caseykoester39's review
4.0
Packed full of stories and details about life as a reporter in the early 1900s. It is at times a little hard to follow as the author switches between life stories of many different female reporters. I would have appreciated more photos or illustrations of the women to help keep them all straight (though I do understand that may not have been available).
The section about abortion exposes by female reporters was especially eye-opening. I had no idea white male doctors played such a role in the movement away from mid-wives and doulas, but it makes perfect sense. Definitely worth a read, even for just that portion.
The book overall immerses you in the fast-paced often grimy world of newspaper reporting, offering as many details as possible. Women covered stories ranging from worker strikes to natural disasters and it's amazing to realize how for a brief time, there were many women working as reporters in the US.
The section about abortion exposes by female reporters was especially eye-opening. I had no idea white male doctors played such a role in the movement away from mid-wives and doulas, but it makes perfect sense. Definitely worth a read, even for just that portion.
The book overall immerses you in the fast-paced often grimy world of newspaper reporting, offering as many details as possible. Women covered stories ranging from worker strikes to natural disasters and it's amazing to realize how for a brief time, there were many women working as reporters in the US.
anjreading's review
4.0
Maggi-Meg Reed does a fantastic job narrating this history of female reporters of the Gilded Age (Nellie Bly probably being the most well-known). I found some of the sections more interesting than others, but all these women trailblazers deserve to be remembered and lauded for their amazing contributions to journalism, especially considering how belittled and harassed they were not only in their own time, but how the history of journalism has often written them out of the picture or downplayed their achievements. I have to say that it was rather dry at times; if I had read this with my eyes instead of my ears I think it would have felt like more of a slog. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
heykellyjensen's review
An absorbing history of the "girl stunt reporters" -- aka, investigative reporters -- of the late 19th century. What begins with Nellie Bly opens up a whole history of other (white) women who were hired to do investigative reporting but who were never seen as hard-hitting journalists. Todd offers such fascinating insight and critique of how these women were doing incredible work and being seen not as doing real, impactful work, but were used to bolster a newspaper's sales for what would be done next (not what the reporting revealed). The bulk of these reporters were white women, but Todd talks about how women of color were doing good work but it wasn't seen in the same "stunt reporter" manner.
The last section of the book was especially good, as it explores how men have been the "leaders" in so many arenas of writing and yet . . . they're only able to be seen that way because of how women's work doing the same thing has always been called something lesser. There's a fascinating and infuriating moment, too, wherein it's clear other women have played this role, too, in hopes of being seen as the woman who does it differently/better/breaks the barriers.
This isn't the best on audiobook, and I wish I'd picked up the hard copy. The performance is fine until the end where it becomes stilted with some strange pacing issues, but because there's so much information and so many people discussed, I would have absorbed more in print.
The last section of the book was especially good, as it explores how men have been the "leaders" in so many arenas of writing and yet . . . they're only able to be seen that way because of how women's work doing the same thing has always been called something lesser. There's a fascinating and infuriating moment, too, wherein it's clear other women have played this role, too, in hopes of being seen as the woman who does it differently/better/breaks the barriers.
This isn't the best on audiobook, and I wish I'd picked up the hard copy. The performance is fine until the end where it becomes stilted with some strange pacing issues, but because there's so much information and so many people discussed, I would have absorbed more in print.
kt42reads's review
5.0
Engaging and eye-opening exploration of women in journalism from Nelly Bly onwards.