This is by far the best book I've read in the last few years. I picked it at random from the library, but I didn't want to take it back when I was finished with it. As an aspiring anthropologist, being put smack in the middle of so many different women's lives from all over the world at all time periods of the twentieth century was absolutely fascinating. I've made a list of all the selections that have inspired me enough to make me want to read the book it was taken from, and the list is two pages long! The book is an excellent montage of so many different walks of life, I think it should win some kind of award for it's superb editing. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in other women's lives, and to any men wondering how we really think and feel.