Rating: 
Summary: what danielle's mom told her
Review: I bet I know what Danielle Crittendon's mom told her: "Marry a rich guy so you can have plenty of leisure time to write a book that knocks working-class women who struggle heroically to fulfill their lives while taking care of their kids." When asked about the hypocrisy of her stance, Crittendon simply replied: "I'm very ambitious." Sure, anybody can follow her advice if she's a) white, blond & moderately pretty (she needs to do something about that lopsided face of hers, though; b) raised in a stable home; c) married to a wealthy Canadian right-winger. (Ooh! Those damn Canadians!)
Rating:
Summary: Misguided betrayal
Review: It's simplistic in the extreme and very self serving. A work which is testament only to the authors' own smug assertion that she (in her own esteemed opinion) has found THE ANSWER. I stood on the shoulders of brave women who fought the battle before me making it possible for me to marry at 33, have my son at 40 and my daughter at 43 (without any "difficulty"). My husband, a naturally evolved man, willingly retired to parent them full time and I, loving them all too much to be away for more than a few hours a week; work part time. This means I'm extremely lucky. Period. So is Crittendon, but she feels it necessary to pontificate to the masses that her luck is some sort of personal insight which others would do well to emulate. If she were honest, she would understand that she, along with many others of our gender, found Happiness due in no small part to the courageous women who struggled in the 50's-60's-and 70's. She is truly thankless and apparently, clueless. Women (and men) who revile the author and her ilk have heaped out the vitriol with good cause but enough is enough. It's just HER OPINION - not a commandment. Not a very good book. Better to borrow at the library and return such drivel ( no offense to Amazon.com )
Rating: 
Summary: What FEMINISM really IS
Review: She is a REAL feminist, as in PRO-WOMAN. A delightful, witty read that will have you laughing out loud every other page. Wonderfully observant.I am a Gen X-er living in Manhattan. I am shocked at how terrified and insecure men my age are -- you know why? Because they've had the living daylights scared out of them by sexual harassment LAWSUITS and all this equality nonsense. They don't know how to act around us! And we're confused by their not knowing how to! And what equality? Can they give birth? Show off a buffed pedicure? And we -- Can we pretend we honestly say we'd rather litigate the government for the right to enter military combat than to have a quiet non-testosteronous life with a pretty house and a loving husband? We can still keep our jobs where we are paid half the salary for twice the crap (while still looking beautiful and appealing)? Don't get me started. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL ALL THIS CONFUSION that the radical feminists created BLOWS OVER! I wish I was living 40 years from now.
Rating:
Summary: Not everyone lives in Rich La-la land
Review: These points have prove to work towards a specific class of women. WHITE MIDDLE/UPPER CLASS WOMEN. It doesn't work that way with minorities women. Is she saying that once I turn 25 in the next two months, I should give up my college "career" to find a husband and have children, aftewards go back to graduate school and finished! I don't apperciate a WHITE RICH WOMAN telling me, a BLACK WORKING CLASS WOMAN that I'm confused and been misinformed. It's funny how all the MEN who have read this book are praising it. This book upholds the idea that women should be barefooted and pregnant.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful and articulate; but a little vague
Review: After reading Wendy Shalit's book Return to Modesty, I picked up this one to get a broader view of what some women seem to think the definition of the "women's problem" really is. Ms. Crittenden's book is extremely well researched and written, much more so than Shalit's. She explores in detail and in depth the various conflicts that women face in a world where opportunity ("I can do anything") has been translated to obligation ("I must do everything"). In the end, I found her book much milder than I anticipated. It's not a diatribe against feminism, nor a suggestion to go back to the dark ages. It simply points out that there are elements in the nature (both biological and psychological) of the average woman (and she is careful to define those who fall outside her definition of "average") that suggest that certain desires can best be met at certain times in a woman's life, e.g., children are best had young, and careers are best put off until after families have been raised. This seems only common sense to me, and certainly is not put forth as an attack on those who choose otherwise. I'm surprised at the vitriol aimed at the author; I found this to be a pleasant, low-key discussion of the difficulties women face in the modern world -- if anything, I fault it for beeing too vague and laid-back in her conclusions and recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: What every young woman needs to know
Review: I found this book to be insightful and well written. Ms. Crittenden does not offer enough specific advice, however she calls women to use the wealth of knowledge from our past and the present. Sexual 'freedom' does not serve women as it does men...postponing marriage and childbirth until past mid thirties make both more difficult - that is all. She is utilizing common sense wisdom to help women make better choices for themselves...she doesn't 'hate' feminists or 'look down upon' other women as some have claimed, she is offering a different approach that has worked in the past! Women need to be MORE picky about who they marry and sleep with - she says use what you've got to get what you want. If you are looking for insight on how to get what you want - if financial and emotional security is what you want...read this book. If being happily married (which you can be when you use skills of discernment in selecting the best spouse) and a loving and loved mom who goes back to work when it suits her family and hormone levels (when estrogen drops and women become more aggressive - better suited to work outside the home)is a goal for you...this book is a must read. I recommend it to everyone I know and would make it a must read for all women and girls over the age of 14!
Rating:
Summary: Stuff and Nonsense
Review: As an "aging" baby boomer and feminist, I can only a sound marriage of 32 years, and two healthy, happy children who are fine young adults now. I had the first when I was 30 and the second when I was 37. They respect themselves, their father, and me. The author's protestations about feminism will sell her book, but that book is filled with specious arguments and ridiculous generalizations. Indeed selling books is her purpose in this thin diatribe filled with slogans and simplistic reasoning harkening us back to a nostalgic time when father knew best and mother had better have women, must work to make our lives work. There are no easy solutions and no formulas for success. Crittenden's appraisal of the men she knows is supercilious and scathing. Are they all shallow, sex-driven egoists? Perhaps from her ivory tower it seems that way -- especially since she is snug and smug in the fine catch she has gotten for herself. The men I have met in my 54 years run the gamut from selfish to selfless. The best marriages are made by those who work together out of mutual respect for each other and love for the children they create. This happened in the 1970s and is happening today. Ms. Crittenden seems to think she has the answer for everyone. How presumptuous of her -- especially since she doesn't follow her own advice. Common sense and open communication with the man in your life will pave the way for a good marriage. And remember, you owe it to him to be able to take care of yourself and your children, should he die or be unable to care for you, them, and himself. Such capability and loyalty will not go unrewarded
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking (for conservatives and liberals)
Review: This book was an eye-popper in so many ways. As a stay-at-home mom, I felt a great sense of validation in the choices I have made. I know I am doing the right thing by raising our son, but society sees my role as an anomaly, as though I am not qualified to anything else but wipe carrot mush off a high chair. Crittenden sought to assure me otherwise. However, I feel that Crittendens's arguments often fell short and her prescription for women's unhappiness was too simplistic. It certainly does not service the unhappy women who have already made their career and family choices and now find themselves in the chasm between guilt and chaos. And it doesn't help those women who must work out of necessity, who do not have the option of staying at home with their kids. The guilt that working mothers feel is not necessarily because they don't want to spend time with their kids and feel like they should. It is often because they want to spend time with their kids and can't.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and articulate
Review: A short, clear analysis which demonstrates (once more) how often and how easily we can fail to see that which is self-evident. Excellent reading.
Rating:
Summary: Finally Feminism Uncovered for its contemporary uselessness.
Review: A great book! Finally someone blaming the real culprit on why women are confused and...my heart be still doesn't use men as a scapegoat! I hope women of my generation and the next read this book and realize that there is an alternative to modern feminism! I hope I someday meet a woman who agrees with Mrs. Crittenden.
| 
