Download or read book The Beacon Book of Essays by Contemporary American Women written by Wendy Martin and published by Beacon Press (MA). This book was released on 1996 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two generations ago, most essayists were men, but in recent decades, women writers have claimed the personal essay, using its freedom to explore contemporary life in all its diversity. Wendy Martin has gathered a wide range of writing, from classics by Maya Angelou and Joan Didion to new voices of younger writers, many appearing here for the first time in book form.