"What has happened to me over the course of the past seven decades has in one way or another happened to many if not all present-day American women -- from the almost dizzyingly rapid ringing of changes to the discover of that in our lives which is never changing."
This beautifully written book offers a memorable chronicle of American life since the 1940s that is hard to match in sweep, unconventional thought, and hard-won wisdom on subjects ranging from the relations between the sexes to the relations between America and the world.
One of the nation's most renowned female conservatives, Midge Decter is known for her frequently controversial stands on modern social issues. An Old Wife's Tale is her thoughtful examination of the lives of American women and men over the last sixty years, as viewed through the lens of her own life. From stories of her youth during World War II -- when Decter and her friends learned that "only the class beauty and the class tramp had no difficulty with the dating system" -- to a surprising and often hilarious picture of what the 1950s were really like to an account of her later roles as a single mother, publishing executive, happily married woman, political iconoclast, and doting grandmother, Decter paints a singular portrait of a life lived on the front lines of American culture.
By turns serious, wry, and deeply personal, An Old Wife's Tale brings us an important new perspective on twentieth-century American life.

An Old Wife's Tale: My Seven Decades in Love and War

Biographies & Memoirs

Decter, Midge

Community & Culture

William Morrow

The ultimate, behind–the–scenes look at the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, as he prosecutes the sprawling war on terror and emerges as a figure second only to the President in his ability to capture the country's attention and confidence.
 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has become the leading spokesman for the Bush administration on all matters related to the military and its prosecution of the war on terror. Midge Decter, an accomplished political jounalist who has enjoyed over two decades of personal friendship with Rumsfeld, will answer the question of why and how he has come to play such a critical role at this obviously critical moment. Partly biographical and partly analytical, the book will focus on Rumsfeld's past and current activities as well as what he represents: an ethos of sturdiness, frankness, and resilience that has clearly resonated with the American public in a post–Clinton wartime era. Decter has gained Rumsfeld's full cooperation, and she will trail him through the Pentagon and beyond as he prosecutes the war on terror, including any impending military campaign against Iraq. The daily stresses of advising the president, handling the media, crafting military policy, and dealing with issues of life and death will be examined from the inside––as it is happening.
 This book will offer a dynamic, intimate, behind–the–scenes look at the biggest political star (apart from the president himself) of the Bush administration.

Rumsfeld: A Personal Portrait

Leaders & Notable People

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has become the leading spokesman for the Bush administration on all matters related to the military and its prosecution of the war on terror. Midge Decter, an accomplished political journalist who has enjoyed over two decades of friendship with Rumsfeld, will answer the question of why and how he has come to play such a critical role.
 Partly biographical and partly analytical, the book focuses on Rumsfeld's past and current activities as well as what he represents: an ethos of sturdiness, frankness, and resilience that has clearly resonated with the American public. Decter gained Rumsfeld's full cooperation, and she trailed him through the Pentagon and beyond as he prosecuted the war on terror and the military campaign against Saddam Hussein. The daily stresses of advising the president, handling the media, crafting military policy, and dealing with issues of life and death are examined from the inside – as they happened.
 This book offers a dynamic, intimate, behind–the–scenes look at the biggest political star (apart from the President himself) of the Bush administration.

Harper Paperbacks

An outspoken opponent of ideological feminism dissects the changing roles of women over the last fifty years in this energetic, pithy memoir.Over the past few years, young voices from Katie Roiphe to Wendy Shalit have started to question the assumptions of women's lives since the advent of feminism and the sexual revolution. But how did we get from there to here? A well-known essayist, editor, and lecturer, Midge Decter's conservative stands on modern social issues have historically raised controversy. An Old Wife's Tale is her thoughtful, pointed examination of the role of women over the last sixty years, as viewed through the lens of her own life. From stories of her youth during after World War II to wry observations about the supposedly oppressed housewives who were her peers in suburban Long Island, to analysis of her later roles as single mother, publishing executive, happily married woman, and doting grandmother, Decter takes unstinting aim at those who in her view have completely reordered the roles and expectations of both men and women--with confusion and misery the result for both.

Old Wife's Tale, An: My Seven Decades in Love and War

Turning her formidable intellligence on the Women's Movement, Midge Decter contends that in all the major areas of their lives, women's real difficulties stem from the availability of too many choices. 5 cassettes.

The New Chastity and Other Arguments Against Women's Liberation

Coward, McCann, Geoghegan

Liberal parents, radical children

Physical description; 188p. Subjects; Woman History and condition of women. Women in the United States.

New Chastity

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Wildwood House

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Decter, Midge. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Decter, Midge

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Decter, Midge. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

An Old Wife's Tale: My Seven Decades in Love and War

Rumsfeld: A Personal Portrait

Rumsfeld: A Personal Portrait

Old Wife's Tale, An: My Seven Decades in Love and War

The New Chastity and Other Arguments Against Women's Liberation

Liberal parents, radical children

New Chastity