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A review by kerryanndunn
Jell-O Girls: A Family History by Allie Rowbottom
4.0
I’ll sum up this book in three words: Damn the Patriarchy! You didn’t expect that, did you? Well, this book was just that: unexpected. Part family history, part personal memoir (memwah), part marketing history of Jell-O, all fascinating and beautifully written. And sad. And hopeful. And sad. My only unfulfilled wish with this book is photos. Why wouldn’t you have included images of the advertisements spoken of in the book? And family pictures too? I would have loved to have seen images of Midge and Mary. Luckily, the ads were easily googleable. But the lack of photos was a miss for me. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book for something unique.
Edit to add: I’m baffled by all the one star reviews for this book. This was never intended to be a history of Jell-O. There are other books for that. But what this is, is a beautifully written family history that examines how trauma against women can be passed down through generations and how the patriarchy takes away women’s voices and ability to openly deal with that trauma. It’s not a light and jiggly book, like Jell-O. It’s deep and heavy, like life.
Edit to add: I’m baffled by all the one star reviews for this book. This was never intended to be a history of Jell-O. There are other books for that. But what this is, is a beautifully written family history that examines how trauma against women can be passed down through generations and how the patriarchy takes away women’s voices and ability to openly deal with that trauma. It’s not a light and jiggly book, like Jell-O. It’s deep and heavy, like life.