Gail Collins' new book, "No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History" is a romp through American history from the perspective of a demographic that has been under intense scrutiny across decades: Women in the home, the office, and pop culture, who have had the audacity to age.

Collins, a New York Times columnist and the first woman to hold the editorial page editor position at the Times, comes at the book with a distinct perspective: Despite the progress women have made to earn seats at various tables, society continues to wonder if a woman is coloring her hair as she ages, or if she has gained or lost weight.

The book tracks American women through the decades, from Plymouth Rock — where women were only considered marriage material if they were "civil and under fifty years of age," "No Stopping Us Now" reads — to the current Democratic presidential field — in which multiple women with varying viewpoints are vying for the nation's top political post.