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A review by thebookteaseblog
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak
3.0
I'm majorly indebted to @emileereadsbooks for coordinating this month's readalong of Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak. I've had this book on my TBR pile since I picked it up on a whim last year, and I'm so glad I got to read and discuss it with the #NancyDrewBookCrew! Like most women, my relationship with Nancy Drew goes waaaay back. I vividly remember the excitement of receiving a box of yellow hardcovers sent to me by my godmother in New Jersey (home of the Stratemeyer Syndicate - the birthplace of Nancy Drew!) I was a voracious reader, and while I couldn't tell you now what the plots of those mysteries were, I know I loved Nancy for the same reasons I loved Meg (A Wrinkle in Time), Aly (Trickster's Choice), and Elizabeth (The Royal Diaries) - because they were smart, independent, and like me, they were more interested in adventures than dolls. ⠀
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Girl Sleuth explores the birth of Nancy Drew, and follows her journey from dime store novel to pop culture sensation. It details the lives of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams and Mildred Wert Benson, two women who, in spite of extraordinary obstacles and a contentious working relationship, were responsible for bringing Nancy Drew into the world. This book delves into the ways that Nancy Drew evolved because of, or in spite of, what was happening in the world - be it the Depression, World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, or the Women's Liberation movement - and how this evolution allowed her to remain relevant to generation after generation of women. In many ways, Nancy's evolution mirrored that of her non-fictional counterparts. I particularly loved the journey of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, whose father forbade her getting a job after college, and who would go on to become CEO of her father's company after his death. This biography is well researched and delivers what it promises - insight into not just Nancy Drew, but the women and the world that helped shape her into the character we know today. ⠀
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Girl Sleuth explores the birth of Nancy Drew, and follows her journey from dime store novel to pop culture sensation. It details the lives of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams and Mildred Wert Benson, two women who, in spite of extraordinary obstacles and a contentious working relationship, were responsible for bringing Nancy Drew into the world. This book delves into the ways that Nancy Drew evolved because of, or in spite of, what was happening in the world - be it the Depression, World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, or the Women's Liberation movement - and how this evolution allowed her to remain relevant to generation after generation of women. In many ways, Nancy's evolution mirrored that of her non-fictional counterparts. I particularly loved the journey of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, whose father forbade her getting a job after college, and who would go on to become CEO of her father's company after his death. This biography is well researched and delivers what it promises - insight into not just Nancy Drew, but the women and the world that helped shape her into the character we know today. ⠀