Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Sensational: The Hidden History of America's “Girl Stunt Reporters” by Kim Todd

1 review

beebeereads's review against another edition

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

 A look back to the origins of investigative reporting.  During the Gilded Age, a number of women eager to ply their writing skills, were hired by newspapers to go “undercover” or often to fake an incident to gather reportable information. The most famous was Nellie Bly who faked her way into a women’s asylum to reveal the horrendous treatment that was meted out to the inmates.  There were so many others who made their mark at this time.  One undercover reporter presented herself to a number of doctors requesting an abortion, thus exposing doctors who were treating women underground with questionable techniques and devastating results.  Her true identity has never been found. Unfortunately most of these reporters were not held in high regard and suffered all the inequities of their time in terms of pay, job assignments, and general respect.   I found the author’s last several chapters the most interesting as she described her research process and brought the topic up to date.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Mental illness, and Sexism