I’m conflicted because I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book, I quoted parts of it at length, I stored all kinds of horrible facts in the back of my brain for future use. I really like her writing style and I love how much of this is sourced directly from the women (in their writings) and their children.

However: The organization is wonky. It’s by topic, not chronologically, and maybe this is normal for a social history? But it drove me nuts because I never could figure out what happened when. There’s not much of a narrative or through-line, it’s just thematic.