Peculiar Institutions: An Informal History of the Seven Sister Colleges Book

As stated in the title, this is an informal history indeed. While the author profiles the schools' founders individually, she then proceeds thematically, drawing in anecdotes from each of the sister schools along the way.

Despite the organization and occasional unevenness, this was a really enjoyable volume. It leans heavily on firsthand accounts, which make the formation and evolution of these schools much more coherent. I read it because I didn't know anything the history of women's colleges. Now I do know something.

The tone does take a turn for the personal in the last couple chapters, as we reach the era that the author has observed firsthand. We soon get much more personal opinion on what's wrong with the schools these days.

Weirdly, the book ends with the author resigning in defeat, saying that women's schools are an anachronism of the past, now out of step with their founders intents. She seems to say they serve no function and must become coeducational or perish. That may well have been the tone when this was written in 1975, but there are something like 30 women's colleges around today, including five of the seven she profiled in this book. It would be interesting to read a more modern account of how those schools regained their relevance.