| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 110.2

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 110.2 | The History Cooperative

Diana B. Turk. Bound by a Mighty Vow: Sisterhood and Women's Fraternities, 1870–1920. New York: New York University Press. 2004. Pp. x, 245. $20.00.
Diana B. Turk's monograph adds to scholarship about U.S. women's higher education. It shows how women's fraternities (and yes, they were called fraternities and not sororities during the time period of the book) both empowered and constrained their members. Turk concentrates on Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, which she designates "the first Greek letter women's fraternity," established in 1870 (p. 13). She also weaves in some information about a number of other women's fraternities. The time period she selects makes sense as she analyzes the fraternities from their beginning through a maturation point in 1920.	1
The author rightly points out the challenges of writing about the controversial topic of fraternities. Some scholars have overlooked fraternities or dismissed their importance as a subject for scholarly attention due to their elitist or discriminatory policies. Fraternity supporters clearly wanted Turk to project a positive spin on their history. In order to access documents and to conduct interviews with former fraternity members, Turk had to gain their trust and the trust of those who guard their records. She gained access to important records and conducted numerous interviews. Her goal was to write a balanced account of women's fraternities. For the most part, she achieves that goal.	. . .

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