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magicowl 's review for:
The Lady from the Black Lagoon
by Mallory O'Meara
When I saw this book on the 'new' bookshelf, it immediately caught my eye. A book about a woman who up until the modern-day was not recognized for her contributions to modern pop culture? Nice! After reading it, here are what I believe to be the book's pros and cons.
Pros: As a biography, it's very entertaining and holds your attention easily. I enjoyed all the little side biographies about Julia Morgan, Hearst Castle, and the Westmore Beauty Dynasty, all people and things I had not heard of until now. O'Meara's commentary on the history in her footnotes was also amusing, and her love for Milicent Patrick and the history she's telling oozes off the page. I liked how O'Meara connected her own story to Milicent's, I liked the parallel structure of the book and it reinforced O'Meara's love for the subject of her research, and that love definitely seeps to the reader.
Feminism! Feminism everywhere!
Cons: The book does get kind of repetitive with its messages. It reminds you that Milicent was as privileged as a woman could be in the 1950s, that she didn't get her spot at Universal or Disney because she was pretty, but because she was a great artist, etc. etc. Personally, the repetition didn't bother me too much, but there was definitely a point towards the end of the book where I was like, ok I get it, Milicent was a bad-ass lady and a trailblazer but she was also privileged even by today's standards, you don't have to keep reminding me. It might not bother some people, and I might just be overreacting, but it's something to keep in mind.
Recommended Readers: Feminists, people who like to learn about the history of Horror, the Golden Age of Hollywood, or incredible women. People who like the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (that's obvious) People who like books with pictures. People who want to get angry at Hollywood's bullshit.
Pros: As a biography, it's very entertaining and holds your attention easily. I enjoyed all the little side biographies about Julia Morgan, Hearst Castle, and the Westmore Beauty Dynasty, all people and things I had not heard of until now. O'Meara's commentary on the history in her footnotes was also amusing, and her love for Milicent Patrick and the history she's telling oozes off the page. I liked how O'Meara connected her own story to Milicent's, I liked the parallel structure of the book and it reinforced O'Meara's love for the subject of her research, and that love definitely seeps to the reader.
Feminism! Feminism everywhere!
Cons: The book does get kind of repetitive with its messages. It reminds you that Milicent was as privileged as a woman could be in the 1950s, that she didn't get her spot at Universal or Disney because she was pretty, but because she was a great artist, etc. etc. Personally, the repetition didn't bother me too much, but there was definitely a point towards the end of the book where I was like, ok I get it, Milicent was a bad-ass lady and a trailblazer but she was also privileged even by today's standards, you don't have to keep reminding me. It might not bother some people, and I might just be overreacting, but it's something to keep in mind.
Recommended Readers: Feminists, people who like to learn about the history of Horror, the Golden Age of Hollywood, or incredible women. People who like the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (that's obvious) People who like books with pictures. People who want to get angry at Hollywood's bullshit.