This work aims to show how women around the world since 600 B.C. have found ways to resist oppression and gain power over their lives. Organized around themes which should be of interest to contemporary readers, this genuinely global, multicultural anthology presents women from some 30 countries, speaking from their vivid, diverse life experiences. Historical selections are chosen for relevance to current women's issues and include writings by: Florence Nightingale, Mary Wollstonecraft, Hildegard of Bingen, Paula Gunn Allen, Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Angela Davis, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Audre Lorde, Fatima Mernissi, Cherrie Moraga, Hiratsuka Raicho, Margaret Sanger, Mab Segrest and Ruby Thompson.