Retro Review: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

When the late Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar was released in 1963, it was considered groundbreaking. It focused on topics quite controversial just over 60 years ago, including ambition in young women in a time when women were supposed to desire only marriage and motherhood and dealing with horrifying mental health issues. Originally published under the name Victoria Lucas, Sylvia’s only novel is still considered a classic in the feminist canon. But how well does The Bell Jar hold up in 2024? I decided to read it and found out for myself.

Meet Esther Greenwood, raised in the Boston suburbs by her widowed mother, Esther is now in college, which is being funded by a wealthy local author. It is the summer of 1953, and Esther has procured an internship with the fictional women’s magazine “Ladies Day” in New York City. Though Esther’s days are filled with magazine-related activities, and her nights trying to socialize with her fellow interns, Esther feels disconnected and empty. She just can’t work up the excitement over this opportunity that most girls would give their eye teeth for. Esther is riddled with anxiety and depression. Can she shake out of this funk?

Several incidents occur during Esther’s internship that Plath goes into great detail to describe. Esther talks about the various assignments for “Ladies Day” the interns get to work on as well as the nice swag they all receive (not to mention the horrid food poisoning everyone gets at a luncheon). She also describes Esther trying to befriend her fellow interns like the flirtatious and sociable Doreen and the very pious and naïve Betsy, who Esther is more drawn towards. Esther also reminisces about the various scrapes she gets into when it comes to men, like when a local New York City radio host tries to seduce her, but later he decides to date Doreen. And towards the end of her internship, Esther is nearly raped at a country club party she attends with Doreen. Esther escapes but this causes her to throw out her new clothing and sends her further into despair.

After the internship ends, Esther returns to her childhood home. During this time, Esther is absolutely crushed when another scholarship opportunity, a writing course featuring a well-known author, does not come through. She is not accepted into this prestigious program. Esther tries to fill her time before school resumes in the fall by writing a novel. Yet, she thinks she lacks the life experience to write a proper book. And she also questions what her life will be like after she graduates from college. Up till then, Esther’s whole life has revolved around academics. Will she have a career or will so end up “just a wife and mother” as the fifties often dictated to women back then.

Esther continues to fall into deeper and deeper depression, not being able to sleep or attend to basic activities. She does see a psychiatrist for a while (whom she doesn’t exactly warm up to because she thinks he’s too handsome). And when this psychiatrist suggest electroconvulsive therapy, better known as ECT. The ECT doesn’t work, and Esther makes some half-hearted suicide attempt.

However, she does nearly die after she crawls into a cellar and takes far too many sleeping pills. When her mother can’t find Esther, it is assumed she has been kidnapped and possibly murdered, which the media takes note of. Once discovered, Esther spends time at several mental hospitals, the last one paid for by her college benefactor, the writer who is named Philomena Guinea. It is at this facility, Esther meets Dr. Nolan, a woman therapist, receives questionable treatments including insulin shots, and more ECT. She also meets another patient named Joan, and it is implied Joan is a lesbian who is attracted to Esther. Esther is not fond of Joan at all.

Esther also muses about her old boyfriend, Buddy. Buddy thinks the two might get married someday, but Esther won’t entertain the idea. Esther thinks Buddy is a hypocrite because he lost his virginity to another woman instead of staying pure for Esther. It is also found out that Joan also dated buddy (even though she may be heavily closeted).

During her sessions with Dr. Nolan, Esther bemoans the life women back then must lead and she wants to have the same freedom men have, which includes everything from having sex (Dr. Nolan suggest Esther be fitted with a diaphragm), and to have a full life outside of total domesticity. And as the The Bell Jar ends, Buddy visits Esther and wonders if he’s the cause of both Esther and Joan going crazy and ended up hospitalized. Perhaps he did have a part in it, but who cares? Esther is relieved when Buddy decides to end their non-engagement. Now she is free to really live.

While reading The Bell Jar, I could understand why it was so groundbreaking when it was published in 1963. It portrayed a young woman who had ambition beyond getting married and having oodles of children. It’s wonderful Esther is smart and has goals her life that don’t necessarily include marriage and motherhood solely. And as someone who has dealt with mental health issues, I appreciate a novel that spoke of one woman’s struggle and her fight to remedy herself.

However, in 2024, The Bell Jar just cuts different. For one thing, there is a lot of racism in this book. Esther talks about the ugliness of Peruvians and Aztecs. She also keeps referring to a Black orderly at the mental hospital as the Negro. He is never given a name or just referred to his profession as an orderly. Plus, I found Esther to be rather insufferable to the other women in the book whether it was her mother (who struggled greatly to raise her without Esther’s father) or looking down on a woman in the neighborhood who is raising a large brood of children.

Still, I do think The Bell Jar is an important work. Just keep in mind how things have changed since the fifties when it takes place, and in 1963, when it was published. And be grateful things have changed for women in the past sixty years…or have they? Hmm.

Book Review: A Beautiful Rival-A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden by Gill Paul

It’s no secret that the beauty business is a huge and thriving industry. We pay $100 for the perfect salon blowout. We spend time at spas getting the best facials and massages. We spend a king’s ransom at places like Sephora and Ulta. And getting a mani/pedi is as vital as food, air, and water to some people.

Yet, just a little over a hundred year ago, women focusing on their beauty, getting massages, facials, and other spa and salon treatments seemed overly vain and self-indulgent. And as for cosmetics, well, only ladies of ill-repute rouged their cheeks and painted their lips scarlet.

Two women changed that type of thinking. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein believed beauty was every women’s birthright and a worthy goal to obtain, and little bit of war paint never hurt anyone. Both women were from very humble backgrounds who rose to great heights and grabbed the brass ring of success. They did this through hard work, dedication, clever marketing, and yes, quite a bit of chicanery.

Despite their huge success and being women at time when women were only supposed to fulfill the domestic sphere, Arden and Rubinstein were fierce rivals and bitter enemies. And all of this is fully encapsulated in Gill Paul’s latest book A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden.

A Beautiful Rival begins in 1915. Elizabeth Arden and her salons dot the New York City landscape and are very popular with high society. Her line of cosmetics and face creams are also quite successful. Women are realizing that focusing one one’s beauty doesn’t make someone shallow. In fact, it is quite necessary in capturing and maintaining a significant other. And wearing lipstick doesn’t mean you’re a dreadful whore. Painting your lips crimson, pink, or coral might even perk you up a bit.

Arden is relishing her success when an interloper arrives on the scene-Helena Rubinstein. Rubinstein has already established successful salons in Australia, London, and Paris. Now she wants to set up shop in the United States, and New York City is the perfect place.

Rubinstein turns out to be a daunting adversary for Arden. There are rumors that Rubinstein was a doctor and her products are “scientifically formulated,” which may give her a bit more credibility that Arden might lack. Rubinstein also becomes quite buddy-buddy with New York City’s smart set. Arden is not happy about this.

Thus begins the rivalry between Arden and Rubinstein. They were determined to out-do each other, and took to great lengths to screw over each other. They did this anyway they could. They send out spies, they stole employees, and spun outrageous stories about themselves and each other for the press.

But as much as Arden and Rubinstein hated each other, they did share some traits and qualities. Both were shrewd, smart, and savvy. Both of them came from less than desirable backgrounds. Though Arden managed to an old-money WASP aesthetic, she actually grew up poor on a farm in Canada. Helen Rubinstein grew up in Poland and was pretty much estranged from her father after she fellow in love with a Gentile. Both women were unlucky in love, and Rubinstein was hardly a devoted mother to her two boys. And with Arden’s disdain of having sex with her first husband, I wondered if she might be a lesbian or asexual.

A Beautiful Rival is told from the point of view of both Arden and Rubinstein in alternating chapters. Not only does this book examine the foibles, triumphs, both professionally and personally these two formidable women dealt with, it also uses history as a backdrop, including the Great Depression and World War II, and how both of these things affected both Arden and Rubinstein.

Though at times Paul had a habit of telling instead of showing throughout A Beautiful Rival, I still found the story of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein quite fascinating. Today it is not uncommon to see successful women in various industries, but women like Arden and Rubinstein was quite uncommon a century ago. A Beautiful Rival gives us a glimpse of what it was like for women to succeed in the cutthroat world of business. Beauty can be quite ugly.

Retro Review: The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

Before there was such chick lit classics like Valley of the Dolls, Bridget Jones Diary, and Sex and the City, there was Rona Jaffe’s iconic The Best of Everything. Several years ago, I did a retro review of Ms. Jaffe’s book Class Reunion. I decided to revisit the book that launched Jaffe’s writing career back in 1958.

The Best of Everything focuses mostly on several young women living and loving in New York City. They all work in some capacity at Fabian Publishing. Caroline Bender (who might be considered the main character) is a recent graduate from Radcliffe and has just had her heart broken because her fiancé has married another woman. April Morrison is naïve lass hailing from Colorado. Gregg Adams (yes, a woman named Gregg) is an aspiring actress. And Barbara Lamont is a struggling single mother trying to make it after a divorce.

The Best of Everything takes place in the early 1950s. The career women are all career gals, and the men are all cads. The women in the typing pool all try to evade the advances of lecherous Fabian executive Mr. Shalimar. And Caroline especially has to deal with the bitchy and imperious older female editor Amanda Farrow. Remember this is a time where women were just supposed to deal with sexual harassment (long before the #MeToo movement), and there was no idea of a sisterhood in the workplace.

Caroline especially has ambitions that go beyond the typing pool. She starts reading stories sent into Fabian and shows a great deal of potential to be a top notch editor. But Amanda often tries to put a damper on Caroline’s aspirations, and not surprisingly, Amanda also has trouble keeping secretaries. And though Barbara struggles as a single mother, she shows promise as a writer, and is writing columns for a women’s magazine.

But it’s love and romance that are the women’s true calling. Remember, this is the fifties, and a woman’s highest calling with being a wife and a mother. The ladies make there way through the thorny world of dating. Caroline pines for her former fiancé. And even though there are other available men to date, Caroline jumps at the chance when her former fiancé comes back into her life. Is he going to leave his wife for her or is Caroline just going to be some hookup in the big city?

April naively thinks the society man she is dating will marry her when she announces her pregnancy, but instead he takes her to a dodgy abortionist to get rid of it. Barbara desires to get married again, but is leery after going through a divorce. Won’t men think she’s a fallen woman because she’s a divorcee and a single mom? And Gregg becomes obsessed with a producer and begins to stalk him. It doesn’t end very well for her. It seems only the women’s Fabian co-worker, Mary Agnes, has grabbed the the brass ring of true womanhood. She gets married and soon after is blooming with child.

And as The Best of Everything commences, there are no specific happy ending and things aren’t tidily wrapped up in a bow. It leaves you guessing. Will these ladies find love and success in the workplace or is “having it all” a fairy tale? How will these ladies navigate the 1960s? How will they react to the sexual revolution, civil rights, the women’s lib movement, and the Vietnam war? We don’t find out, but we can speculate.

Published 65 years ago, The Best of Everything was quite shocking and risqué. It featured a cast of women characters who desired careers at a time when women were only supposed to desire husbands, babies, and domesticity in the suburbs. Jaffe was brutally honest in her depiction of women in a particular time in big city America. A lot of things have changed since the early fifties for women, and sadly, a lot of people are trying to shove us back to that time. The Best of Everything is a primer on how women are fully-dimensional human beings with desires in the boardroom and the bedroom. The Best of Everything is both timeless and timely.

Book Review: The Kingdom of Prep-The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew by Maggie Bullock

J.Crew, the quintessential clothing label is so much more than apparel. It’s been the go-to fashion pieces from its roll-top sweater to sequined ballet flats for around 40 years now. Starting off as a catalog, it has morphed into a collection of brick and mortar stores, a popular internet presence, and seemed to reach its apex during the Obama administration with fashion retail icons like Mickey Drexler and Jenna Lyons at the helm. But what is the exact story of J.Crew? Fortunately, fashion journalist, Maggie Bullock gives us the skinny in her extensive book The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew.

It was the early 1980s, and being preppy was all the rage. Lisa Birnbach’s The Preppy Handbook was a huge bestseller (didn’t matter it was satire). Muffy and Chip were layered in polo shirts (often with popped collars) and had dock siders on their feet. Being a prep was all about the Ivy League and being a total WASP. And even if you went to a state university and your last name was Esposito you could still look like a prep. All it took was the right uniform.

Like today, preppy clothes weren’t exactly hard to find. You could find khaki trousers and polo shirts at places like LL Bean and Land’s End. And if you were looking for a more elevated and stylish, and not too mention much more expensive fashion of prep, there was Ralph Lauren.

Arthur Cinader, already a successful business man with his catalog Popular Club Plan, was inspired by the whole preppy style and look, and wanted to offer a happy medium between lower priced brands like LL Bean and Land’s End and pricier fair like Ralph Lauren. Thus, in 1983, he created J.Crew and offered clothing for men and women with a preppy flair. It didn’t matter Cinader had no experience in fashion, and J.Crew’s earliest company was located in the very unglamorous New Jersey. Cinader had the entrepreneurial prowess and know-how to make J.Crew work. Arthur’s daughter, Emily, soon joined J.Crew after graduating from the University of Denver with a degree in marketing. It was Emily’s classic and fresh-faced style that helped hone J.Crew’s look and image. And no, there is no person named J.Crew. It’s made up.

Slowly and surely, J.Crew became very successful soon after its debut. It’s catalog was a welcome sight in shopper’s mailboxes and J.Crew’s rolled neck sweater became a must-have. Even writer, Bullock claims to have coveted a rolled neck sweater herself. J.Crew’s catalogs featured attractive and athletic models, both female and male, often doing something quite sporty rather than posing like soulless mannequins. And J.Crew hit the big time when they booked the top supermodel, Linda Evangelista, for their catalog.

J.Crew went from strength to strength. It expanded to include actual brick and mortar stores, and Cinader was quite exacting in how he wanted his stores to look like. J.Crew moved its location from New Jersey to the much more fashionable New York City. However, by the 1990s, J.Crew was failing to keep up the pace. This was when Cinader decided to sell 90% of it to a private equity firm. This did not help for many of the CEOs brought along didn’t exactly jibe with J.Crew’s unique vision and image.

However, help was on the way. Mickey Drexler, who had a great deal of success with The Gap, was brought on as CEO. And the fashion icon, Jenna Lyons (now on The Real Housewives of New York), was brought on as womenswear director. Combined, these two brought a J.Crew resurgence in the 2000s. Jenna, especially, gave J.Crew a new twist. Though J.Crew was still preppy, it was preppy with a twist. Jenna gave us sequined ballet flats and bold statement necklaces. Michelle Obama was a big fan of J.Crew. She wore their gloves on inauguration day in 2009, and her daughters, Malia and Sasha, were adorably outfitted in J.Crew’s children’s line CrewCuts. In fact, when it was found out that the Obamas were J.Crew fans, the company’s website crashed the day after Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States.

Of course, J.Crew has had it’s ups and downs since then, and has also been embroiled in juicy gossip regarding Jenna Lyon’s love life. And Bullock goes into great detail chronicling every stellar moment of J.Crew and as well as its lower moments. Bullock is clearly a lover of both fashion and fashion history, and she clearly did her homework when researching the history of J.Crew, fashion, retail, and the preppy lifestyle. I learned so much about J.Crew and I really appreciated all the fabulous photographs with the book. In fact, I wish there were more. And now I’m hankering for a J.Crew rolled neck sweater.

The Kingdom of Prep is a knowledgeable and interesting read for anyone who is a fan of J.Crew or interested in the business of fashion and retailing.

Retro Review: Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

When the iconic television show “Sex and the City” premiered on HBO back in 1998, it was groundbreaking. It followed four career women in Manhattan as they traversed the world of love, sex, friendship, and careers. “Sex and the City” made cosmopolitans the must-have drink and gave us terms like “funky spunk,” “frenemy,” and “he’s just not that into you.” Those like me, who live in flyover country, learned about Magnolia cupcakes and the perfect Manolo Blahnik stilettoes. At times, brazen, bawdy, and over the top, “Sex and the City” entertained countless women (and some men-mostly gay). We took quizzes to find out if we were a “Carrie,” “Samantha,” “Miranda” or “Charlotte.” We were either Team Mr. Big or Team Aiden. And maybe if our lives didn’t exactly mirror the dames of “Sex and the City,” we reveled in these ladies’ adventures and adored their girl power friendship. We also salivated of the fashion and the sights of Manhattan.

But before “Sex and the City” was a television show, it was a book, written by The New York Observer columnist, Candace Bushnell. Considering it is the 25th anniversary since “Sex and the City” debuted, and its sequel “And Just Like That” wrapped up its second season, I decided to finally read the book that started it all back in 1996.

Bushnell, who was a glamorous girl-about-town and writer, wrote about the sex lives of people she knew from 1994-1996. In this book, you will find some familiar names-Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, Charlotte, Stanford Blatch, and yes, Mr. Big. However, most of them don’t work in the same careers the characters and after reading Sex and the City, aren’t nearly as compelling as those on the show.

For the most part, the people Bushnell writes about in Sex and the City are rather unlikeable. Sure, on the show Carrie worked my last nerve with her self-absorption and obsession with Mr. Big. But I kept in mind Carrie Bradshaw was just a fictional character. For the most part, I got wrapped up on the story lines of the television show, actually caring about the adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. Even when they bugged me, I still was interested in their lives and I adored the friendship among these four women.

But in the book version of Sex and the City everyone is so shallow obsessed with status, materialism, and getting laid. And according to Bushnell, these stories were based on real people in her rarified orbit of wealthy Manhattanites. I didn’t like any of the people she wrote about, and while reading Sex and the City, I wondered how the creators of the TV show give us a program that was a critical and commercial hit and was on HBO for six years. I just couldn’t give a rat’s ass about any of the people Bushnell writes about in Sex and the City. When I wasn’t finding them frivolous and abhorrent (there is a lot of girl-on-girl hate in this book), I was finding them totally forgettable. And I finished the book rather depressed and completely unimpressed. I didn’t find it hilarious and fascinating as the blurbs on the cover claim. I guess I expected more considering I loved the show so much. Perhaps it’s a good thing I never read Sex and the City until now because I’m sure if I did, I would have never watched and enjoyed the show.

Book Review: Uneducated-a Memoir of Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth by Christopher Zara

From where journalist Christopher Zara started out, he probably shouldn’t have ended up in the exact place he is-a respected writer and happily married man. Zara grew up in Trenton, New Jersey in a time when Trenton was falling apart as was his family. A screw up as a student, Zara was kicked out of high school for behavioral issues. He also got involved in the local punk rock scene, hanging out with some less than savory people, and once battled a seriously frightening heroin habit. And how Zara overcame these insurmountable obstacles is wonderfully told in his memoir Uneducated: Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth.

Born in 1970, Zara faced a childhood familiar to many Generation X-ers. His parents’ marriage was rocky and they later divorced. He came of age in Trenton, New Jersey as it was falling apart. He got involved in punk music, which was a refuge from his home life. Though incredibly bright, school was not the place for him and he often got in trouble for misbehaving. He later dropped out but did manage to get a GED. Zara also developed a heroin habit, which he fortunately was able to kick and has lived for years drug free.

For a long time, Zara kind of sleep walked through life. He moved from place to place, and worked a lot of dead end jobs. He figured this type of life was his destiny. After all, his educational history was less than impressive. He had only a GED and no college experience, let alone an actual degree.

But what Zara did have was a lot of writing talent, and a willing to work hard and prove himself. In his mid thirties, Zara managed to get an internship at Show Business Weekly magazine, a magazine aimed at those working in the performing arts. Zara was older than most other interns and wasn’t a college student. He considered himself lucky to procure this internship. Like a lot of internships, this one was unpaid, so Zara had to work at a frame shop to make some money to help support himself.

While at Show Business Weekly, Zara was involved in so much more than writing and editing articles, and he and his cohorts tried desperately to keep a print magazine afloat at a time where websites and digital media were taking over.

Once his tenure with Show Business Weekly ended, Zara got a job with the International Business Times, which had some rather sketchy ownership, and Zara goes into great lengths to explain it in Uneducated. While at International Business Times, Zara got an education on how the internet was truly changing the world of media, where SEOs, going viral, the importance of social media, and clickbait are often of utmost importance. One could write an amazing article, but it meant bupkis if it didn’t grab enough eyeballs on the World Wide Web.

Though Zara gained strength as a writer and became more successful as a writer, he still felt less than those with college degrees, often feeling like an imposter of people he felt were more qualified just because they had a sheepskin. But most of his colleagues truly accepted him, not giving a shit if he didn’t have a college degree. Zara’s talent, skill, and work ethic was good enough.

But this book isn’t just about making a career in media. Uneducated is a also a love story, with Zara telling the tale of meeting his beloved wife, Christina, their courtship and ultimate marriage. In fact, I kind of want Christina to write her own memoir.

Whether your education consisted of the Ivy League or the School of Hard Knocks, Uneducated is story for all of us. It really makes you think about the importance of education, both formal and non-formal, and how much our society measures us by our credentials and degrees. But what I also like, is how Zara never looks down at anyone who does have a college degree; there is no reverse snobbery in Uneducated. Zara doesn’t look down on anyone who did go to college and obtain a degree. He realizes there are various paths we take.

Uneducated is a wonderful tale of overcoming some pretty bad odds and making a success of one’s life. I highly recommend it for the tale it tells and the amazing way it’s written.

Retro Review: Sex Tips for Girls by Cynthia Heimel

From Jane Austen to Dorothy Parker to Carrie Bradshaw to the sex-drenched pages of Cosmopolitan magazine, women having always been writing about the female predicament when it comes to romance and sex. Whether you’re earning for Mr. Right or navigating a one-night-stand, it’s very likely a woman wrote about these things.

One of these women, was the late Cynthia Heimel. Heimel was born in 1947 and moved to New York City after being raised in Philadelphia. She wrote for publications like The New York Times, New York Magazine, and The Village Voice (she even had a stint at Penthouse). Sure, she was the glamorous girl about town, but she also dealt with divorce and struggles as a single mom, which she wrote about with honesty and humor.

Heimel called herself a feminist, and she proved feminists could be funny, sexy, and love men (though at times she found them perplexing). She regarded us ladies as fully-actualized human beings, not merely just tits, butts, and pussy. Her writing trampled on the tired tropes of women being either pure Madonnas or trashy harlots. Heimel was pretty much one of the coolest dames in the universe.

Heimel came of age during the advent of the Pill, the sexual revolution and second wave feminism. All of these things influences her as a talented and accomplished sexpert/humorist mash-up.

I had read plenty of Heimel’s books back in the 1990s and loved them. I considered Heimel to be the cool as shit auntie I wish I had. Yet, I had never read her iconic 1983 debut Sex Tips for Girls. I was only familiar with it because someone read passages from it at a party I attended ages ago. I decided to dust off and read an ancient copy of Sex Tips for Girls and share my review on what would have been Heimel’s 76th birthday.

In the opening chapter, “Who Are We?,” Heimel questions the state of being a woman in the early 1980s, the Reagan years when many hippies were turning into yuppies and more conserved with corner office than food co-ops and stock options were more important than “sticking it to the Man!” But Heimel’s words due ring true 40 years later. Should we be activists? Should we purse a rich man? Should we eat natural foods?

Other chapters in Sex Tips for Girls cover topics like “The Great Boyfriend Crunch,” Sex and the Single Parent,” “Lingerie Do’s and Don’ts” and “How to Cure a Broken Heart.” None of these topics would look out of place in a women’s magazine or dating manual in 2023. Heimel also offers various sex tips like don’t point and laugh at a gentleman’s penis. For some reason, dudes have a problem with this.

However, there are some parts of the book that need to be left in the 1980s-like totally eschewing condoms. Granted, back in the early 1980s, AIDS was considered a gay man’s disease. It was a few years later, the straights started to take AIDS very seriously. Also, keep in mind, Sex Tips for Girls is aimed at women who are cisgender and straight.

And of course, there have been a lot of changes since Sex Tips for Girls was released 40 years ago. We’ve seen the rise of the internet, social media, and dating apps, all have which influenced the way men and women relate to each other (and it’s not always pretty).

I wish Heimel was still with us. She died in 2018 and according to reports she had dementia. It’s so sad her kick ass brain affected by something so horrific. I would love to get Heimel’s take on the #MeToo movement, a former president who bragged about grabbing women by their genitals, and the odious Moms for Liberty. And what would she think about tradwives and Only Fans, not too mention there are people on the internet who think those are the only two types of women out there, and don’t realize there is a huge group of wonderful women between those two extremes.

So go back in time and read “Sex Tips for Girls” for both the nostalgia and how it relates to sex, relationships and dating in 2023.

Book Review: The Words to Every Song by Liz Moore

Books about the music industry and show business can be tricky. Either an author has to do a lot of heavy research or he or she just tries to wing it, hoping one’s imagination will help fill out the pages of a book. But Liz Moore is a former musician turned writer. So she has a lot of inside knowledge and experience within the rarified world of the music industry and the people who make it tick, which may be why her novel, The Words of Every Song is such an insightful and compelling read.

The Words of Every Song is a collection of short stories that work out as a full novel. All of them intermingle (though many can stand on their own). This book tells the various tales of different people within the confines of the music industry in New York City. There is Jax Powers Kline, a high level executive at Titan Records, and her secretary, Cynthia, a failed musician nursing a broken heart. There is up and coming singer, Lenore Lamont, Cynthia’s former girlfriend who is touted the next big thing. (There’s a giant billboard of Lenore in Time’s Square promoting her soon-to-be released debut album). Tommy Mays is a seasoned rocker finding more solace with his devoted wife and their two daughters. On the other hand, one of his bandmates, Jeffrey, is nearly going insane, living in debauchery, banging underage groupies, and feeling soulless and empty.

Theo is the A & R guy, always on the hunt for the next great thing in music, and he’s hoping the latest band he signed, The Burn, will be the next great thing in music. At the helm of The Burn, is Siobhan, still mourning the death of Kurt Cobain and her late mother, gone too soon. There is Tony, the sound engineer, dealing with bands and musicians who are often too strung out to properly record their music. There is a budding girl group, Hype Girlz, dealing with a member who thinks she’s too fat to be a star and her demanding stage father. And then there is the music fan, Gregory, coming to grips with his homosexuality, believing his life would only be complete if he could meet his favorite rock star, Tommy Mays.

All the stories and the characters interweave seamlessly and come across as very true. Yes, there are clichés of rock and roll excess and corporate dirty tricks, but the characters show layers that make them compelling. Jax, usually in control, finds herself regressing when she visits her parents for her mother’s birthday. And Tommy, despite his jadedness, remains a devoted family man. He’s not sneaking off with giggling groupies. And I really liked the how Moore used the lyrics of various artists-Bruce Springsteen, PJ Harvey, Natalie Merchant, Billie Holiday, and The Cure at the beginning of each chapter.

Whether you’re fan of music and want to learn more about the industry, or just in search of good book, you can’t go wrong with The Words of Every Song.

Book Review: The Social Climber by Amanda Pellegrino

Social Climber: One who attempts to gain a higher social position or acceptance in fashionable society.-Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Eliza Bennett appears to live the ideal life. She has a glamorous career with a New York PR agency. Her closet is filled with designer frocks. She works out at the best boutique health clubs. And she lives in a gorgeous penthouse apartment with her fiancé Graham Walker who comes from very rich old money family. Their high society wedding is just a week away.

So what’s the catch? Well, Eliza isn’t exactly what she claims to be, and some much of this unfolds in Amanda Pellegrino’s delicious novel The Social Climber. And as this story unfolds, people in Eliza’s well-heeled circle aren’t exactly what they seem either.

Unlike Graham, Eliza did not grow up wealthy and privileged. She grew up quite the opposite. Born Elizabeth, Eliza came from a deeply religious and some would say backward farming family. Money was tight, and Eliza was often clothed in hand-me-downs and poorly fitting clothing sewn by her mother. Mostly homeschooled, Eliza dreamed of a better life and this comes to fruition when she goes to Covenant College.

Now Covenant College is hardly Berkeley. It’s ultra religious and very conservative. There is a slew of rules and regulations the students must abide by or else they will receive demerits. Of course, the students do find away to have their fun. Eliza’s roommate is Ruthie. By Covenant’s standards, Ruthie is a bit of a rebel. But she and Eliza become true blue friends. Ruthie helps Eliza break out of her shell, and her less than stylish wardrobe. Eliza does well academically, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t get up to all kinds of merrymaking-partying, drinking, smoking weed, and losing her virginity. But the fun and games end when Ruthie disappears. Eliza is crushed, not knowing what has happened to her bestie. Will she ever know?

Years later, Eliza is kicking ass and taking names in the Big Apple. She’s made the best connections, and has a big rock on her left hand. But she is still haunted by Ruthie’s disappearance, and has something up her designer sleeve. Hmm, could it be revenge?

The Social Climber’s chapters take turns telling of Eliza’s background and college life at Covenant and the current time leading up to her wedding to Graham. Though Eliza is desperate to hide her past even though she’s gone to great lengths to ingratiate herself to the upper crust, and appears to move in their circles nearly seamlessly. Yet, as the wedding date approaches, Eliza soon realizes there is something not quite right with the family she’s marrying into, and possibly her fiancé, Graham. And in the end, there was a twist that I did not see coming.

Though Eliza is probably not the most upfront protagonist you’ll come across, you are compelled to learn more about her and how her story plays out. And though at first The Social Climber comes across as just another chick lit book, it ends up being a very satisfying thriller.

Book Review: City of Likes by Jenny Mollen

In actor, author, and Instagram favorite Jenny Mollen’s first novel City of Likes, she takes a very pointed and funny look at the world of social media and social mores, friendship and frenemies, and influencers and the influenced.

Meet Megan Chernoff. Megan is a talented copywriter who is trying to get her writing career back on track. She and her family have just moved to New York City from Los Angeles. They are currently living in their actor friend’s loft while he’s on location filming. Sounds glamorous, right? Well, hardly. The Chernoffs are currently dealing with cockroaches and a less than reliable oven.

Megan and her husband, Illiya, have two small boys, Roman and Felix. Illiya works at a very exclusive and expensive high-end private social club. And it’s here where Megan meets Daphne Cole.

Who is Daphne Cole, you ask. Well, Daphne Cole is only one of the hottest mommy influencers ever! Daphne is famous for her picture perfect family and her glamorous, exciting life. Daphne has countless followers frothing at the mouth at her posts on Instagram. And companies all over seek her out to promote their products.

Megan feels like a total dork compared to Daphne, so she is shocked and delighted when Daphne befriends her. Daphne Cole wants to hang out with her! Wow!

Being in Daphne’s orbit is intoxicating for Megan. Soon she is meeting other influencer moms and gaining followers on her own Instagram account. Megan is also getting free stuff from various companies. Soon Megan is slipping further and further into influencer madness. She thinks knowing the right people and making the right connections will improve her life and her family’s life. One goal of Megan’s is to get her son, Roman, into the right school and she thinks knowing the right people like Daphne will help. And she isn’t above embellishing her son’s application letter mentioning she’s friends with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

Megan at first is thrilled at the change in her life. It’s like she’s the most popular girl at school. And when Daphne invites her to Paris, Megan jumps at the chance. However, things aren’t so rosy on the home front. Illiya isn’t happy with Megan’s new life and he questions her on how her new found fame is affecting her, him, and the kids.

But things get crazier and crazier in Megan’s life, she starts to realize that Daphne and the life she claims may not be so true. Megan questions what is real and what is not. Sure, Megan may have hit pay dirt, gotten more followers, free stuff, and connections to the glamorous people, but at what cost? Is she being her authentic self? Is she make a good impact in the world? Is her family happy? In the end Megan wants to face reality and real people who love her for who she truly is.

Though I find the influencer culture quite maddening whether it comes to parenting, fashion, or fitness, I am at the same time fascinated by it. What makes someone so appealing and powerful they can command free stuff and millions of followers? I can’t quite figure it out, but City of Likes truly captures the crazy world of influencer culture with its obsession with followers, likes, free stuff, and looking perfect. It also grasps how easily people can get caught up in influencer culture. Mollen writes with a sharp wit and a keen eye. City of Likes is a great novel for anyone who has been caught up in influencer culture or finds influencer culture quite interesting.