I am a young woman who has become very interested in the ancient history of women. I am interested in the woman's role throughout history in all cultures. I want to know about Matriarchal cultures, about religions based on women and about women's rights throughout history (and not just the upper class women.) Could you provide reliable for sources for this information? Thank you! - Joellen

Thanks for your note to FEMINIST.COM -- and your new found interest sounds great. The best way to learn more is to read more--and I have a couple of suggestions for you. My first suggestion is a rather dense anthology--that is chock-full of first person accounts each with an introduction that puts the piece into an historical context. Much of the focus on the book is spirituality and religion. This anthology is Women Imagine Change: Women's Writings 600 BCE to the Present. --I highly recommend it. Other books to consider are Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler. More contemporary histories are by Gerda Lerner. Also, readings about Native American cultures are great--such as those by Paula Gunn Allen (The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions). (All of these can be ordered via the FEMINIST.COM Bookstore. That should keep you very busy and hopefully very entertained. Enjoy and let me know if you need/want further suggestions.
—Amy