Book of the Week
The Free Women of Petersburg: Status and Culture in a Southern Town,
1784-1860, by Suzanne Lebsock. HQ1423.L39 1984 at Classified Stacks
Suzanne Lebsock, a social historian and currently a professor of history
at the University of Washington, studied the public documents (e.g.,
marriage contracts, deeds, and wills) of the free women (white and black) of
Petersburg, Virginia, between the early years of the nation and the Civil
War to chart the changing status of women and to document a uniquely female
culture of values and beliefs.
As many of the documents she studied were legal documents, legal
historians will find her work of interest. For example, she notes changing
patterns of property ownership and transfer leading to women's increased
economic independence. She discovers that more women held separate estates,
more women worked for a wage, and fewer married. She comments, "Petersburg
provides a case study of how the condition of women could change for the
better in a nonfeminist, even antifeminist culture."
Books to Read for Fun (or to Give as Gifts)
by Ann Hemmens
Once you make it through law school exams, you might want to take some
time to read books for fun before school begins again in January. Or maybe
you are looking for a few gift ideas. If you haven't had time to keep up on
new books this year, there are several resources you can consult for a quick
run down on the "best" or "most popular" works.
- The 2002 Notable Books list from the American Library Association,
http://www.ala.org/rusa/notable_current.html. Fiction, non-fiction,
and poetry works are selected for "their significant contribution to the
expansion of knowledge or for the pleasure they can provide to adult
readers." Includes brief descriptions of books, pictures of book jackets,
and price.
- YALSA Winning Titles, from the American Library Association,
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/index.html. This website contains
links to lists of books, videos, and DVDs for young adults and children.
- BookBrowse.com,
http://www.bookbrowse.com/, "a literary smorgasbord of the best
current books," includes book summaries (from the book jacket), reviews,
author interviews, and news. Browse by genre or review bestseller lists.
- Recommended Reading, from Seattle Public Library,
http://www.spl.org/booklists/recreading.html, includes reading ideas
for all ages and recommendations for book groups. Includes the weekly book
reviews by Nancy Pearl, Director of the Washington Center for the Book,
featured on KUOW's 94.9 Public Radio: "The Beat."
- The University Bookstore,
http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/ubs/main.taf?, sells general books
in addition to textbooks! On their website you will find a catalog of over
170,000 titles, recommended books and reviews, and the author special
events calendar (in case you want to get a book signed by the author). An
added benefit for UW student, faculty, UW alumni, and staff who purchase
items at the Bookstore is the Patronage Refund program (the Patronage
Refund rate for 2002-2003 is 8% of eligible purchases).
Taking Exams in the Library
You may choose different places to take your law school exams.
Possible locations in the Law Library include carrels on floors 4, 5, and
7; tables on floor 7; long tables in the Reading Room; and group study rooms
on floors 4, 5, 6, and 7.
The group study rooms are for UW law students only. Students wishing to
study in a group have priority -- that is, one student taking an exam alone
should defer to a group of students who are reviewing for their next test. |
