Iron Butterflies: Guest Review from my buddy Melissa!

Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World
by Birute Regine 

partial summary from Goodreads: 

A profound transition is taking place in our society, a revolution that is largely hidden, and led predominantly by women. A society once based on domination and power over others is beginning to crumble as an era of cooperation and community emerges, founded on the principle that power should only be exercised with and for others.
This is the inspiring, central message of Iron Butterflies, a compelling narrative that weaves together the stories of sixty successful women from all walks of life and throughout the world...



When I was offered a copy of this for review, I knew that I'd be a bit too busy, and not quite interested enough to want to review this, but I immediately thought of on of my best friends, Melissa -- this book seemed right up her alley, and may even come in handy in her chosen field (social work).  So I asked her if she'd be willing to review it for ya, and this is what the lovely M had to say:

Me and Melissa -->

Iron Butterflies by Birute Regine provides several stories of women who've empowered themselves politically, socially, economically, and personally. It provides a detailed look at the ways women are succeeding with femine power in a male-dominated society. She tells the stories of businesswomen, community organizers, entrepreneurs, and caregivers who are progressively changing the way their organizations work.

The book begins by detailing the history of feminine power and explains the important roles women have played in tradiational societies. It exposes the myth of the submissive women who was powerless in early civilization and also looks at spectrum of respect and value placed on women in the past. The author explores several different societies and institutions and explains the roles women played, the power that they had, and how they used their feminine wisdom.

The author explains the importance of traditionally feminine traits in creating better relationships in both personal and professional areas. She argues that compassion, vulnerability, and a willingness to listen are cruical to forging effective and strong relationships that allow women to make positive changes that affect their lives, the lives of others, and entire communities. By using the stories of women in vastly different situations, Regine illustrates how these traits can be used to break down barriers and create more beneficial and meaningful relationships. These changes ultimately make workplaces, communities, and organizations function more efficiently and effectively, and result in women feeling more empowered and satisfied with their lives.

This book calls women to embrace their feminine power, to use their vulnerabilities and compassion to develop stronger relationships, and to reject the masculine, impersonal status quo that dominates todays society. Regine describes the stories of over fifty women who have used their feminine power to create better workplaces, communities, and experiences for both men and women fortunate enough to be involved in such progress. 

It was inspiring to hear the stories and thoughts of women who have used their feminine power to overcome harsh, impersonal and masculine functioning and make their lives more productive and enjoyable.

The women she writes about come from a variety of situations. Some were uneducated, poor, and had access to very few typical resources, and other were educated, wealthy, and had many resources at their disposal. This made it easy to see different ways women can use their tendency toward compassion and listening to open themselves up to create more fulfulling, and consequently more efficient and effective relationships.

The author gave several tips for women on how to draw on their feminine power to help begin making similar changes in their lives and relationships.

It was also inspiring to see a history of women that explained their positive roles, and to hear about different societies that valued the women's maternal wisdom. 


Well done, Melissa!  Her first non-school-related book review, folks, give her some love!
Thanks. =D