Nikita Khrushchev; and on September 12, 2001, a schoolgirl writes a note of thanks to a New York City firefighter, asking him, “Were you afraid?” The letters gathered here also offer fresh insight into the personal milestones in women’s lives. Here is a mid-nineteenth-century missionary describing a mastectomy performed without anesthesia; Marilyn Monroe asking her doctor to spare her ovaries in a handwritten note she taped to her stomach before appendix surgery; an eighteen-year-old telling her mother about her decision to have an abortion the year after Roe v. Wade; and a woman writing to her parents and in-laws about adopting a Chinese baby. With more than 400 letters and over 100 stunning photographs, Women’s Letters is a work of astonishing breadth and scope, and a remarkable testament to the women who lived–and made–history. From the Hardcover edition.

In a world of the short and swift, of texts and Twitter, there's something of special value about a carefully composed letter. In homage to this most civilised of activities, Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire created the literary afternoons of Women of Letters. Some of Australia's finest dames of stage, screen and page have delivered missives on a series of themes, collected here for the first time. Claudia Karvan sends 'A love letter' to love itself, Helen Garner contacts ghosts of her past in 'The letter I wish I'd written', Noni Hazlehurst dispatches a stinging rebuke 'To my first boss', and Megan Washington pays tribute to her city and community as she writes 'To the best present I ever received'. And some gentlemen correspondents - including Paul Kelly, Eddie Perfect and Bob Ellis - have been invited to put pen to paper in a letter 'To the woman who changed my life'. By turns hilarious, moving and outrageous, this is a diverse and captivating tribute to the art of letter writing. All royalties for this book will go to Edgar's Mission animal rescue shelter.

Andrew Sheffield's letters help us better understand the full range of behavior among women in the Victorian South & the limits of Southern womanhood near the end of the nineteenth century.

Daniel Whyte III never intended to write a book to young black women. He believes, according to the Scriptures, that the older women should teach the younger women. However, after Letters to Young Black Men: Advice & Encouragement for a Difficult Journey became a bestselling book, readers requested that Whyte write a book for young black women as well. He prayed about it and was led to do so. Regarding the purpose of this book, Whyte states: This book is more about prevention than it is about healing. There are many other great men and women of God who are doing great work in the healing and restoration department for young black women. I believe that many of the problems that young black women are dealing with today can be prevented from happening in the first place. I also believe that in order for young women to be victorious in this life, they must operate from a position of strength and power. This book will empower them to win against their enemies: the devil, sorry men and even themselves. I hope that they will read it and never live a defeated life again. Daniel Whyte III writes a heartfelt book to his daughters and to other young black women, on the various issues of life that they face today. Whyte actually commenced the writing of this book from his hospital bed during a routine stay for chest pains. Symbolically, if Daniel Whyte III were on his deathbed, the words contained in this book are those that he would say to his six daughters. Written just for the young black woman in your life, whether you are a father, mother, grandparent or Sunday school teacher, Letters to Young Black Women is overflowing with loving, fatherly, "advice and encouragement for a difficult journey."

Barry Long received many letters from women all around the world who had been touched or inspired by his teachings on love and sex. This intimate correspondence is featured in the book 'To Woman In Love'. Here you will find the spiritual advice he gave to individual women about their relationships with parents and children, and especially with the men in their lives. The heart of the book is Barry Long's challenge to women to always put love first - above everything else. We read their moving exchanges with the teacher, as they struggle with the guidance they are given, and then overcome their fear and self-doubt.

Motherhood in Bondage is a collection of confessions from mothers in the bondage of enforced maternity sent to birth control activist, women's rights advocate, sex educator, and nurse Margaret Sanger. The compilation includes confessions from mothers of all walks of life - girl mothers, those in poverty, those unfit to become mothers because of different reasons, and working mothers. The book also includes the confessions of children of these mothers and grandmothers whose daughters have been bound with enforced maternity. The text is for mothers who are also burdened with enforced maternity, especially those who feel alone in their plight. The book is also recommended for mothers who would like to know more about the lives of other mothers who gave birth to many children, people who wish to educate mothers, and prospective mothers who would like to learn the dangers and the difficult life of enforced maternity.

In January 2020, Jana Marie Rose (aka, MotherJana) traveled to Paris to write a book of letters to a young woman about the future of women in the 21st century. While sharing her own story of pain and loss, she encourages young women to find strength in being unique individuals, in meditation, in traveling alone, and releasing the shame and trauma of patriarchal religion. They can do this, she advises, with the aid of the yoga guru SexyJesus. She also shares her biggest dream and the stories of friends she makes in Paris.