eBook Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate ePub

Nine very different women with remarkable similarities that cross partisan lines. They are inspiring and certainly interesting...at last American girls have some role models that aren't BAYWATCH babes! Quick and entertaining read...even for (maybe ESPECIALLY) the male gender.

As advertised. Book in excellent condition. First edition autographed as indicated.

"Nine and Counting" is a book that captures the feeling of good cheer felt among many women in early 2000 when nine different women found themselves serving in the U.S. Senate. The women who earned membership in this prestigious political body include Barbara Mikulski (Maryland), Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), Dianne Feinstein (California), Barbara Boxer (California), Patty Murray (Washington), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Susan Collins (Maine), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), and Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas). Each of these women has some stories and experiences to share and many of them will surprise but also inspire the average reader.

With each of these nine women, the author spends a little bit of time talking about the important facts to gain an understanding about where each came from and where each is headed. Backgrounds of each of the nine women are discussed, along with a little information on their life before politics and their personal decision to run for the U.S. Senate. Important political battles are also highlighted, with each of the women sharing with the reader what it was like to ram heads with some of the men in the senate- men who did not always appreciate that there were now women in the ranks.

Each of these nine women is different and has her own unique personality as well as distinct governing style but they all share certain things in common. Like the book says, most all of these ladies never dreamed they would one day be serving in the U.S. Senate. The opportunity for this type of career was too far- fetched prior to the modern era to make election victory realistic. Until recently, only boys were told that they could one day reach the pinnacle of U.S. politics and serve in the Congress or the Presidency. Girls were not told this and hence almost none of them even bothered to fantasize about serving in the highest offices of government. These nine women, however, did think about public service in various other capacities and it was these other offices that served as a launching pad for making it all the way to the U.S. Senate. Diane Feinstein, for example, once served as Mayor of San Francisco. Mary Landrieu got her start in the Louisiana State Legislature. These public offices and others liked them served as stepping stones to the race for the U.S. Senate.

This book is organized in a way that some will find enjoyable but others may not like at all. Author Catherine Whitney divides the book into sections within each chapter that include her own writing and sections that include the actual words of the nine women for whom this book is dedicated. Whenever one of the nine is about to speak, the individual name is written out above the text and the section is set aside from the rest of the text with bars above and below it. This makes it easy to find the actual words of one of these nine women and to separate them from the contributions of the author.

Most of this book offers good reading and many will be inspired by the courageous actions taken by these women to serve the public and do what they felt was right. But there is one bad thing about a book like this one: It becomes outdated very quickly. This book was published in the summer of 2001 and since that time, another five women have been added to the Senate, bringing the total to fifteen. As soon as the next Election Day has passed, this number could easily change again. Because of this problem, this is the type of book that outdates itself in a very short time.

The writing in this book is good, but it's a little simplistic and more sophisticated readers will find its content inadequate. The way it is written makes me wonder if its targeted audience was teenage girls. The nine women talk in such a benign way that it seems like the book was written specifically to appeal to the younger crowd.

Overall, "Nine and Counting" is a good enough book to read and it offers some good stories of achievement that will inspire some of its readers. It is already out of date, but some of the advice and the stories included here are timeless. Women have come a long way since the founding days of the republic and while they still have some distance to travel before they reach completely equal representation, the nine women mentioned in this book show that one woman can make a difference. With perseverance, positive attitude, and the wish to make the world a better place almost any woman has a fighting chance to win election to the prestigious club known as the United States Senate.

I particularly enjoyed reading this book because the stories and experiences of the nine women senators came in a short-story format, as opposed to long, drawn-out chapters on each individual. The book is a role model in many respects - one, for writers who want to captivate their reader's attention, the writing style and means of collaborating nine different stories into an interesting read; to young girls who aspire to be leaders of the next generation; to all citizens alike - men, women, of all races, ethnic groups, and religious backgrounds - this book is an inspiration of who we should consider as our role models. These nine women of the United States Senate have created a new path, one as Robert Frost poetically wrote that had not yet been taken, and one that serves as an excellent example for future generations.
The book also reflects the delicate balance of the social pressures of being a public service official with the humanity of these nine women and their families.
"Nine and counting" is a book all houses, schools, and libraries should have on their shelves.

This book is phenomenal for any women looking to make a difference in the world. I found it interesting that the senators were not all wealthy, Anglo Saxon individuals, but rather many came from second generation immigrants. The government appears closer to home. I really enjoyed Kay Baily Hutchinson mentioning being called a, "mom in tennis shoes." When I read that one of our senators was called a mom in tennis shoes I was amazed, it was a definite realization point. Suddenly average people were politicians. I've always heard politicians say they are just like me, but really this woman as well as many of her colleagues really are. They balance families and debate over what to make for dinner. It was quite comforting.
This book is also written quite simplistically making it a good book for all ages. At first I was a little insulted by the nature of the writing, but as it moved on it began to gain more of a Chicken Soup for the Aspiring Politicians soul. It left me with a good feeling as if I could go out and change the world with a lot of determination and a little elbow grease.

In general, the story of the women of the Senate is an inspiring one, and these profiles are usually engaging. However, because the authors felt duty-bound to include biographies of all nine women in the Senate, instead of picking and choosing, there are some definite slow spots. For example, while many of the women really did overcome tremendous obstacles during a climb from obscurity (e.g. Patty Murray), it feels as if others simply stumbled into the Senate because they were in the right place at the right time, and/or they came from powerful political families. The reader may want to skim some of these profiles. Still, the book is well-written and at its best can be quite moving.

A very interesting new (8/2000) 288 page book with inspiring stories for males and females alike, of all ages. The lives of women of the Senate are detailed. All coming from different backgrounds with different lifestyles yet able to attain some of the highest positions in the land. The manner in which this book is written makes it most interesting. The lives of women in public life are detailed and the reader is offered guidance for seeking higher positions and fulfillment. The book was written primarily to inspire young girls- these women acting as role models- but young boys can equally benefit. Proceeds of the book are said to go to the Girls Scouts. A fascinating story.