This collection of Kate Chopin's works includes her novel The Awakening and eight of her most well-known short stories. The Awakening was condemned by most critics when it was first published in 1899 but now is celebrated for its early feminist views. Chopin advocates for women's rights in this novel, chronicling a housewife's evolution from an obedient wife and mother into a liberated, independent woman. Also included in this collection is Chopin's celebrated short story "Desiree's Baby," which addresses the subject of racial prejudice. The novel and stories in this unabridged collection reflect the best of this American author's life work, published over the years from 1893 until after her death in 1904.