Book Review: American Women Speak: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection of Women’s Oratory

Abstract

American Women Speak provides brief biographies and oratorical samples for American women notable for their use of the spoken word from the 1630s through the present. Aside from brief front and back matter, including a subject guide and chronology, the book consists entirely of biographical sketches of the women along with, for most of the women, examples of their oratory. The examples include excerpts from and the full text of speeches, testimonies, and interviews. They cover a wide range of progressive topics, including women’s rights, environmentalism, pacifism, and gun control. Only two of the included women are activists for conservative causes.