Jean Zimmerman

If you like unusual plots in your books, I promise you that this novel doesn't disappoint. Savage Girl is a doozy! Well penned in more of a literary style mystery and complete with a host of memorable characters, the story is a slow meandering tale that often makes you realize that all is not what it seems. There were times while reading I thought that the book could have used some editing but all in all I feel that the author did a wonderful job. Where most mysteries these days are very formulaic and predictable, I praise Jean Zimmerman for her great creativity. It's different, a not one you'll easily forget.… (more)

This biography of four Colonial women of the Philipse dynasty spans more than a century between Margaret Hardenbroeck’s 1659 arrival in New Amsterdam to the loss of her great-granddaughter Mary Philipse Morris’s estates following the Revolutionary War. I have mixed feelings about this book. I hate it when biographers tell us what their subjects thought if there isn’t documentation to back it up like a diary or letters. This author does this repeatedly throughout the book. She tells readers what Margaret thought about as she sat on her stoop, and what Mary and her husband talked about as they rode together in their carriage. There are no diaries or letters in the source list. The source list reveals another weakness in the book, as it does not include archival or primary sources. The author relied almost exclusively on secondary sources. Finally, while it’s presented as women’s history, it’s really more of a history of the Philipse family, as there is as much emphasis on the men of the family as on the women.

Despite its flaws, I am glad that I read the book since I have New Amsterdam and New Netherlands ancestry. The book’s main strength is the social history of Colonial New York and families like the Philipses who built fortunes during that era. My ancestors weren’t in the same social circles as the Philipse family, but it’s likely that they would have done business with them at some point. At the very least, they would have used the Philipse family’s toll bridge that linked Manhattan to Westchester County and the outlying farmland.… (more)

Author connects the Navy aviator Tailhook scandal with the ban on women in combat. Believes that Tailhook happened in part because military men and trained to look on military women as second class citizens because they can't take on the risks and responsibilities in combat. Believes that the prohibition on women flying in combat aircraft was lifted as a result of the backlash over the Tailhook scandal. A journalist, the author conducted numerous oral history interviews that allowed her to paint interesting portraits of individuals...however it would be difficult for a researcher to follow up on this material as the interviews are in the author's possession - unless she ultimately donates them to an archive. There is an interesting section on the Integration Act of 1948, Carl Vinson, and the debates in Congress regarding the Act pages 154 - 162. Also has an interesting interpretation of DACOWITS 182-187.… (more)