The Women'S Atlas Of The United States,Used

From Library Journal The maps, text, and tables in this atlas illuminate statistics about issues affecting American women. Topics include demographics, education, employment, family structure, fertility and health, criminal behavior, and political activity. Issues not covered include women in unions, lesbian women, and women with disabilities other than mental illness, and the coverage of minority women is related to general topics. Most of the maps are large and attractive. Occasionally, too similar shades are juxtaposed, or shading on one map indicates increasing numbers, while on the next the order is reversed. In some cases, white areas on maps mean 'no data,' while other areas are unexplained. Some maps present too many data, leaving the reader puzzled rather than informed. Some problems exist with the text as well. Besides some annoying typos and grammatical slips, a couple of statements will raise eyebrows, e.g., 'Many women ...needed meaningful work as opposed to homemaking, 'to relieve the boredom.'' Of greater concern is the frequent insertion of the authors' opinions on various topicslively reading but potentially in conflict with objectivity and relevance. Some data date from sources as old as 1985. Government publications may indeed be the 'latest available' source, but referral to twoand threeyearold almanacs is surprising. With these caveats, recommended as a usual reference source for larger collections.Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria P.L., B.C.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Product Description Maps provide information about women in America in regards to population, education, employment, family status, health, crime, and politics From Booklist Two developments since the publication of the first edition in 1986 have made for significant differences in this thorough revision of the Women's Atlas of the United States. The first is changes in the condition of American women as a result of shifts in political power. These changes ripple through the atlas' text and maps. The second is rapid advances in computer technology as dramatically illustrated by the fact that all of the maps in the first edition were prepared by hand, and all of them in this edition have been prepared on a computer.The same seven broad categories (i.e., demographics, education, employment, family, health, crime, and politics) used to organize information in the first edition prevail here. However, most of the flippant titles used within those categories have been replaced by more sober, informative titles. Unfortunate exceptions remain, such as 'The Birds and the Bees' to introduce a section focusing on abortion, or 'Up the River' for a section on women criminals.The compilers have made good use of the new technology available to them. Their introduction continues to provide lucid explanations of the types of maps used and how to interpret each. They have judiciously matched map types (choropleth, symbol and graduated symbol, pie chart, and dot maps and cartograms) to the nature of the data depicted. Text has been updated to reflect changes in society and to interpret the information provided by newer sources. Those sources are cited in notes at the end of the book, just as a bibliography cites the data source for each map. Updating and revision of maps has been done with an eye on improved clarity. For example, whereas the first edition combined in a single map statebystate data on women's smoking and drinking, this edition treats each of those behaviors in a separate map. New maps treat homelessness and AIDS, phenomena whose impact on women has increased in the past decade.When the first edition was published, it merited close comparison with the Atlas of American Women (Macmillan, 1987). However, the passage of nearly a decade has blunted the value of such a comparison; the uptodate revision of Women's Atlas of the United States is unquestionably today's preferred source. Even though it