SUMMARY OF BOOK:

This book is a collection of excerpts from diaries kept by girls and women living in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin during the past 150 years. Diaries by young schoolgirls, adolescents coming of age, newlywed wives, mothers grieving the loss of children, teachers, nurses, elderly women, immigrant nuns, women traveling abroad–selections from all are included in this collection. Many of the diaries in this collection are available only in historical society archives; some diaries (particularly those kept during the latter 20^th century) are still in the possession of the diarists or their descendants.

This book is based on the author’s fifteen-year study of more than 450 diaries–some kept only briefly, others kept during an entire lifetime; some written as the intensely private record of a life, others written to tell the story of an entire family and to be saved and appreciated by future generations. The purpose of this book is twofold: to explore the ways in which diaries can document the diverse experiences of individuals and families and to understand the ways in which diaries have functioned as forms of life writing.

This book asks many fascinating questions. Why do diaries have such staying power? What makes them appealing to writers, young and old? What can diaries help us appreciate about the lives and experiences of those individuals who kept them? What can diaries tell us, not only about the reasons why individuals write in diaries but also about the reasons why they (and others) preserve those diaries and make them available for others to read and appreciate?

A diary can be formal and stylized or conversational and idiomatic. A diarist might explore her need for self-affirmation, a conflict between duty and desire, a wish to make her mark on the world, or a struggle with change and loss. Because it is so flexible, the diary can be studied as a historical document, a therapeutic tool, and a form of literature. Why? Because it gives readers valuable insights into diarists’ self-images, the dynamics of families and communities, and the kinds of contributions that girls and women have made, past and present.

MOST SIGNIFICANT POINT OF THIS BOOK:

This collection is significant because it brings together and makes available diaries kept by girls and women in a variety of historical eras, geographical locales, and economic circumstances. Were it not for this collection, most of these diaries would be accessible only if an individual could travel to historical society archives or gain access to family records in order to read and study them. No other collection focuses entirely on Midwestern diaries kept over a 150-year period.

INTENDED AUDIENCES: This book is intended for multiple audiences: INTENDED AUDIENCES: This book is intended for multiple audiences:

–scholars, teachers, and students of diaries at the high school, undergraduate, and post-graduate levels

–individuals interested in Midwestern history, women’s studies, and/or forms of autobiography

–regional readers in Wisconsin and the Midwestern U.S.

–readers interested in immigrant life in 19^th century Midwestern U.S.

–readers interested in the fields of teaching, healthcare, nursing, travel narratives

–general (non-academic) readership, especially readers with a special interest in diaries, journals, and "private" writing by girls and women.

COST OF BOOK: The book (472 pages and photographs) has been published in cloth and paper versions. Here is the UW press pricing information:  

Paper ISBN: 0-299-17224-4                     Cloth ISBN: 0-299-17220-1

Paperback price: $24.95                         Cloth price: $60.00

For more information, click on this URL:

http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3054.htm