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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Before Noah, I would have been surprised at the contents of this book. He'd already told me a lot of what was in it, so there was very little eyebrow-raising and instead plenty of "yep, that."
The title was a bit misleading (it's not so much about Wonder Woman as about her creator), but it definitely laid the ground for the stuff that was about WW. The writing was... off, somehow, here and there, but overall a really interesting book.
I first heard about this book when I saw the movie Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. I loved the movie - but it, like many movies about real people and events, Hollywoodized the people and their actions, and I would probably hate it were I to see it again. The book, full of details about suffragettes, the battle for birth control, the history of comic books, and Marston’s unusual family arrangements, is dense but approachable. The many illustrations are a bonus.
Marston lived with his wife Elizabeth Holloway, his mistress Olive Byrne, and their four children, and Elizabeth and Olive continued to live together for the 40+ years after Marston died. The truth of the relationship was kept a secret from the children till they were well into adulthood, and it was never discussed with Olive, who’d vowed to kill herself rather than have the secret come out. Olive was the niece of Margaret Sanger, the birth control pioneer.
Wonder Woman came out of the struggle for women’s rights. During the many years the comic book ran, a fair number of men (and some women), tried to turn her into a passive symbol of female repression, but Wonder Woman always beat the bad guys.
Marston lived with his wife Elizabeth Holloway, his mistress Olive Byrne, and their four children, and Elizabeth and Olive continued to live together for the 40+ years after Marston died. The truth of the relationship was kept a secret from the children till they were well into adulthood, and it was never discussed with Olive, who’d vowed to kill herself rather than have the secret come out. Olive was the niece of Margaret Sanger, the birth control pioneer.
Wonder Woman came out of the struggle for women’s rights. During the many years the comic book ran, a fair number of men (and some women), tried to turn her into a passive symbol of female repression, but Wonder Woman always beat the bad guys.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Jill Lepore reads the story herself and it was nice to hear the emphases that she wanted but her voice is not as smooth as a regular audiobook reader and can be a little hard to listen to.
Her history of Wonder Woman (WW) includes the history of William Moulton Marston and (one) of his lovers, Sadie Elizabeth Holloway, even suffragists more than WW herself.
Her history of Wonder Woman (WW) includes the history of William Moulton Marston and (one) of his lovers, Sadie Elizabeth Holloway, even suffragists more than WW herself.
The history itself is interesting (though also heartbreaking at times when viewed from our current sociopolitical situation (tbh most things are heartbreaking now)), but I found Lepore's writing to be hit and miss. She obviously did a lot of research, even going down the tiniest rabbit holes in endnotes, but I never really got as good of a sense of the people involved as I would have liked (though I suppose that has a lot to do with the unusual family dynamics and the descendants still being alive). I also found it difficult to follow Lepore's chronology at times, which was not strictly linear -- I did like the flash forwards to how Marston's life experiences showed up in WW, but the main structure of the history went in smallish circles that got a bit confusing (and also led to some quotes and anecdotes being repeated 2 or 3 times). Still, it's a good overview of the man (and women!!) behind the creation of WW.
This morning I finally finished this book. I borrowed it from a co-worker when Wonder Woman ,the movie came out, so a while ago. The reason it took so long was because it took me forever to pick up, and get into when I finally did pick it up. I did enjoy learning more about such an iconic pop culture figure.
I had no idea how influential Wonder Woman has been over the years. I also had no idea that Wonder Woman was created in the 1940s. She is one of the few comic characters, especially being a female superhero, that has lasted so long. Something that was cool, the book inserted pictures of the first sketches of Wonder Woman, and strips from the comics throughout it.
It was interesting to learn more about the creator of Wonder Woman, a man how invented the lie detector test, was a phycologist, a professors, and more. Most importantly, he believed in women rights. From his evolvement with the suffragette movement in college to the creation of the superhero, Marston had an interesting life.
The books was an educational read, and because that a little slow. I felt the author seemed a little bias at times, but sometimes did include others' perspectives on Wonder Woman. For example, how some believed she was inappropriate and sending the wrong message to the children reading the comics. Because so many kept reading, Wonder Woman was finally made into a movie last year. Not only was she the first female comic book superhero, but first female superhero to make it to the big screen
I had no idea how influential Wonder Woman has been over the years. I also had no idea that Wonder Woman was created in the 1940s. She is one of the few comic characters, especially being a female superhero, that has lasted so long. Something that was cool, the book inserted pictures of the first sketches of Wonder Woman, and strips from the comics throughout it.
It was interesting to learn more about the creator of Wonder Woman, a man how invented the lie detector test, was a phycologist, a professors, and more. Most importantly, he believed in women rights. From his evolvement with the suffragette movement in college to the creation of the superhero, Marston had an interesting life.
The books was an educational read, and because that a little slow. I felt the author seemed a little bias at times, but sometimes did include others' perspectives on Wonder Woman. For example, how some believed she was inappropriate and sending the wrong message to the children reading the comics. Because so many kept reading, Wonder Woman was finally made into a movie last year. Not only was she the first female comic book superhero, but first female superhero to make it to the big screen
informative
slow-paced
I didn't realize how many early to mid-20th century movements came together to a make Wonder Woman. Even with the unusual living arrangements of the creator, the mixing of photo-feminist and women's suffrage movements into a comic book was fascinating to watch. This biography focused more on the lives of the creators of the comics, drawing exact parallels between life experiences or personal beliefs and panels in the Wonder Woman comic.