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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
A very odd book. Yes, it covers Wonder Woman’s origins (very bizarre). But the origins are not anything a person would be expecting. The creator of Wonder Woman was a very strange character. His living situation was highly progressive for the time. I am not wholly convinced of his ‘empowerment of women’ stance as he came across as odd and a bit selfish (author eludes to this). Harmless individual? Likely. Just non-conforming and glory seeking. He and his ‘harem’ created their own mythology.
The book was highly researched and well documented. Sometimes it read in a clinical fashion. Took me some time to finish. Regardless, a lot was learned from reading it (historically speaking).
The book was highly researched and well documented. Sometimes it read in a clinical fashion. Took me some time to finish. Regardless, a lot was learned from reading it (historically speaking).
I really wanted to like this book. I did find it interesting while I read it. However, it was only sort of about Wonder Woman. It was more about her creator, William Moulton Marston. It was also sort of about his odd family life. It was also sort of about feminism. And it was a little bit about the origins of the polygraph. The problem was it didn't give enough interesting detail or present a thesis statement about ANY of these things to make the book cohesive or compelling. The author alluded to the BDSM nature of WMM's sexual exploits without actually discussing the implications of having such predilections in a repressed era. It was also mentioned that Holloway was ordered into a polygamous situation she didn't want, but later in life she and Byrne were best friends...with no explanation. What I interpreted as the point of the book was finally presented in the epilogue (!?). I don't regret reading this book, but it has left me in search of a book that would cover this topic in a satisfying way.
A solid, if somewhat tedious, history of the social, political, and personal histories that converged to eventually create Wonder Woman. Even though the character herself doesn’t appear until nearly two-thirds of the way through the book, the histories of Marston, Holloway, and Bern (and their non-traditional family) are intriguing. Lepore does an excellent job in uncovering and connecting information and admirably presents it here, and while the narrative thread she weaves is at times disjointed and repetitive, this book still offers a great insight into the unique contexts that eventually created and shaped one of the world’s most beloved heroes.
I was delighted by this book. Lepore couldn’t have found a more thrilling backstory to explore. The feminist talking points, suffragette connections, and social/cultural issues (birth control, abortion, a woman’s right to work, “having it all,” sex education) intertwined with the almost unbelievable biography of William Moulton Marston, former professor, Harvard-educated psychologist, inventor of the lie detector, and creator of Wonder Woman, makes for completely addictive reading. This is not so much an unpacking of Wonder Woman’s origin story, but an unpacking of Marston and how his life influenced the creation of the most popular female superhero. The book focuses almost solely on Marston, including his secret home life—he had three wives, essentially, and they lived together with all their children. Marston, who at one point put out a press release stating that women would rise to world domination within a thousand years, used Wonder Woman as a platform for his liberal cultural and social beliefs. He also alluded to his own personal experiences in the comic (see: Wonder Woman’s prodigious use of lie detectors). And, most importantly, Marston used Margaret Sanger, related to one of his family members, as the primary model for the Wonder Woman character and her adventures. Sanger’s work as an advocate for birth control and women’s rights greatly informed Marston’s feminist perspective for the comic. This impeccably researched, very readable book was nearly perfect. I loved it.
Amazing! Incredibly well researched and infinitely readable. Highly recommend!!
slow-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Though meticulously researched, The Secret History of Wonder Woman suffers from the occasional inaccuracy, and, though providing unique insight, focuses exclusively on the biography of Marston and the Women's Rights Movement, all while reducing the character's rich publication history to a few paragraphs in an epilogue. Still, it is a must-read for feminists, biography-lovers, and comic book fans.
informative
For all that I feel it focused far too much on Dr. Marston and too little on Wonder Woman herself, I did see the point of Lepore's reasoning for doing so.
The history of the factors influencing Marston and his infamous character are riveting. For a man so low to have created something that has survived the tides of American cultural shifts. Wonder Woman and the power of women she represents are so much more than a few women who called for their rights to themselves. She is the product of decades of battles for understanding, freedom, and love. Lepore's research is wide-reaching, complex, unbiased, and fascinating.
The history of the factors influencing Marston and his infamous character are riveting. For a man so low to have created something that has survived the tides of American cultural shifts. Wonder Woman and the power of women she represents are so much more than a few women who called for their rights to themselves. She is the product of decades of battles for understanding, freedom, and love. Lepore's research is wide-reaching, complex, unbiased, and fascinating.