k in which they believe "that young Mexican American female students in particular should be given the opportunity to learn about their predecessor's legacy to them" (xvii). This highlights the aim of the book and gives it a purpose, and although the authors clearly have a bias in favor of the subject matter they have researched and report on, throughout the work it does not show.
             As mentioned previously, it is impossible to summarize a work that covers such an overwhelmingly large subject and timeframe, but it is important to understand how the subject matter is presented. The story begins with Tejanas in their origins as Native Americans and continues through their colonial history which is intertwined with the history of Texas, Mexico, and the United States. Las Tejanas then takes a turn and begins to focus on individual aspects of life in Texas, such as rural and urban. The hardships of the women, including the difficulties of marriage and racism are included before Las Tejanas begins to tell the story of the women's rise and positive advancements. Chapters entitled "Entering Business and the Professions" and "Winning and Holding Public Office" speak for themselves, before the book ends with positive achievements in arts and culture. Impressive in the telling of this story, is that the authors do not offer direct bias in support of the women, but rather seem to have taken the attitude that the facts speak for themselves. This lends itself to appear more credible, as the reader is left to make his or her own opinions, and even though the opinions of the authors are known, they are not force fed to the reader.
             Perhaps a drawback to the work, however, is its disjointed structure. While each chapter has an overlying theme, within each chapter are short s
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