Editorial Review

Perfection Salad, a dish that won its creator first prize in a 1905 cooking contest, consisted of pristine molded aspic containing celery, red pepper, and chopped cabbage. Laura Shapiro, author of this eponymous social history, part of the Modern Library Food series, takes the salad as a model for the domestic science movement, an intriguing women's crusade of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bent on convincing housewives that the way to domestic order lay in cooking "dainty" nutritional meals from sanitary ingredients in "scientific" kitchens, the movement helped give birth to our mass-market food scene, with its reliance on home economics precepts, processed convenience foods, and no-cook cooking--our cuisine of boil-in bags and microwave frozen dinners. Entertaining and informative, but also unexpectedly moving, the book chronicles in numerous intriguing stories the ways in which an impulse to liberate women from the drudgery and imprecision of daily food preparation led to its debasement. It's a fascinating story, of interest to anyone who wonders why and how we cook and eat--and think about food--as we do.Read more

Reviews (4)

fascinating
the late 19th century movement for scientific household management is an almost unbelievable amalgam of middle-class protestant social standards and religious impulses, intellectural curiosity and discipline, political thought (compare it with leninism--everything the same for everyone all the time, and the middle class knows better than the proletariat), and naivete.while having less influence on its time than its proponents would acknowledge (even when reporting its failure), the movement led, through corporate exploitation and perversion, to many of the problems with eating, cooking, and "food production" in america today.it also led to many improvements we take completely for granted. Fascinating and scholarly read
Foodies and feminists alike should read this book.As part of the Modern Food Library reprints, chosen by Ruth Reichl (who is known for her good taste and her own laudable literary contributions - "Tender at the Bone" and "Comfort Me with Apples"), "Perfection Salad" describes all the elements present at the turn of the century that combined to forever change the way Americans view food.Food, its preparation and presentation became a female obsession in an time where the kitchen was really the only arena in which a woman could rule.The female nutritionists and cooks from that era seemed bent upon exerting control on SOMETHING, and that something turned out to be food - with sometimes terrible consequences.After reading "Perfection Salad", I understood the recipes that my grandmother (born in 1898) and my mother after her learned and served.Don't be frightened by the scholarly look of "Perfection Salad" - there are hilarious nuggets in the text - like color-themed menus (everything green and white, for example), putting everything into gelatin for the sake of "daintiness" (no messy lettuce leaves hanging out of your mouth) and covering absolutely anything and everything with "white sauce".For more laughs, peruse "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" by James Lileks in which he has gathered some of the most revolting-looking photos of the consequences of "Perfection Salad".

Ever wonder where pineapple-marshmallow salad comes from?
This highly readable, beautifully researched book provides a fascinating look into American "cuisine" circa 1850-1920. The Boston Cooking School and other institutions promoted Americanization through cooking conducted on scientific principles, although immigrants proved reluctant to give up their "coarse and unsavory" meals for triumphs of digestibility such as the following, served to President Wilson on his first day in office: "cream of celery soup, fish with white sauce, roast capon with two white vegetables, a fruit salad,and a dessert made with gelatin, custard, and whipped cream"(212). Other triumphs included a salad made of bananas and pimentos bound together with mayonnaise and whipped cream and, later, grapefruit pieces mixed with dessert mints. Often funny and always interesting, this book Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Essays    5. History    6. Home Economics Education    7. Home economics    8. Study and teaching    9. United States    10. Women's Studies - History    11. Cooking / History    12. History of specific subjects    13. Salads    14. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. 1792-1873    2. 1805-1879    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Feminists    8. Grimke, Angelina Emily,    9. Grimke, Sarah Moore,    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Sisters    12. South Carolina    13. United States - State & Local - South    14. Women    15. Women abolitionists    16. Women's Studies - General    17. Women's Studies - History    18. Biography & Autobiography / Women    19. Biography: general    20. Feminism    21. Slavery & emancipation    22. women's rights; abolitionism; women for the elective suffrage; suffrage demonstrations; women's equality; Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association; Theodore Weld; Lucy Stone   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Indian women    5. Latin America    6. Latin America - General    7. Politics and government    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology    10. Women's Studies - General    11. Women's Studies - History    12. History / Latin America    13. History, World | Latin American    14. Indigenous peoples    15. Social history    16. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Europe    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Sociology    6. Women    7. Women's Studies - History    8. History / General   

Subjects:  1. Canada - Post-Confederation (1867-)    2. History    3. History: American    4. Sociology    5. United States - General    6. United States - State & Local - General    7. Women's Studies - General    8. Women's Studies - History   

Reviews (2)

useful book on women in Greek and Roman Egypt
The book offers much information about the role and importance of women in ancient Greek and Roman Egypt. The chapters cover royalty, religion, family, law, economy, childhood, education and marriage. The viewspresented in the scholarly essays are backed up by cited evidence incontracts, letters and other surviving records. It is a very useful bookfor the study of women.

A dame is a dame
This book is a fascinating compendium of women in Greek and Roman Egypt.It's easy to read and full of detail about the women who lived in these worlds.When you read about the personal lives, you are struck by the factthat not that much has changed: women back then met a guy, got married, hadkids, and then they died.Sound familiar?And then you can't help butask, is that all there is?There are helpful maps and a glossary. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Egypt    3. Greco-Roman period, 332 B.C.-6    4. Greco-Roman period, 332 B.C.-640 A.D    5. History    6. History - General History    7. Multicultural Nonfiction    8. Social Science    9. Sources    10. Women    11. Women's Studies - General    12. Women's Studies - History    13. Ancient World    14. Cultural studies    15. History / Ancient / General    16. Social history    17. Women's studies    18. Women--Egypt--History    19. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Women's Studies - History    6. Comparative Literature    7. European History    8. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    9. European history: from c 1900 -    10. France    11. French    12. Gender Studies    13. History / France    14. Literary studies: 16th to 18th centuries    15. Women's studies    16. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. Citizenship    2. Emigration & Immigration    3. Emigration and immigration    4. Gender Studies    5. Government policy    6. History    7. History: American    8. Legal History    9. Social role    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. United States - 20th Century    13. Women immigrants    14. Women's Studies - History    15. American History    16. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    17. Civil rights & citizenship    18. History / United States / 20th Century    19. USA    20. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Feminism & Feminist Theory    3. Ireland    4. Social Science    5. Social conditions    6. Sociology    7. Women    8. Women's Studies - History    9. Social Science / Women's Studies   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Design - General    5. General    6. Women's Studies - History    7. 20th century    8. Art / General    9. Cultural studies    10. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    11. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    12. USA    13. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Cowgirls    2. Film & Video - History & Criticism    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Pictorial works    7. Ranch life    8. Social life and customs    9. United States - 19th Century/Old West    10. United States - General    11. West (U.S.)    12. Women's Studies - History   

Subjects:  1. Feminism    2. Health Care Delivery    3. Health Care Issues    4. History    5. Political aspects    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Women's Studies - General    10. Women's Studies - History    11. Women's health services    12. American history: from c 1900 -    13. Demonstrations & protest movements    14. Health systems & services    15. History of medicine    16. USA    17. Women's health    18. Women's studies    19. c 1970 to c 1980    20. c 1980 to c 1990   

Reviews (1)

Decent book on black women lawyers
Smith is a black male law professor at Howard University.He selects documents which discuss black women in the law from the time that the first sister was sworn in to the present.This book has great statistical facts and is a good tool for arguing why affirmative action is necessary in law schools.However, I would have preferred if a historian had written this book.As it stands, this is just a scrapbook that included selected writings on the topic.There is much academic literature on women in the law and blacks in the law and it is not incorporated well into this book.In addition, there are a number of incredible black, female law professors out there and their work on black women's legal issues barely gets addressed here.In brief, this book is a nice piece to have, but it could have been better. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African American Studies - History    2. African American women lawyers    3. African Americans    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Black American Sociology    7. Gender & the Law    8. History    9. History: American    10. Law (General)    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Legal status, laws, etc    13. People of Color    14. Sociology    15. Women's Studies - History    16. Black studies    17. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    18. Social Science / Women's Studies    19. USA   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient - Rome    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Latin Literature    6. Literary Criticism    7. Women In Literature    8. Women's Studies - General    9. Women's Studies - History    10. Early Church    11. Latin    12. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    13. Religion / Church History    14. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Cookery, American    2. Gender Studies    3. History    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Women's Studies - General    7. Women's Studies - History    8. Cultural studies    9. Food & Drink / Cookery    10. Social Science / Gender Studies    11. USA    12. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Asia    2. Asia - Japan    3. Comfort women    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Japan    6. Military - Other    7. Military - World War II    8. Sexual behavior    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Soldiers    12. Women    13. Women's Studies - History    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    16. Europe    17. European history: Second World War    18. Social Science / Ethnic Studies    19. Women's studies   

Reviews (12)

Nominate Jerrie Cobb for the Presidential Medal of Freedom
"We seek only a place in our Nation's space future without discrimination.We ask as citizens of this Nation to be allowed to participate with seriousness and sincerity in the making of history now... We offer you thirteen women pilot volunteers."Jerrie Cobb, pilot and space enthusiast, in her testimony to Congress
Mercury 13
The book does a poor job depicting a key part in women's history.The history itself is not boring or confusing at all. In fact the story of the Mercury 13 women is very interesting and should be taught to everyone. Reading this book is a tiresome and irksome task for even an veteran reader.Martha Ackmann mutilated a historical event. She turned an epic struggle into a unrecognizable, confusing, monster of a book that the average person cannot clearly and decisively comprehend.

We've come a long way, baby....thank heavens!
"The Mercury 13" is an amazing story of how [discrimination] in the early years of the American space program shut women out.We should be ashamed that the Soviet Union had a woman in space decades before Sally Ride finally broke the gender barrier in the U.S.Martha Ackmann is to be congratulated for bringing the stories of these incredible and patriotic women to light. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Biography    3. History    4. Manned Space Exploration    5. Project Mercury (U.S.)    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Sociology Of Women    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. United States    11. United States - 20th Century    12. Women air pilots    13. Women astronauts    14. Women's Studies - General    15. Women's Studies - History    16. History / United States / 20th Century   

Editorial Review

The female blues singers of the 1920s, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey,and Bessie Smith, not only invented a musical genre, but they also becamemodels of how African American women could become economicallyindependent in a culture that had not previously allowed it.BothSmith and Rainey composed, arranged, and managed their own roadbands.Angela Y. Davis's study emphasizes the impact that these singers, and laterBillie Holiday, had on the poor and working-class communities fromwhich they came. The artists addressed radical subjects such as physicaland economic abuse, race relations, and female sexual power, includinglesbianism. Ma Rainey was well known as a lover of women as well asmen, and her song "Prove It on Me" describes a butch woman whodresses like a man and dates women. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues (Music)    2. Ethnic Issues    3. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    4. Feminism and music    5. Genres & Styles - Blues    6. History and criticism    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Texts    10. United States    11. Women's Studies - General    12. Women's Studies - History    13. 20th century    14. Black studies    15. Blues    16. Feminism    17. Jazz    18. Social Science / Women's Studies    19. USA   

Subjects:  1. Drug Addiction (Psychiatric Aspects)    2. Health Services For Women    3. History    4. Psychology    5. Psychopathology - Addiction    6. Women's Studies - General    7. Women's Studies - History    8. Alcoholism    9. Drug addiction & substance abuse    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / History    11. Social history    12. USA    13. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Conduct of life    3. Continental European    4. Early works to 1800    5. History    6. Imaginary conversations    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Literature: Classics    9. Women    10. Women's Studies - History    11. Other prose: classical, early & medieval