To Cherish the Life of the World: Selected Letters of Margaret Mead

TO CHERISH THE LIFE OF THE WORLD: Selected Letters of Margaret Mead

MARGARET M. CAFFREY AND PATRICIA A. FRANCIS, EDS.

Margaret Mead was an influential American cultural anthropologist and feminist who offered the world an unprecedented look into the cultural practices of the people of Samoa through her landmark book Coming of Age in Samoa (1928, Harper Perennial). At the time, her fieldwork was controversial because it challenged some of the prevailing ideas about interpersonal relationships. Her personal life was defined by introspection and the rich relationships, which she maintained through prolific letter writing, despite her fieldwork in remote locations. Caffrey, an author and professor of history, and Francis, curator of a past Mead exhibition at the Library of Congress, have drawn on the letters in Mead's papers collected there. The documents reveal Mead's philosophy, including her strong sense of family responsibility, her relationships with three husbands and both male and female lovers, and new details on her 55-year career. Perseus, 2006, 429 p., hardcover, b&w plates, $29.95.

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