SOURCE: “Talent, Grit, and Guts,” in Belles Lettres, Vol. 9, No. 1, Fall, 1993, p. 50.

In the following positive review of Written by Herself: Autobiographies of American Women, Bloom explores the various obstacles overcome by the twenty-five women whose excerpted autobiographies appear in the anthology.

Americans have for two centuries been reared on the exemplary lives of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Frederick Douglass—all embodiments of the male version of the American Dream. In the traditional male plot, the hero overcomes a series of obstacles through prodigious effort before attaining power, wealth, social position, and a faithful helpmate. Because of pervasive sexism, not until the late 19th century did American women have access to this dream—minus the helpmate. Even then, it took an extraordinary mixture of talent, imagination, grit, and guts for a woman to succeed.

To illustrate how women attained the once-impossible dream, Conway has selected lengthy excerpts...