Ann Jones (born September 3, 1937) is an American journalist and author of a number of non-fiction books about her research into women's and humanitarian issues: ''Women Who Kill'', ''Kabul in Winter'', ''Looking for Lovedu'', ''Next Time She'll be Dead'' and ''When Love Goes Wrong''. She has also written and taken photographs for a number of publications including ''National Geographic Traveler'', ''Outside'', ''The Nation'', ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' and ''The New York Times''. The majority of her work and writings centers on women's issues, especially
domestic violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
. Jones has provided humanitarian aid around the world, including
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
Liberia
Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
,
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
and the
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
.
She currently resides in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
.
Biography
Ann Jones was born September 3, 1937, in
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire ( ; lit. "clear water") is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Eau Claire and Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat, seat of Eau Claire County. It is the List of citie ...
, the daughter of insurance broker Oscar Trygve Slagsvol and musician Bernice Slagsvol.
[Ann Jones in '']Contemporary Authors
''Contemporary Authors'' is a reference work that has been published by Gale since 1962. The work provides short biographies and bibliographies of contemporary and near-contemporary writers and is a major source of information on over 116,000 liv ...
Online''. Gale. January 19, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012. She grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from Eau Claire
Memorial High School in 1955.
She received a doctorate in American literature and intellectual history from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
[Ann Jones Forum Special](_blank)
(press release)
, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers Bachelor's degree, bachelor's and ...
, April 20, 1981. Retrieved May 13, 2012. in 1970, and taught English at
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
from 1970 to 1973. She served as coordinator of women's studies at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...
(1973–1975) and was a member of the writing faculty at
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
(1986–1997). In 2002 Jones became a human rights researcher, teacher and women's advocate in Afghanistan.
Books
Women's violence issues
''Women Who Kill'',
originally published in 1980 and then re-printed in 1996 was Jones' first widely released and read book and included coverage of notable mysteries including that of
Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was Trial, tried and Acquittal, acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her Patricide, father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was c ...
.
The book led to Jones being interviewed on subjects such as
female incarceration,
battered wives,
and other issues affecting female violence. The book included controversial issues including whether homicide was a woman's last defense if she could not get support from others, including the police.
''Next Time She'll be Dead'',
like ''When Women Kill'', examined known cases of domestic violence and its effect on women, including
Hedda Nussbaum.
''When Love Goes Wrong''.,
which Jones co-wrote with
Susan Schechter, was intended as a resource for women suffering from abuse.
Travel related
''Kabul in Winter'',
written about Jones' experience in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
in 2002 and her observations of a city utterly destroyed by war, warlords and the
Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
where she felt a need to try to pick up the pieces.
While in Afghanistan, Jones drew on her training as an English teacher and helped to re-train the city's teachers,
a challenge in a city where more than 95% of the women are affected by
domestic violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
.
Jones is critical of the
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
administration, especially its policies in Afghanistan,
and the ways in which relief funds are used,
and her book touches on how those policies made working in Afghanistan somewhat of a challenge.
She has also reported from Afghanistan while embedded with U.S. and Afghan National Army troops.
''Looking for Lovedu'',
chronicles Jones' experience as she travels the length of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
from
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and her experiences with border guards, who could not understand her travelling on her own.
Jones took the trip with
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
photographer
Kevin Muggleton as a search for South Africa's ''Lovedu'' tribe,
but the trip ended up to be about far more, including women's issues in present-day Africa.
Bibliography
* ''Uncle Tom's Campus''. New York: Praeger, 1973.
* . New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980. Second revised edition Beacon Press (Boston), 1996; Feminist Press, 1 October 2009,
* ''Everyday Death: The Case of Bernadette Powell''. New York: Holt, 1985.
*''When Love Goes Wrong: What to Do When You Can't Do Anything Right'' (with Susan Schechter). New York: HarperCollins, 1992.
* Boston: Beacon Press, 1994. Revised and updated edition, 2000.
* ''Guide to America's Outdoors: Middle-Atlantic'' (photography by Skip Brown). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2001.
*
*
*
* Dispatch books/Haymarket Books. . October 2013.
References
External links
Ann Jones Online official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Ann
1937 births
Living people
20th-century American writers
21st-century American writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
American expatriates in Afghanistan
American expatriates in Norway
American feminist writers
City College of New York faculty
Mount Holyoke College faculty
People from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty
University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni
Writers from Massachusetts
Writers from Wisconsin
American women academics