Written by prominent American women - activists, academics, politicians, journalists, mothers, and daughters - A Voice of Our Own is a collection of twenty-nine original essays that celebrate the indomitable spirit of the American woman.

The stories are sometimes painful, often humorous, but always honest. Betty Ford speaks candidly about her battles with breast cancer and alcoholism - and shows how the medical establishment short-changes women, even first ladies. Beverly J. Harvard - who rose from the ranks of the Atlanta police force to become the city's (and the nation's) first African American woman police chief - talks of her efforts to dispel the stereotypes that often characterize women executives. And Wilma P.

Mankiller tells of the betrayal of the Cherokee nation, her struggles as a tribal leader, and the future of Native American youth.