From Dr. Kathleen A. Dunn, professor emerita of Simmons College, a new book

About the book

In 1899, Simmons University was founded with the radical goal of preparing women to earn an independent livelihood. Dr Kathleen A. Dunn, who interviewed and surveyed alumnae from 1906 through 1980, paints a vivid, personal picture of women’s lives as they built their careers. Alumnae overcame challenges: to create a career, to marry or stay single, to work while raising children, to face discrimination, and to age gracefully. They demonstrated that pursuing higher education, which included occupational education, fieldwork, and internships, enabled young women to lead powerful lives at work and home

Reading stories of alumnae and seeing how their lives and careers were affected by the times and/or by marriage and/or by having children was interesting. I love how she wove all of that together. I was impressed by the number of women throughout the century who worked during their lifetime. John Simmons would be proud. And to think that some of the issues working women had to deal with 50+ years ago, like sexual harassment and childcare, are still issues today. (Diane Armstrong, Assistant Dean for Administration and Academic Services, Simmons University, retired.)