Drawing on extensive historical and anthropological research, personal accounts, and interviews with people who work in the funeral industry, Penny Colman examines the compelling subjects of death and burial across cultures and societies. The text, enriched with stories both humorous and poignant, includes details about the decomposition and embalming processes (an adult corpse buried six feet deep without a coffin will usually take five to ten years to turn into a skeleton) and describes the various customs associated with containing remains (the Igala people in Nigeria have a custom of burying people in as many as twenty-seven layers of clothing). Intriguing facts are revealed at every turn; for example, in Madagascar winter was considered the corpse-turning season.This comprehensive book also includes a list of burial sites of famous people, images in the arts associated with death, fascinating epitaphs and gravestone carvings, a chronology and a glossary, and over a hundred black-and-white photographs, most of which were taken by the author.Penny Colman writes with compassion and intelligence and humanizes the difficult subjects of death and burial. The result is a powerful look at an inevitable part of life--death.

An account, based on interviews and other sources, of the women who replaced men in defense plants, factories, and offices and on farms during the Second World War

Product Description: Dorothea Dix was almost forty years old when she discovered that people, especially poor people, with mental illness were "confined in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience...read more

Including the story of Mary Gibson Henry's incredible botanical research and the devotion of Katharine Wormeley to heal the sick and wounded during the Civil War, this book profiles the lives of eight strong and determined women who let nothing stand in their way in the pursuit of their goals and dreams.

Traces the history of growing up female in America as told by the girls themselves in journals, household manuals, letters, slave narratives, and other primary sources. By the author of Rosie the Riveter. Reprint. (view table of contents)

Traces the history of growing up female in America as told by the girls themselves in journals, household manuals, letters, slave narratives, and other primary sources.

In spite of U.S. military regulations that forbade women to cover combat, Martha Gellhorn, Margaret Bourke-White, Lee Miller, and many others found ways to break the gender barrier during World War II and open the way for women journalists of today. (view table of contents)

First-hand reports, contemporary songs, and vivid descriptions help chronicle the battles that laborers have fought since the seventeenth century for more humane working conditions. (view table of contents)

An anecdotal social history of the bathroom traces the evolution of toilet and bathing facilities during ancient times, their lack of favor during the medieval period, and the revival of sewers, indoor toilets, showers, sitz baths, and other developments.

Product Description: A biography of the civil rights activist who devoted her life to helping blacks register to vote and gain a national political voice.

Provides an historical overview of the experiences of women in American society, discussing their participation in various fields and profiling the lives of significant women

Combines biography and social history in an account of the life of an important labor leader, the history of child labor, and a dramatic protest against conditions in American factories.

A biography of the businesswoman who was born in poverty on a Louisiana plantation, and founded her own hair care business

Recounts the life of America's first female cabinet member, who brought a determination--formed from years of social activism--to help manual laborers to her post as Secretary of Labor, where she helped institute Social Security and other reforms.

Product Description: You can do better in school! Succeeding in school is the smart thing to do! This essential resource guide is packed with tips, techniques, and advice from the people who know best: successful students and teachers. You'll also find step-by-step checklists for everything from how to find the best school supplies to how to write book reports, plus handy reference charts to help make studying a breeze! So start improving your schoolwork right now - discover 101 tried-and-true ways to do better in school...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Presents the lives of courageous women who served as spies for the North and South during the Civil War, including Belle 'The Siren of the Shenandoah' Boyd, Elizabeth 'Crazy Bet' Van Lew, and Harriet Tubman.

Susan and Alex overcome their fears through creative problem solving

A little boy considers doing something bad, but realizes that he is responsible for his own actions and that he would regret doing something wrong