Mikhel Kushner, director, Women's Center

Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (New American Library, 1984)by Gloria Steinem: "Steinem's first book explores the political through personalnarratives. Inspiring and insightful, this collection of writings served as a catalyst for my awakening as a woman."

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (KitchenTable: Women of Color Press, 1981) edited by Cherrie Moraga & Gloria Anzaldua:"A collection of essays where strong and determined women say it as they see it. A powerful and poignant discourse about the intersection of racism, sexism, homophobia. The essays contained in this anthology are direct and to the point, refusing to dance around sensitive issues of oppression in society."

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (Crossing Press Feminist Series) by Audre Lorde: "This narrative vividly describes the cultural and political climate of Harlem in the 1950s and in particular the experiences of a black lesbian of Caribbean decent. Described by Lorde as a biomythography, this coming of age narrative speaks to the experiences of growing up and into one's identity. Zami is a Carriacou name for women who work and live together as friends and lovers and Lorde writes, 'Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me.' This book is sure to leave a print on all who read it."

The New Our Bodies Ourselves (Simon & Schuster, 1984) by the Boston Women's Health Collective: "Representing a revolution in women's access to information about their bodies and their health care. Included in its pages is a wealth of information and most importantly additional resources."

Carole McCann, director of women's studies and associate professor of American studies, consulted with Kriste Lindenmeyer, associate professor of history, on a list of classics and new releases.

Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work,and the Family from Slavery to the Present (Basic Books, 1985) by Jacqueline Jones (Lindenmeyer's Pick) and Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-century New York (Temple University Press, 1986) by Kathy Peiss (McCann's Pick): "Both of these works are classics," says McCann. "They were at the forefront of women's history scholarship when they were published in the mid 1980s."

Both recommend biographies: "Eleanor Roosevelt's experience touches on many of the most important issues in American women's history. Blanche Weisen Cook's two volumes are the best on Eleanor Roosevelt. They are bases on excellentresearch and make for good reading."

Women and the City: Gender, Space, and Power in Boston, 1870-1940(Oxford University Press, 2000) by Sarah Deutsch: "It is a masterpiece and on the cutting edge of women's history scholarship," says Lindemeyer.

Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America (Hill and Wang, 2001) by Andrea Tone: "This brings an imaginative research approach to uncover fascinating details about what it meant to manufacture, sell, buy and use contraception in the 19th and 20th century," says McCann.