Witches, Midwives, and Nurses (WMN) is a document from the second wave of feminism in the United States. Rereading it forty years later, we find it startling in its assertiveness and sweep and, for the most part, surprisingly accurate, given the paucity of materials we originally had to work with.
-- Narrators (Ehrenreich and English) (Introduction to the Second Edition: The Backstory)

Importance: This quote does the important job of contextualizing this manuscript within its original social and political context, while also introducing the documents continued contemporary relevance. This quote clearly states that the book to follow is written through the lens of second-wave feminism, thus providing readers with an understanding of both where the authors are coming from and how the book should be received and interpreted. This quote also introduces the fact that, after forty years, the authors are reproaching their manuscript with a new perspective that never-the-less does not disregard the relevance and significant of their original work.

Yet the...
-- Narrators (Ehrenreich and English) (Introduction to the Second Edition: The Backstory)