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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Decent. Very readable. Interesting info on the history of birth control / women’s rights / feminism, as well as some kind of shocking info on how much censorship was legal not that long ago. I liked Marston’s unconventional family structure, though I’d thought it would be more polyamorous; it seemed like more of a wife/mistress situation.
This book was incredibly interesting and the tie between the famous Wonder Woman comic and the Feminist/Women's Movement was really well done and incredibly researched. The first third of this book was so incredibly slow and difficult to get through, I honestly almost gave up on the book altogether. But my interest increased with each part of the book and I was thoroughly engrossed by the end. I think I would have liked the book more if it had been structured differently with more about the Wonder Woman comic and the women's lib movement all throughout the book to break up the repetitive biography in the beginning.
2.5/5
Jill Lepore's account of the history of Wonder Woman is quite thorough but at risk of being tedious. There are so many unnecessary anecdotes and name drops throughout the text. These sorts of choices make the book difficult to get through. For such a saucy title the book was rather boring and one-note. Though the issues with primary sources should be acknowledged, I still can't find myself that interested in the book.
Jill Lepore's account of the history of Wonder Woman is quite thorough but at risk of being tedious. There are so many unnecessary anecdotes and name drops throughout the text. These sorts of choices make the book difficult to get through. For such a saucy title the book was rather boring and one-note. Though the issues with primary sources should be acknowledged, I still can't find myself that interested in the book.
This book is a perfect picture of the bizarre and unknown history of the family that inspired and created Wonder Woman. It is so thorough and reaches every—like EVERY—piece of their past. Overall, it was hard to push through, and at some points was hard to follow with all of the people being introduced, but it was an interesting read.
I expected to be reading about Wonder Woman throughout the whole book, and in reality, the whole first half of it does not mention her. It goes into detail about the lives of those who created and inspired her. It was confusing putting together each piece of the puzzle, but credit has to be given to the insight this book has on the unknown ties and connections between an unconventional family and the rise of Wonder Woman.
If you are looking for a quick history and timeline about Wonder Woman, look elsewhere. This book is complex, has widespread coverage, and goes into small details about everyone involved. It was good :)
I expected to be reading about Wonder Woman throughout the whole book, and in reality, the whole first half of it does not mention her. It goes into detail about the lives of those who created and inspired her. It was confusing putting together each piece of the puzzle, but credit has to be given to the insight this book has on the unknown ties and connections between an unconventional family and the rise of Wonder Woman.
If you are looking for a quick history and timeline about Wonder Woman, look elsewhere. This book is complex, has widespread coverage, and goes into small details about everyone involved. It was good :)
Interesting read for sure. It kept my interest. I'm waffling between three and four stars.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This is an amazing book. Written by a historian. Let me preface by saying that I have never liked reading history books and only read this because it was highly recommended to me by someone whose opinion I value.
This books is not only about the origins of the Wonder Woman comic book, but also encompasses the American history of Woman's Suffrage, the fight of women to gain legal access to birth control, the rise of feminism, as well as the general fight over the years to "break out of the chains" of society's construct of who women are "supposed to be" and who men are "supposed to be". Unlike most history books I have read (or been forced to read), the author really lets you get into the personalities of the subjects. The most shocking thing I read in this book is what one judge said as he sentenced a woman to jail for giving birth control information to other women (and many of the other women had testified that they had requested this information after having already had 8 or 9 babies). The judge said that "If a woman is not willing to die in childbirth, then she should never have sex".
I knew a little (very little) about this history, but this book brought it into the present for me, and also showed me how much we still have to keep fighting for equality, since so many of these ideas are still held by many people.
This books is not only about the origins of the Wonder Woman comic book, but also encompasses the American history of Woman's Suffrage, the fight of women to gain legal access to birth control, the rise of feminism, as well as the general fight over the years to "break out of the chains" of society's construct of who women are "supposed to be" and who men are "supposed to be". Unlike most history books I have read (or been forced to read), the author really lets you get into the personalities of the subjects. The most shocking thing I read in this book is what one judge said as he sentenced a woman to jail for giving birth control information to other women (and many of the other women had testified that they had requested this information after having already had 8 or 9 babies). The judge said that "If a woman is not willing to die in childbirth, then she should never have sex".
I knew a little (very little) about this history, but this book brought it into the present for me, and also showed me how much we still have to keep fighting for equality, since so many of these ideas are still held by many people.
Maybe I should have read the blurb a little better, but this book was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting a history of the author and then a look at the evolution of WW since her creation.
In reality, about 70% of this book was about William Moulton Marston and his low self-esteem and inability to keep a job. I don't know if the author meant it this way, but by the time WW was created, I really disliked Marston. Based on Lepore's extensive history and background of him, I can confidently say that I believe Marston was a useless man that used women as a springboard for his ideas.
And that sounds terrible and a little crazy, but that's honestly what it felt like. Marston more or less gave his [first] wife an ultimatum to allow him a second wife (after already also having a mistress), barely worked, and when he did, often bragged about himself so much that he would get fired or demoted, and then used WW to show much of a "feminist" and woman lover he was.
I'm glad that the creator of WW meant to portray her as a feminist and progressive and showed her struggles through the lens of women's suffrage. But it felt like Lepore just kept pushing the narrative that Marston was this avid feminist because she realized he was pretty much useless otherwise. It wasn’t until the literal epilogue of the book that I got more of an explanation of WW’s history and affect on the women’s liberation movement. It’s only in the last few pages that we see the likes of Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan even mentioned.
I really just wanted a book about the evolution of the Wonder Woman figure and how she changed the way women viewed their struggles. Instead I got another book about a man using women to further his own agenda. And I'm just kinda over it at this point.
In reality, about 70% of this book was about William Moulton Marston and his low self-esteem and inability to keep a job. I don't know if the author meant it this way, but by the time WW was created, I really disliked Marston. Based on Lepore's extensive history and background of him, I can confidently say that I believe Marston was a useless man that used women as a springboard for his ideas.
And that sounds terrible and a little crazy, but that's honestly what it felt like. Marston more or less gave his [first] wife an ultimatum to allow him a second wife (after already also having a mistress), barely worked, and when he did, often bragged about himself so much that he would get fired or demoted, and then used WW to show much of a "feminist" and woman lover he was.
I'm glad that the creator of WW meant to portray her as a feminist and progressive and showed her struggles through the lens of women's suffrage. But it felt like Lepore just kept pushing the narrative that Marston was this avid feminist because she realized he was pretty much useless otherwise. It wasn’t until the literal epilogue of the book that I got more of an explanation of WW’s history and affect on the women’s liberation movement. It’s only in the last few pages that we see the likes of Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan even mentioned.
I really just wanted a book about the evolution of the Wonder Woman figure and how she changed the way women viewed their struggles. Instead I got another book about a man using women to further his own agenda. And I'm just kinda over it at this point.
Interesting if you have not read anything about Wonder Woman. I like how she wove the story with the women in and around Marston's life. If you do not have a good grasp on the women's movement in the US this book really gives some good highlights.
The author seemed to be fair in her analysis of the Marston family, and the comic of Wonder Woman. And the writing itself is solid.
The author seemed to be fair in her analysis of the Marston family, and the comic of Wonder Woman. And the writing itself is solid.
I get this was an academic writing for a general audience but there were some serious issues with how she used her material. First, she writes pieces of this like it's a gossip column with lots of innuendos. I suspect she wanted to spice up Marston's unusual living arrangements. Second, she almost slurs a lot of people and she does it on some scant evidence. I am sure Sanger was no saint but Lepore frankly brutalizes her and honestly I am not convinced she need as much Sanger as she used. Yes, yes, Olive is Sanger's niece but she didn't need to pull her into the story as much as she did. She clearly WANTED Sanger in this tale to again spice things up. Third, she just doesn't do as much with the material as promised.
There were certainly interesting bits to this story, and I found myself wanting to dig deeper. Overall though Lepore's choppy writing style and frankly disappointing lack of analysis made this a seriously disappointing read.
There were certainly interesting bits to this story, and I found myself wanting to dig deeper. Overall though Lepore's choppy writing style and frankly disappointing lack of analysis made this a seriously disappointing read.