Reviewed in Choice

E. Rodriguez y Gibson, University of Redlands

In this astute contribution to feminist and Appalachian studies, Engelhardt (West Virginia Univ., Morgantown) examines writing produced in the 19th and 20th centuries by women who positioned themselves as tourists and as social crusaders. In examining the “tangled roots” of ecological feminism, the author brings together a wealth of primary materials, archival documents such as journals, photographs, letters, and diaries and marginalized published work. Her synthetic analysis of the interlocking effects of race, gender, class, and region is well grounded in an introductory chapter tracing the methods and questions at the center of ecological feminism. As a work of interdisciplinary analysis, this book succeeds at its goal of broadening the connections between Appalachian studies and women’s studies. Its weakness lies in the often-perfunctory literary analysis that Engelhardt offers her readers; she frequently quotes long passages of poetry without a satisfactory explication and seems to misinterpret metaphors in order to fit the literature into her argument. Still, the archival work is superb, and the modeling of feminist methodology is admirable. Overall, a valuable contribution to the field(s). Summing Up: Highly Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.

Choice
September 2004