What Do I Read Next?
Last Updated August 4, 2024.
- Bayou Folk, Chopin's 1894 story collection, depicts the daily lives and loves of the people in Natchitoches Parish. Her talent as a local colorist and storyteller shines through in her vivid portrayals of the area's characters, settings, and events. Chopin tackles universal themes like prejudice and interracial relationships, which are uncommon in regional fiction.
- Chopin's 1897 collection, A Night in Acadie, also highlights her skill as a local colorist. Unlike Bayou Folk, this collection features characters who express their individuality and act on socially unacceptable impulses. Chopin delves into more sensuous themes, prompting concerns from reviewers.
- Chopin's third collection, A Vocation and a Voice, was not fully published until 1991. Previous publishers questioned the appropriateness of her themes, overlooking the work's exceptional exploration of psychological elements such as human consciousness and its ties to circumstance, motivation, and action. This collection showcases less of Chopin's local colorist abilities and more of her insight into individual motives.
- The White Dove, a 1986 novel by Rosie Thomas, is set in 1930s Great Britain. It follows Amy Lovell, an upper-middle-class young woman who chooses a career over a life of luxury. She falls in love with Nick Penry, a passionate socialist from a different background. Amy's quest for a meaningful life forces her to make challenging decisions.
- G. J. Scrimgeour's A Woman of Her Times depicts a woman torn between the traditional roles of wife and mother and the need to lead her own life. The story begins with her as a young British colonial wife in pre-World War I Ceylon, transitions to her life as a London socialite in the 1920s, follows her struggles as an impoverished working mother in the 1930s, and ultimately shows her achieving a sense of self-fulfillment.
- Published in 1928, Coming of Age in Samoa was a groundbreaking psychological study by anthropologist Dr. Margaret Mead, who was only twenty-three at the time. She studied Samoan children to determine if the stress experienced by American children is a "natural" part of growing up. The study concluded that behaviors often attributed to "human nature" are actually reactions to societal constraints. Mead emphasized the importance of every child's right to knowledge and freedom of choice.
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