Books

Fort Worth is sweeping Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Worth Women off the bookshelves, seeming to indicate a longing for women's history. Katie Sherrod, editor of that volume (TCU Press, $32.50), says that it is by no means a definitive history but rather a gathering of stories that will serve as a starting point. Many women in the book, she points out, deserve their own books.

So what's been written about Dallas women? Not much recently. Perhaps the most comprehensive book is Daughters of Dallas: A History of Greater Dallas Through the Voices and Deeds of Its Women by Vivian Anderson Castleberry, a large (500 pages) coffee table book published in 1994. Ms. Castleberry was for many years the women's editor of the Dallas Times Herald, and if anyone should know about Dallas women, she'd be the one. Published by a small press, it's available in used copies.

Ms. Castleberry was the co-editor of Texas Tornado (Citadel, $14.95) by Louise Raggio, a Dallas woman who crusaded for women's and family rights. Ms. Castleberry compiled the book from tapes made by Ms. Raggio for her grandchildren. Ms. Raggio began her legal practice in 1953 when it was illegal for a woman to enter into a contract without her husband's signature and approval. The book chronicles her life from a childhood in poverty to a career as one of the most influential advocates of her generation.

In 1989, Natalie Ornish published Pioneer Jewish Texans: Their Impact on Texas and American History for Four Hundred Years 1590-1990. This one will be enlightening for those who know nothing about Jews in Texas. Used copies begin at $44.95 on amazon.com for this oversized coffee table book. Which reminds me that Gerry Cristol published A Light in the Prairie: Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, 1872-1997 in 1998. The book, available from TCU Press, contains the stories of many Jewish women and their contributions to Dallas history.

You can't talk about women in Dallas without mentioning Prudence Mackintosh. Known as a writer for Texas Monthly who chronicles women's social rites of passage, Ms. Mackintosh is the author of three books on raising her sons: Thundering Sneakers, Retreads and Sneaking Out (all from University of Texas Press). Since she raised those boys in Dallas, the books are all about being a mother in the city. Ms. Mackintosh will make you laugh, cry and recognize yourself.

Dallas can also claim some part-time residents who make interesting reading. The story of legendary outlaw Belle Starr is well-told in Legendary Ladies of Texas published by the Texas Folklore Society in 1994, with Francis Edward Abernethy as editor. The book is out of print, but you can get used copies, and it's worth buying.

Notice how many of these books, not always that old, are out of print? Maybe it's time for someone to think about a new book on Dallas women. The possibilities are endless.

Judy Alter is director of the TCU Press in Fort Worth.

YOUR FAVORITES? Suggest your own works on Dallas women at Guide Live.com/texaspages