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Women and Guns: Politics and the Culture of Firearms in America
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Cloth ISBN: 978-0-7656-0678-5 USD: $49.95 |
Paper ISBN: Not Available N/A |
Information: 256pp. Bibliographic references, index.
Publication Date: November 2000.
Description: This timely and provocative book looks at contemporary American women and their experiences with guns. In a strong narrative that weaves in the stories of many women interviewed by the author -- women from everyday walks of life as well as opinion leaders such as former Texas governor Ann Richards - - the book examines varied responses to the national public debate about guns and violence that has engaged Americans over the last decade. The stories are of women who experience guns in a number of different ways: attendees at an anti-gun rally; members of a shooting club; victims of gun violence and spousal abuse; women who hunt or carry guns for self-defense; inner city women; female militia members, and a host of others. Sober and balanced, Women and Guns powerfully illuminates both the dangers and the attractions of guns in our society, as well as their meaning in our political discourse.
Selected Contents:
Chapter 1. Meeting
Chapter 2. American Stories
Chapter 3. Fields Near Home
Chapter 4. Self-Defense, Part I: Combat by Story and Statistics
Chapter 5. Self-Defense, Part II: Looking for the Bad Guys
Chapter 6. Gun Games and Homegrown Rebellion
Chapter 7: In the Cities, on the Edge
Chapter 8. Conclusion
Review(s): Using the personal anecdotes and stories told by American women from all over the country about their relationships to guns, Homsher demolishes the high walls that divide the polarized anti-gun, pro-gun national debates, revealing a fascinating complexity. ... In this deftly written and scrupulously researched book readers hear from women whose contact with guns is recreational, accidental, tragic, and empowering. ... These aren't the voices heard in national media, and their relationships to guns complicate our notions of the stereotypical pro or anti-gunner. ... At a time when crime and violence, both national and international, loom large on TV and film screens, Women and Guns invites one to explore the rich cultural tapestry and complex points of view beneath the deceptive simplicity of our 'shoot 'em up' mythology. ForeWord
... a worthy addition to academic library collections. Choice
Women and Guns is neither pro- nor anti-gun control, but a clear, balanced, methodical, insightful examination of what is happening with respect to this hot button social issue. Highly recommended for academic and community library reference collections, Women and Guns throws a spotlight of information and resources on the pressing danger and allure of guns in American society today. The Midwest Book Review
Many of the wide-ranging viewpoints are interesting and will be unfamiliar. ... Homsher's book will be of interest to specialized researchers in women's studies and criminal justice policy. Library Journal
This interesting book by Deborah Homsher ... is above all a tapestry of women and guns. ... This tapestry, in turn, clarifies the thinking of any reader with an open mind who enters the book either for or against guns and emerges from it understanding that there is no simple answer in this debate. If you think one side or the other will someday 'win,' you will nevertheless emerge from the book understanding the arguments of all sides, having met real women and heard their stories. Perspectives on Political Science
    
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