<P>Westover, a girls' school in Middlebury, Connecticut, was founded in 1909 by emancipated "New Women," educator Mary Hillard and architect Theodate Pope Riddle. Landscape designer Beatrix Farrand did the plantings. It has evolved from a finishing school for the Protestant elite, including F. Scott Fitzgerald's first love, to a meritocracy for pupils of many religions and races from all over the world. The fascinating account of the ups and downs of this female community is the subject of Laurie Lisle's lively and well-researched book. The author describes the innovations of the idealistic minister's daughter who founded the school in 1909, her intellectual successor who turned it into a college preparatory school in the 1930s, the quiet headmaster who managed to keep it open during the turbulent 1970s, and the prize-winning mathematics teacher, wife, and mother who leads the high school today. This beautifully illustrated book tells an important story about female education during decades of dramatic change in America.</P>

LAURIE LISLE is a Westover alumna and the author of four books, including Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe (1980) and Four Tenths of an Acre: Reflections on a Gardening Life (2005). She lives in Sharon, Connecticut.

DedicationPreface: My WestoverAcknowledgmentsChapter One: Miss Hillard and her Era: Protestant and ProgressiveChapter Two: Creating a School: "A Real Girls' Republic"Chapter Three: The Art of Living: A Balanced LifeChapter Four: The Spirit of the School: Engaging Youthful IdealismChapter Five: Louise Bulkley Dillingham: Becoming Miss DChapter Six: Encouraging Independence: Democracy and HonorChapter Seven: The Desire for Justice: Admitting Negro StudentsChapter Eight: A Great Lady: Honors and IllnessChapter Nine: Days of Desperation: Rebellion and Falling EnrollmentChapter Ten: Regaining Balance: Finding the Courage to ContinueChapter Eleven: Classroom Innovations: Learning from GirlsChapter Twelve: Backlash: Defining the DifferenceChapter Thirteen: The Ethic of Care: Defending Girls' SchoolsNotesIndex