A review by crowyhead
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak

4.0

This fascinating book tells the story of how Nancy Drew was conceived by Edward Stratemeyer (who also invented the Bobbsey Twins, the Hardy Boys, and dozens of other series) and brought to life by two strong women: Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, who took over the Stratemeyer Syndicate upon her father's death, and Mildred Wirt Benson, who penned many of the sleuth's early adventures. Mildred and Harriet were both women before their time. Harriet was the CEO of a powerful company at a time when the mail she received still tended to be addressed to the "gentlemen" of Stratemeyer Syndicate. Mildred was an irrepressible force up right up until she died, becoming a reporter at a time when journalism was a "man's job." It's not surprising, then, that between the two of them they made Nancy Drew the capable, beautifully perfect girl detective she was. They often clashed -- Mildred's vision of Nancy Drew did not always mesh with Harriet's -- but it's clear in reading this that both of them were crucial to Nancy Drew's success as a cultural icon.