SOURCE: “8 Founding Sisters of Feminism,” in Los Angeles Times Book Review, March 17, 1985, p. 4.

In the following negative review, Selvin derides the lack of interpretation found in Significant Sisters.

We who cut our political teeth on feminism during the 1960s and 1970s may find it hard to remember that there was a “movement” before us. To those of us who so self-consciously went braless, to those of us who own treasured first editions of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the women's movement now seems almost middle-aged.

But the history of feminism is, in fact, quite old and rich. Margaret Forster's book, Significant Sisters, explores the careers of eight extraordinary British and American women whose lives spanned a century and a half. Many of their names are familiar but their accomplishments, courage and personal determination may not be.

Caroline Norton fought for passage of the Reform of Marriage and Divorce Laws Act...