Initiated as a symposium at the 2018 Great Basin Anthropological Conference (GBAC), this volume brings together a collection of articles in which the authors reflect on the professional challenges to—and contributions of—women in Great Basin archaeology and ethnography over almost the past 100 years. Some chapters consider the pioneering work of an earlier generation, such as Catherine Fowler's treatise on the experiences of Isabel Kelly and Kelly's influence on Fowler's own career. Other chapters, as well as the foreword by Lorann S. A. Pendleton, are more deeply personal accounts of how the authors came to their professions in academic, museum, agency, publishing, or consulting work, although the authors are generally reserved and circumspect in any deserved criticism of specific male professors or colleagues who were unsupportive or even openly hostile toward women in the field at the time. In other words, rather than vilifying such figures or even naming names in all cases, the authors explain how they overcame or circumvented the obstacles placed in their way—such as being dismissed as destined to be only wives and mothers by an influential male academic or, as the lone woman in an agency office, having to draw on a lifetime of “good girl” behavior as “humble and obedient” (Heidi Roberts, p. 59) to avoid ending up in the crosshairs of a tyrannical male boss. The reader may rightly ponder, however, if many other women were unable to find such success in the face of powerful resistance and, therefore, left the profession. This range of contexts and experiences is one of the strengths of the volume for readers seeking to either understand the professional landscape of Great Basin archaeology over time or explore future career options in archaeology, or both. The final chapter by Shannon Tushingham and Tiffany J. Fulkerson reprises and expands on similar work by the authors on the representation of women authors in both presentations at the biennial GBAC and in the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, the regional journal most closely tied to the Great Basin. Their contribution is especially welcome because it directly connects the experience of women to the ongoing experiences of other traditionally underrepresented practitioners such as LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, or “other individuals who have historically, and continue to be, marginalized with in the sciences” (p. 168). In this respect, their contribution serves as a reminder to us all that there is much work yet to be done to make the discipline more inclusive and, therefore, prompts us to self-reflection and action.

As the editors note in the introduction, three themes emerge from the collection: “(1) serendipity, or the importance of unexpected and fortuitous opportunities; (2) the ebb and flow of theoretical paradigms and how they (re)shape narratives about the past; and (3) the importance of mentorship” (p. 1). Consequently, the contributions speak not only to the professional experience of women in Great Basin archaeology but also to the profession of archaeology more generally both within and beyond the Great Basin. The challenge, of course, is that even well-qualified women often did not enjoy the same degree of mentorship or admission to graduate school as men—at least prior to 1980s, if not later—so even serendipitous opportunities may have been elusive because women did not have the same professional networks as their male peers. The issue of theory is also important with respect to gender, given that several authors note how they chafed under the human behavioral ecology paradigm of Great Basin archaeology dominant since the late 1970s and were prevented from exploring alternate perspectives that their intellect and personal experience suggested would foster important discussions and more meaningful interpretations. One is left to wonder if and how Great Basin archaeology might have developed had such alternate perspectives been given voice earlier or were to have more or broader support even today.

Of course, I am of the demographic most likely to relate to the stories presented in this volume, so I am not sure other readers will be so moved to heed their messages. And even as someone predisposed to the message, I found the contributions to be somewhat uneven in tone and quality, which ultimately left me a bit disappointed in the volume overall. That said, there may be particular chapters that instructors will find useful to assign as class readings, especially to give students a view of the range of professional possibilities (for both men and women) and to highlight the fact that professional life is often a series of unanticipated “fortuitous opportunities” facilitated by mentors. I also think that established professionals who seek this volume out may be motivated by certain accounts to reflect on if and how they have been either professional gatekeepers or mentors in their roles as academics, agency archaeologists, owners of companies, colleagues, or editors of journals. Just as we acknowledge that archaeological “resources” can be lost to selfish acts or neglect, so too can we lose the intellectual contributions of generations of individuals marginalized by the self-interest and/or narrow-mindedness of persons in positions of power.