Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead

by Deborah Beatriz Blum

The startling coming-of-age story of famed anthropologist Margaret Mead whose radical ideas challenged the social and sexual norms of her time.
The story begins in 1923, when twenty-two year old Margaret Mead is living in New York City, engaged to her childhood sweetheart and on the verge of graduating from college. Seemingly a conventional young lady, she marries, but shocks friends when she decides to keep her maiden name. After starting graduate school at Columbia University, she does the unthinkable: she first enters into a forbidden relationship with a female colleague, then gets caught up in an all-consuming and secret affair with a brilliant older man. As her sexual awakening continues, she discovers it is possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time.
While Margaret's personal explorations are just beginning, her interest in distant cultures propels her into the new field of anthropology. Ignoring the constraints put on women, she travels alone to a tiny speck of land in the South Pacific called Samoa to study the sexual behavior of adolescent girls. Returning home on an ocean liner nine months later, a chance encounter changes the course of her life forever.
Now, drawing on letters, diaries, and memoirs, Deborah Beatriz Blum reconstructs these five transformative years of Margaret's life, before she became famous, revealing the story that Margaret Mead hid from the world - during her lifetime and beyond.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Anthropology, Feminism, 20th Century, Womens

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2017

About the author

DEBORAH BEATRIZ BLUM'S interest in other cultures and far-away lands began when she traveled the world as a writer on the television series In Search Of.... Her first book, Bad Karma: A True Story of Obsession and Murder, took her on an extended journey through India. Since then she has sold story ideas for feature films, producing several, including Clean and Sober, and has worked as a writer-director of documentaries for the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel. She makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband and three sons.

Reviews

[Aria · Rating 2 out of 5]

---- Disclosure: I received this book for free from Goodreads. ----

So, I had to take a bit before doing this review to decide how I would rate it, and I am still undecided. I was at 3 stars for a while, but then near the end of my reading it dropped to 2, and after I finished I was just kind of confused. Still am. The book, surprisingly to me, rather abruptly just ended. Mead still didn't have anything sorted out about herself. She seemingly arrives at some decision about a relationship, but in epilogue we learn otherwise. Then we learn about all the other relationships that followed, but were not covered as material for this book. I mention this b/c feel like the book is mistitled. While I liked the idea this title suggested, what we get instead is Mead's early relationships. She doesn't really appear to have any kind of awakening, there is no deliberate exploration or questioning, and all seems to come about by chance meeting and attraction. She follows her whims regarding these relationships (as befits her personality), and then agonizes over them as she seems to do with everything.

So my point is, if what we have here is a consecutive telling of Mead's relationships as they change, why does this stop suddenly, following some random (and impermanent) relationship decision, when it is clearly stated that there is so much more that follows in her life? I say ditch the sexual awakening title, b/c this book is not that, and continue to completion the line on Mead's relationships.....or at least title it appropriately, b/c this one is painfully ill-fitting. Perhaps Coming of Age: Margaret Mead's Early Relationships would suffice. The one thing I am certain of is that my perception of the piece and my experience reading it were definitely effected by the discrepancy in what I expected it to be about, and the actual content. I'm still not sure how to assess it.

[LillyBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I have to say this, but there is a difference between fiction and nonfiction. It's incredibly disturbing to me how it's become a bit of a trend lately to publish the former as the latter. This book is historical fiction based on actual events. It it well-researched? Yes. Does it follow the timeline of events that occurred? Probably. It remains, however, speculative and full of unknowable details and internal monologues/motivations of the characters.

"It was two nights later when Ruth was brushing her teeth at the washbasin that she heard the sound of knocking. Turning off the water, she listened, unsure if the knock was at her door, or down the hall. When it came again, louder this time, she wiped her hands on a towel, and unhooked the chain."

This is just one of many examples. There is absolutely no way to know if events occurred in this way. I've read books like this before (accidentally) in which the author at least makes the quotes real, having been taken from letters and such. However, Blum doesn't even do that. She states in her author's note: "Anything between quotation marks is based on the written record." Based on! Not quoted from! She then goes on to say this a "reconstructed" history.

I have no issues with someone writing a well-researched historical fiction, using a real person and their cohorts in a novelized version of events in order to add interest and/or to fill in gaps in the record. However, it needs to be labeled, published, and marketed as such.

(For the record, I was so disgusted, I did not finish this book. I completed about one third of it.)

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fictionalized look at Margaret Mead's early life and relationships. I really struggled with the author's writing style, which I can best describe as down-the-rabbithole. We are in Margaret's head, then we are in her fiance's head, then exploring his background, then exploring someone else whose "Margaret" connection is tenuous at best (at that point in the story), and then somebody THAT person was connected to...

The author clearly did massive amounts of research, and Ms. Mead had a big impact on modern anthropology, as well as being a pioneer in polyamory and bisexuality. What was missing for me, was the why- WHY did she feel free to have these relationships, growing up in a culture and family that endorsed monogamy? What made her such a rebel, even to insisting on keeping her own name? Why did her partners accept sharing her love/being her dirty little secret, for the most part? (Clearly Ms. Mead was something of a force of nature and extremely dynamic, so that might be a piece of it.)

When I read about people, real or fictional, I want to feel that their experiences have forced them to learn, grow, and change, and I didn't feel that happened in Ms. Mead, at least, as shown in this work. I couldn't figure out when she was asleep, and when she awoke.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, for such a brilliant anthropologist, her early love life was kind of a hot mess. Great story, fun read, beautifully researched. Made me remember that I met her by accident in 1975, during my fourth year at the University of Virginia. I had an English Lit class in one particular classroom, but the previous graduate anthropology class wasn't leaving when their time was up. It turned out that Margaret Mead was giving them a master class, and still had more to say. Our TA opted to take the Anthropology professor's offer to let all of us come in and listen to the rest of Margaret Mead's lecture. Do I remember anything she said - no, not really, but I remember that she had each of us come up afterwards and introduce ourselves. Fascinating. So glad Big Data thought this might be a book that would interest me.

[Michael Elias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Coming of Age: Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead and I have to admit it was a ‘sexual awakening’ for me, too. Or, at least a sexual arousal. The sex scenes leave a lot to the imagination – which is the best kind.

The book is an amazing journey of the young anthropologist Margaret Mead; her adventures, the birth of the new discipline of cultural anthropology and the fascinating cast of friends, family, colleagues, and lovers: Luther Cressman, Ruth Benedict, Edward Sapir, and Reo Fortune.

Blum brings to life the events leading up to young Margaret's journey into the unknown: Samoan tribal life that not only examined cultural mores but also sexual customs and behavior in Samoa. This, before Mead published her groundbreaking work that catapulted her into fame and reveals how the struggles she had in her own relationships with her own lovers both male and female -which would eventually shine a light on early 20th century American attitudes about sex and intimacy.

Reading Coming of Age...was a thoroughly entertaining experience; sexy - my favorite scene is in Chapter 19, A Need for Secrecy - larger than life characters, exotic locales, and often quite funny. I’m glad I read it.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deborah Blum's book, Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead, focuses on a pivotal time in Mead's life, before she became famous. All at once she was finishing college, marrying her childhood sweetheart, and forming bonds with new people who would drastically alter her world view. She hid the forbidden aspects of these relationships - guarding her secrets for
her entire life - and yet their impact on her life and work was profound. Because the telling of these eventful five years is based on primary documents such as letters and diaries, the story is rich in detail that makes it seem immediate and compelling. While all true, this non-fiction book reads like a novel. I couldn't put it down.

[Theron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming of Age took me in unexpected directions. It wasn’t just a biography about a person whom I knew to be famous. It was a journey into the mind of a young woman who was insecure, defiant, bold, resourceful, not always likeable, but imaginative and finally seductive. Blum brings to life the early years of the emerging discipline of anthropology and Margaret’s place in it, as she launches herself into the first great adventure of her career – a solo journey to the South Seas. This book is a must read!

[Debrah Roemisch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with some of the other reviewers on this--just not that good. It kept my interest and I found it interesting to read parts of letters and poems written by Mead and others--though I would like to read them in entirety. But the biggest problem is the author seemed to not be able to decide if this was to be a fiction or non-fiction book. The best thing about this book is that it got me interested enough to want to look up more books on Margaret Mead. And--there really is no "sexual awakening" in the book--not sure where that part of title came from! Mead was obviously not attracted to her husband--who she seemed to see more of as a companion than husband--so she finds other men more attractive. And she has a sexual relationship with her friend Ruth. Not a lot of exploration of that subject.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/coming-of-age-the-sexual-awakening-of-margaret-mead-by-deborah-beatriz-blum/

It’s a reconstruction of the love life of Margaret Mead, between her young marriage to schooldays crush Luther Cressman, her affairs with Andre Sapir and Ruth Benedict, and her meeting with eventual second husband Reo Fortune, basically the first third of her life (she lived from 1901 to 1978).

Other people’s sex lives are always interesting, of course, but I felt this missed several beats. Blum has chosen to write a novelistic reconstruction of conversations and other events, rather than a historical treatment of the surviving correspondence (of which apparently there is a heck of a lot), and I always wonder how much has been made up in cases like this. (See also Persia.)

More importantly, the most interesting thing about Margaret Mead is not who she did or didn’t sleep with in her early twenties, but her contribution to anthropology, and this is only briefly covered in the book, which ends with her return from Samoa in 1926 and lightly skips over her subsequent work and fame. It would be nice to be able to draw a line connecting her emotional and intellectual progress, but that isn’t really attempted here and may not in the end be possible.

Not Blum’s fault at all, but I’d also like to read more some time about Alfred Cort Haddon, one of the founders of anthropology, who popped up in my PhD research thirty years ago as a zoology professor at the Royal College of Science in Dublin, before he became famous as Haddon the Head-Hunter. He crossed paths with Margaret Mead a couple of times, but was forty-five years older and lived on a different continent, so it is entirely fair that Blum does not write much about him here.

Mead’s feminism is particularly interesting (and insufficiently explored in this book). I would like to know how many young women in early 1920s America, marrying at 21, refused to change their names to their husband’s. It would certainly never have occurred to my grandmother, born two years before Margaret Mead in the same city (Philadelphia). I got a much better sense of Mead’s personal mission from her first husband’s moving tribute to her.

"All social science, but especially anthropology, owes Margaret Mead a tremendous debt. At twenty-three years of age she did what no woman in anthropology had done. She went on a poverty-level fellowship compared to the generous stipends now given. She violated the canons of the Establishment by writing a report that was interesting, readable, and relevant to the lives of people in our society. She popularized anthropology. The departments in which some of her critics, both friendly and hostile, now teach owe their existence to Margaret’s popularization of the subject matter. If what she wrote in Coming of Age in Samoa tended to produce an outburst of demand for greater sexual freedom among our young people, it did that because it was a lance puncturing the old pustule of hypocrisy. She became a celebrity, and having been made that by the media she cleverly turned it to her own use to support her programs.

"Over a half-century ago, this twenty-three-year-old girl who had never before been out of the country, went to an isolated island under financial conditions a contemporary graduate student would probably reject as demeaning, and there made her first field study. She had the firm conviction that she could establish and hold her place in the profession with men. Her record proves she was right and in the doing she became a pioneer in the women’s movement. We all are indebted to her in some degree. Colleagues as scholars will correct her errors, the perspective of time will establish her scientific work, and we, her professional associates, will gain stature both personally and professionally, if we rightly honor the remarkable young girl and the woman Margaret became."

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

With its title, Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead, being a spin-off of Margaret Mead’s own ethnographic study of the South Sea Islanders Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation, this biography of the burgeoning of the renowned anthropologist, Margaret Mead, is a lively account of her mid-twenties, stretching from her college days to her evolvement as a scientist who came to have extensive experience, both in her academic sphere and in the field. While the central focus of the current work is, most overtly, Mead’s bisexuality, and the impact that it had on the start of her career, overall the ambit of the book is far broader, dealing with her family and social connections, as well as being redolent of the intellectual ethos of the day.

Being in at the start of the development of the relatively new science of social anthropology, Mead’s development was fostered by such greats as “the Father of American Anthropology,” Franz Boas, and his protégé, Edward Sapir, who became an expert not only in the field of Anthropology, but who became internationally recognized as one of the leading lights within the discipline of Linguistics. Mead’s personal contact with such greats led to her being inspired to forge ahead in an area of activity that had seen, as yet, relatively few women assume the helm, and to venture abroad to tropical realms that led her to become an outstanding role model for future generations. Her uniqueness as an ethnographer was partly due to her resistance of the conventional, which manifested in her strength and determination to overcome the suppressive mores of the time, and in her embodiment of the new freedoms for which women were fighting in the decade following on the Great War, during which many had first sensed their potential beyond the home front.

Mead’s friendship with her Columbia University mentor, Ruth Benedict, with whom she had an intense and lasting relationship, is described in detail, and in terms of its many fluctuations at this period in their lives. Their rivalry for Sapir’s attentions, with all its many ramifications, is explored in full, so that one gains a lasting impression of both the emotional and the sexual pressures that were exerted on all three at the time. If one ever thought of intellectuals as being isolated beings, hidebound within their ivory towers, and above the vagaries of human passion, this work compels one to think again.

Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead has an immediacy that could only have been achieved through the re-enactment of intimate scenes revealed to Deborah Blum through the copious volume of letters left behind by the conscientious and thorough researcher herself, and which are now in the possession of the U.S. Library of Congress. Blum captures the vast array of emotions expressed in the correspondence, whether written by, or to, Mead in an engaging and insightful way, with much of the text consisting of conversations held between the various protagonists that people these pages.

Especially for youngsters who are keen on setting out on an academic career, but who fear the closeted nature of such an existence, Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead should give them the courage to rethink their misconceptions of a life set apart from the passions of average (wo)man. As elevated in mind as such an approach to life might be, the physical and spiritual yearnings embodied by especially youthful intellectuals are no less traumatic and enervating to those experiencing such growing pains as are those felt by the average young person in the street.

[Bridgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels very much like a Who’s Who of early American anthropology. As an anthropology graduate, I enjoyed learning more about the personalities and interactions between the major figures that were mainstays of my studies. I don’t think it would be nearly as interesting to someone new to the history of the discipline.

I was aware before going into this book that it blends fiction style writing with nonfiction. I think knowing that beforehand made it more palatable to me. It is clear that the author’s interpretation is backed by near daily letters between Margaret and her contemporaries. Still, I can understand why this style is divisive for readers.

I agree with the reviewer that stated that this book’s subtitle would more accurately be “Margaret’s early relationships”. The focus of the book is a five year period just prior to and barely including Margaret’s initial trip to Samoa. The spotlight is on Margaret’s entangled and angsty interactions with several individuals but I wouldn’t characterize it as a focus on sexuality.

I appreciated this book because it gave me a window into the world of early American anthropology beyond theories and accomplishments. It humanized several figures and in fact, I frequently rolled my eyes at the dramatic turmoil and theatrics between them.

My favorite tidbit from this book was learning that Ruth Benedict was partially deaf and how this affected her personality and interactions with colleagues and her work. As a deaf person myself, I could deeply empathize with her and I will be looking for more about her in the future.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caveat: This historical fiction book seems to be well researched (262 reference citations). So it is based on the presumption that the author accurately portrayed the individuals involved, that this review is made.

Bottom line: Margaret Mead is pictured as a silly, self-centered, immature, egotistical and flighty girl. I could not understand why her lovers (1 woman and 2 men) were so enthralled with her when she so obviously was using them for her own gain. The story of Edward's infatuation with and "mooning" over her was belabored.

The book did not cover her subsequent years in New Guinea so I can only comment on her scientific approach on her first trip to that area. The author claimed that MM stated that she could "generalize her findings" after only 6 months in the area AND after having only 3 major informants, two of which she suspected were lying to her and the third being a male. I certainly hope her status as an anthropologist was not secured by this poor scientific rigor.

The book was an interesting and easy read (thus the 4 star rating). I didn't know much about MM prior to reading this book and learned quite a bit. Unfortunately I'm not interested in finding out if she ever matured.

[Cynthia Mauck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I was 25 when Margaret Mead died, I knew little about her. I think I could have appreciated this book more had I read a biography of her that covered much more of her life. As a result I have no idea how her "sexual awakening" related to anything she did later in her life. Still, it was an interesting read. But, it's no surprise that a 23 year old in any era would be thinking she was in love with more than one person at a time when, more likely it was just pure sexual, animal attraction she had at a time in her life when that is normal. Margaret was in her try-out twenties as author Gail Sheehy describes in her book "Passages" - back in the 1970's (when I was in my try-out twenties).

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read of Margaret's thoughts and her relationship with the people closest to her. Her first husband must have been an incredible man considering he did not stand in her way and later on in his life defended his ex-wife. She left her first husband because she fell in love with Reo Fortune but after doing a bit of extra reading she should have left him alone since she caused him a lot of grief both personally and professionally by undermining him. It is interesting to see how she developed and grew as a person but after digging a bit deeper you see that she was very self-centred and did many things to suit her needs and wants. Unlike her husband Reo Fortune, she appealed to regular readers and did not do the thorough research.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming of Age: The Sexual Awakening of Margaret Mead is a wonderful epistolary novel, built on the amazingly evocative letters of young Margaret Mead with her friends and academic peers. Author Deborah Beatriz Blum weaves this rich correspondence seamlessly with her own graceful and sharp edged prose to create a taut page turning drama. Margaret Mead’s fearless exploration of her own personal relationships, compared with those of young Samoan women, helps Mead develop new ideas of sexuality that have become bedrock concepts of anthropology today. Mead’s aspirations and accomplishments are brought to life in this inspiring read.

[Carol Surges · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Euphorbia (Grove/Atlantic 2014), which was based on Mead's life, I was curious about how biographical it actually was. I chose this title which probably wasn't the most logical since it only covered a brief period in Mead's life. The book held my interest - start to finish - but I can't say it left me with warm feelings toward her. She was, in my opinion, a difficult, complex, frustrating personality. Her charms mostly eluded me which clearly wasn't the experience for the people in her circle who doted on her, overlooking her many eccentricities. I'd like to read a more comprehensive Mead biography of which there are many.

[Dale Herd · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEFORE SHE BECAME FAMOUS

Haven’t you always wanted to know what the famous were up to, while they were still ordinary people, before they were catapulted into celebrity-hood? That’s what’s so refreshing about this book. Coming of Age catches Margaret Mead right at that pivotal moment in her life and examines the four relationships that arguably helped shape one of the most radical thinkers of the twentieth century. The ending — which leaves Margaret at the point where her life is a “hopeless muddle”— is a daring and brilliant stroke.

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.*
Pretty good. It's slow going. I wasn't sure I had the right expectations for this book. I wasn't sure what the big reveal was. What's really impressive is the amount of time & effort that went into creating this novel out of personal letters. That had to be a time consuming task, that shows a great deal of commitment. This was a good introduction of who Margaret Mead was (I'd never heard of her before).

[JoAnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this a 3.5-4. I enjoyed the book very much, but must say, I was surprised when the epilogue appeared with over a quarter of the book remained! I understand the author's intention- she was writing about Mead's earlier years; however, I felt it ended too soon. Loved using the actual letters with the author filling in the gaps to create the story. Maybe I'll have to read another book about Mead in her prime?!

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a ton of research went into this, but I was hoping for more primary source material in its original form (all your old letters, I want to read them). Sometimes hard to follow as other people were added to the narrative. As someone else mentioned, the title was somewhat misleading (but could have been an interesting thing to explore in more depth!). I sometimes enjoy this style of narrative, this didn’t work for me as well.

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of those books that wasn't sure what it wanted to be. It is marketed as a biography, but is a bit fictionalized with events we can't actually be sure of. It also only focuses on about four years of Margaret Mead's life: her college years, her first marriage, her affairs with a female colleague and a distinguished anthropology professor, and her trip to American Samoa. The book also explores the perspectives of others and does not stick with Mead. Then the book ends fairly abruptly after her return from Samoa. As someone who knew a bit about Margaret Mead and was looking forward to learning more this book was overall a bit frustrating. I learned a bit, but felt like this was a very micro look at her life. I may seek out a biography that explores more of Mead's life than just a few short years.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting. I think I would rather read Margaret Mead's book "Coming of Age in Samoa," but it was good to get some backstory. It WAS interesting to see and hear how people handled affairs and romance 100 years ago. She was polyamorous before that was a word. I didn't finish it because I could see where it was going. But it's always good to read about a woman with a strong mind and will, which she had.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating narrative on the life of Margaret Mead. Unlike other scholarly work on the Mead's studies, this book is accurate and well-researched while being very accessible. Perfect for a book club or group reading, Coming of Age dives into the correspondence of Margaret Mead to create a fascinating story about a woman who changed the way people think about sexuality and relationships.

[Robin Zolotoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting enough, but it was just "okay" for me. However, it did spark my interest to read the actual book written by Mead, "Coming of Age in Samoa", which I am looking forward to reading. It contained some interesting bits of history, and she had a colorful life which makes sense for the type of career she had, but it was a slow read for me.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received Coming of Age as a Giveaway. I chose this book because I was hoping it would be a good primer to Mead's life. It doesn't cover Mead's life but her 20s-30s. She was fortunate to have come from money at a time when the country was going through great depression. Had Mead been borne poor she wouldn't have had the same opportunities. She was a very lucky woman.

[Carl Stevens · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasted an hour on this before I gave up and read the WP review instead where I learned all I needed without having to wade through a "poetic" biography. In this case "poetic" is a synonym for "annoyingly sloppy and superficial." In case you're wondering I will let you know I recently read Morgan's "poetic" biography of Daniel Boone and thought it more honestly deserved the adjective.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me the beginning part and the end were strong and engaging. Because there was so much time spent on other people than Mead, I lost some interest in the middle. If you already know lots about Mead, this might be a good read but for me, who has just dabbled in learning about her, I would have preferred a different book.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating person, this Margaret Mead. Very progressive for her time - in career, as well as in love. She's kind of a mess, but still managed to create this amazing career. Love reading about strong, driven women, especially in times and places where it wasn't necessarily viewed as an attribute.

[Terry Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted later

[Ben Chaparral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew sex could be so interesting? An anthropologist. Fascinating behind the scenes peek at an academic legend whose studies changed a lot about how we think.