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Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism
An essential history of women in American journalism, showcasing exceptional careers from 1840 to the present
Undaunted is a representative history of the American women who surmounted every impediment put in their way to do journalism’s most valued work. From Margaret Fuller’s improbable success to the highly paid reporters of the mid-nineteenth century to the breakthrough investigative triumphs of Nellie Bly, Ida Tarbell, and Ida B. Wells, Brooke Kroeger examines the lives of the best-remembered and long-forgotten woman journalists. She explores the careers of standout woman reporters who covered the major news stories and every conflict at home and abroad since before the Civil War, and she celebrates those exceptional careers up to the present, including those of Martha Gellhorn, Rachel Carson, Janet Malcolm, Joan Didion, Cokie Roberts, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault.
As Kroeger chronicles the lives of journalists and newsroom leaders in every medium, a larger story the nearly two-centuries-old struggle for women’s rights. Here as well is the collective fight for equity from the gentle stirrings of the late 1800s through the legal battles of the 1970s to the #MeToo movement and today’s racial and gender disparities.
Undaunted unveils the huge and singular impact women have had on a vital profession still dominated by men.
Undaunted is a representative history of the American women who surmounted every impediment put in their way to do journalism’s most valued work. From Margaret Fuller’s improbable success to the highly paid reporters of the mid-nineteenth century to the breakthrough investigative triumphs of Nellie Bly, Ida Tarbell, and Ida B. Wells, Brooke Kroeger examines the lives of the best-remembered and long-forgotten woman journalists. She explores the careers of standout woman reporters who covered the major news stories and every conflict at home and abroad since before the Civil War, and she celebrates those exceptional careers up to the present, including those of Martha Gellhorn, Rachel Carson, Janet Malcolm, Joan Didion, Cokie Roberts, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault.
As Kroeger chronicles the lives of journalists and newsroom leaders in every medium, a larger story the nearly two-centuries-old struggle for women’s rights. Here as well is the collective fight for equity from the gentle stirrings of the late 1800s through the legal battles of the 1970s to the #MeToo movement and today’s racial and gender disparities.
Undaunted unveils the huge and singular impact women have had on a vital profession still dominated by men.
592 pages, Hardcover
Published May 16, 2023
57 people are currently reading
3900 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 16, 2023
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I went to school for journalism and worked in radio, television and print media for many years, so I was eager to read Undaunted by Brooke Kroeger.
I appreciate the fact that women in history are finally getting the attention they so richly deserve. Undaunted covers the history of female reporters starting in the 1820's in America to present day reporters. Along the way, there are familiar names like Ida Tarbell, Ida B. Wells, Nellie Bly, Martha Gellhorn, Gloria Steinem (although surprisingly little about her), Barbara Walters, Margaret Sullivan and Cokie Roberts. But there were so many more, it's hard to mention them all.
And maybe that's the problem I had with this book. There are so many stories to tell, so many women to cover, that I felt short-changed at times, even though I know the book was very well researched. At times I wanted to know more about a particular woman's story, but the author would move on to another reporter. Sometimes she'd later get back to reporters previously mentioned, but by then, so many other names had been mentioned it was hard keeping track of all of them.
With a heavy emphasis on print media, obviously since it's been around the longest, I felt the brief mentions of television and even less so, radio reporters like NPR's women short-changed the groundbreaking work they did. IT seems like they were thrown in because it was necessary to tell the whole story, but as an afterthought.
I liked the book, didn't love it. I'm glad I read it, but it was a slog to get through.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I went to school for journalism and worked in radio, television and print media for many years, so I was eager to read Undaunted by Brooke Kroeger.
I appreciate the fact that women in history are finally getting the attention they so richly deserve. Undaunted covers the history of female reporters starting in the 1820's in America to present day reporters. Along the way, there are familiar names like Ida Tarbell, Ida B. Wells, Nellie Bly, Martha Gellhorn, Gloria Steinem (although surprisingly little about her), Barbara Walters, Margaret Sullivan and Cokie Roberts. But there were so many more, it's hard to mention them all.
And maybe that's the problem I had with this book. There are so many stories to tell, so many women to cover, that I felt short-changed at times, even though I know the book was very well researched. At times I wanted to know more about a particular woman's story, but the author would move on to another reporter. Sometimes she'd later get back to reporters previously mentioned, but by then, so many other names had been mentioned it was hard keeping track of all of them.
With a heavy emphasis on print media, obviously since it's been around the longest, I felt the brief mentions of television and even less so, radio reporters like NPR's women short-changed the groundbreaking work they did. IT seems like they were thrown in because it was necessary to tell the whole story, but as an afterthought.
I liked the book, didn't love it. I'm glad I read it, but it was a slog to get through.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
dnf
January 2, 2025I'll come back at some point but I was making NO progress and I've been "currently reading" it for over a year lol
June 28, 2023
I think this worked better at the beginning when there were fewer big names to highlight. It became unwieldy as she approached the more current era and the focus changed from numbers to conditions, which makes se se but the focus became fuzzier.
July 19, 2023
Must read for all women, especially women of color and LGBT, who aspire for a career in journalism, as well as any man (or frankly, anyone) who thinks sexism died in the last century.
August 11, 2023
This goes wa-a-a-ay back to even before Nellie Bly. Many, many names that I'd never heard of, but a lot that I did. Strange that still, women are fighting skirmishes for equity in the workplace. It's better, but we still have a long way to go - especially for females in management.
An interesting history lesson.
An interesting history lesson.
May 15, 2023
Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism is Brooke Kroeger’s outstanding response to a request that she write a history of women in American journalism. With her strong academic career and five journalism books behind her, Kroeger was more than capable of meeting the challenge.
Starting in the 1840s and continuing through the #MeToo Movement, Kroeger chronicles the careers of women in a male-dominated field—their successes, their challenges, their accomplishments, and the criticism and praise with which they were met as women and professionals. When men such as Horace Greeley and Arthur Brisbane helped and praised one of them along the way, Kroeger readily gives the men credit and shows how their help impacted the women’s careers.
Readers will encounter journalist after journalist, starting with Margaret Fuller, Lydia Child, and Nellie Bly, who wrote on such topics as the disadvantaged, women’s position in society, the Italian Revolution of 1848, and Blackwell’s Island, with Bly famously going inside posing as a mental patient. Among the many others, Kroeger includes Ida Tarbell, who took on the Standard Oil monopoly; Ida B. Wells, who bravely tackled lynchings and the KKK, and the many women, such as Mary Clemmer, Anne O’Hare McCormick, Dorothy Thompson, Martha Gellhorn, Pauline Frederick, who covered the Civil War, WWI, and WWII, the latter mostly from Europe although Frederick also reported from North Africa and Asia.
The women’s journalistic work sometimes led to associations with famous historic figures that take on anecdotal form, such as Fuller’s persistent efforts to gain Ralph Waldo Emerson’s attention and Dorothy Thompson’s accusation that Theodore Dreiser had plagiarized portions of her book The New Russia in a book he later published. Such brief anecdotes help maintain readers’ attention, especially if those readers come to the book without a preexisting interest in the history of journalism. Kroeger’s description of Fuller’s unexpected and tragic death added a touching note.
All journalists, journalism students, and anyone interested in women’s and cultural history should add Undaunted to their “must-read” lists. As an occasional history reader with my only journalism experience on my high school newspaper and yearbook staffs, I found Undaunted informative and engaging. As a retired professor with my own research interests, I found Kroeger’s research thorough, admirable, and inspiring.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance reader copy.
Starting in the 1840s and continuing through the #MeToo Movement, Kroeger chronicles the careers of women in a male-dominated field—their successes, their challenges, their accomplishments, and the criticism and praise with which they were met as women and professionals. When men such as Horace Greeley and Arthur Brisbane helped and praised one of them along the way, Kroeger readily gives the men credit and shows how their help impacted the women’s careers.
Readers will encounter journalist after journalist, starting with Margaret Fuller, Lydia Child, and Nellie Bly, who wrote on such topics as the disadvantaged, women’s position in society, the Italian Revolution of 1848, and Blackwell’s Island, with Bly famously going inside posing as a mental patient. Among the many others, Kroeger includes Ida Tarbell, who took on the Standard Oil monopoly; Ida B. Wells, who bravely tackled lynchings and the KKK, and the many women, such as Mary Clemmer, Anne O’Hare McCormick, Dorothy Thompson, Martha Gellhorn, Pauline Frederick, who covered the Civil War, WWI, and WWII, the latter mostly from Europe although Frederick also reported from North Africa and Asia.
The women’s journalistic work sometimes led to associations with famous historic figures that take on anecdotal form, such as Fuller’s persistent efforts to gain Ralph Waldo Emerson’s attention and Dorothy Thompson’s accusation that Theodore Dreiser had plagiarized portions of her book The New Russia in a book he later published. Such brief anecdotes help maintain readers’ attention, especially if those readers come to the book without a preexisting interest in the history of journalism. Kroeger’s description of Fuller’s unexpected and tragic death added a touching note.
All journalists, journalism students, and anyone interested in women’s and cultural history should add Undaunted to their “must-read” lists. As an occasional history reader with my only journalism experience on my high school newspaper and yearbook staffs, I found Undaunted informative and engaging. As a retired professor with my own research interests, I found Kroeger’s research thorough, admirable, and inspiring.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance reader copy.
April 16, 2023
Kroeger’s Undaunted is an ambitious undertaking of the history of women in the journalism medium, starting in the 1840s and working its way up to current times. In balancing out progress that has been made in the history of women being a part of the journalism profession, it seems like just as much progress is made as new problems crop up. In the beginning of the book, women have to fight to just be allowed to report the news. Then women can report the news but only if it’s soft news involving the home and fashion. Then they can report hard news, but as stringers without the security and pay of men. Then they can compete for the reporting jobs, but aren’t given the opportunities in management - or in the rare occasion they are, are held to different standards than men. It’s bracingly paced, and reflective of the battles that women face not just in the journalism field, but many other career fields even today. Since the field literature widens in the number of women involved, the book is a bit uneven in that the early years focus more heavily on the individual progress of specific women to trends within the industry itself as the presence of women becomes more pervasive beginning most prevalently in about the nineteen seventies. It’s fascinating to read the history of the women in the industry in the eighteen hundreds. It’s fascinating to read the history of the industry as it affects women into the latter half of the twentieth century into the twenty first century. I wish, with the exception of Abramson, that Kroeger had done a deeper dive into the more prominent women in journalism over the last fifty years. As a women, I appreciate Kroeger’s research while at the same time feeling frustrated that women seem to have substituted problems and discrimination for new problems and discrimination, made worse by the positing of those with the authority to make changes, not making them because of their foundations instead of having the courage to be progressive and promote equality and ability. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 18, 2023
I am a woman with a degree in journalism. So, of course, when a book comes out written by an award-winning female journalist about other award-winning female journalists, I am going to want to read it.
Brooke Kroeger writes not as a researcher, although there is a lot of meticulous research in this book as the more than 100 pages of end notes attest. She writes as one who has been in the trenches, one who has fought the fight and lived to tell the tale. The tale, in this case, is the history and advancement of women in American journalism, with particular attention to the challenges they faced.
Undaunted provides a fascinating, well-organized exploration beginning in the 1840s with Margaret Fuller who became the first editor of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The Dial. And, yet, sixty years later at the dawn of the 20th century, just over seven percent of journalists in the US were women. Despite their work in suffrage, females in the industry still found themselves relegated to the “women’s sphere” and lampooned as overly sentimental “sob sisters.” These remarkable women showed an indomitable spirit . . . and, for many, like Nelly Bly and Kate Masterson, it took a toll on the length of their lives.
Kroeger weaves together history with personal narratives, highlighting significant names and advancements all the way through the 20th century. Perhaps the most memorable parts for me include an account of Cissy Patterson trying to get an interview with Albert Einstein and an under-her-breath quote from Cokie Roberts.
Maria Shriver said in 2009 that the battle of the sexes was over. This book clearly proves, even into the digital age and the #metoo movement, that is not true. And, as Kroeger so eloquently points out, where any underrepresented group does not have that same opportunity, they cannot have the same level of influence. There is still more work to be done, and female journalists remain Undaunted.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an Advanced Digital Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Brooke Kroeger writes not as a researcher, although there is a lot of meticulous research in this book as the more than 100 pages of end notes attest. She writes as one who has been in the trenches, one who has fought the fight and lived to tell the tale. The tale, in this case, is the history and advancement of women in American journalism, with particular attention to the challenges they faced.
Undaunted provides a fascinating, well-organized exploration beginning in the 1840s with Margaret Fuller who became the first editor of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The Dial. And, yet, sixty years later at the dawn of the 20th century, just over seven percent of journalists in the US were women. Despite their work in suffrage, females in the industry still found themselves relegated to the “women’s sphere” and lampooned as overly sentimental “sob sisters.” These remarkable women showed an indomitable spirit . . . and, for many, like Nelly Bly and Kate Masterson, it took a toll on the length of their lives.
Kroeger weaves together history with personal narratives, highlighting significant names and advancements all the way through the 20th century. Perhaps the most memorable parts for me include an account of Cissy Patterson trying to get an interview with Albert Einstein and an under-her-breath quote from Cokie Roberts.
Maria Shriver said in 2009 that the battle of the sexes was over. This book clearly proves, even into the digital age and the #metoo movement, that is not true. And, as Kroeger so eloquently points out, where any underrepresented group does not have that same opportunity, they cannot have the same level of influence. There is still more work to be done, and female journalists remain Undaunted.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an Advanced Digital Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
August 23, 2024
Undaunted is about an incredibly interesting subject that I feel could’ve been more impactful if it were better organized and the writing not so dry. I can only imagine how hard it is to make nonfiction interesting for the masses, but I think if each chapter focused on one woman and her accomplishments, I think it would’ve made the information easier to digest and the book as a whole more impactful.
This book took me months to read, as I took copious notes, and savored its information, delving deeper into the minds and lives of these pioneers that paved the way for women in journalism. I hold such admiration for these pioneering women and the myriads of obstacles they had to face with adversity at seemingly every corner. Undaunted is a very in-depth study and clearly well researched deep dive on women in journalism. I really enjoyed many of the lesser-known names being highlighted and getting the recognition that they deserve but the jumping back and forth with so many names in the mix made it hard to follow for a large part of the book.
While I do feel like the author was trying to keep it to the most basic of facts, there is just so much information thrown at the reader that I often felt like I was reading a textbook of facts and found myself losing interest and skimming more often than not as reading became more and more daunting. I did appreciate the fact that there are photographs of the women and some of their various news articles. It gives faces to the names and adds a human touch to an otherwise dry essay on women in journalism.
Sadly, this book could not keep my interest, and I started dreading picking it up. I tried to get into it, and it’s clear that this is a labor of love and a subject that does deserve a spotlight, I believe it could’ve been better executed.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
This book took me months to read, as I took copious notes, and savored its information, delving deeper into the minds and lives of these pioneers that paved the way for women in journalism. I hold such admiration for these pioneering women and the myriads of obstacles they had to face with adversity at seemingly every corner. Undaunted is a very in-depth study and clearly well researched deep dive on women in journalism. I really enjoyed many of the lesser-known names being highlighted and getting the recognition that they deserve but the jumping back and forth with so many names in the mix made it hard to follow for a large part of the book.
While I do feel like the author was trying to keep it to the most basic of facts, there is just so much information thrown at the reader that I often felt like I was reading a textbook of facts and found myself losing interest and skimming more often than not as reading became more and more daunting. I did appreciate the fact that there are photographs of the women and some of their various news articles. It gives faces to the names and adds a human touch to an otherwise dry essay on women in journalism.
Sadly, this book could not keep my interest, and I started dreading picking it up. I tried to get into it, and it’s clear that this is a labor of love and a subject that does deserve a spotlight, I believe it could’ve been better executed.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
July 8, 2023
This is a well researched well told anthology of female reporters in riders and it’s so great to have all in one place. From great women like Margaret Fuller who despite her nasally voice would eventually when people over to Grace Hamilton who became the governess to six children just to get closer to an editor and it worked the stories in this book are plentiful and interesting like the one about Anna Benjamin a war correspondence who died young but lived large it was described as feminine her whole life which only lasted 27 years sadly. Anything does I want to talk a bottom day and how female reporters had to be told how their employer was once sued for sexual discrimination this is a very long but but an also interesting one and I don’t think they left anyone out including those who fought race as well as sexual discrimination they even have those who stood up for racial prejudice and the consequences they suffered because of it it is just full of interesting stories about the women who pave the way so that way we can have a time where women have to be told all the things they’re lucky to have , even though it should be their God-given right. I love this book and highly recommend it a definite definite five star read. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my free Ark copy in exchange for my unbiased review. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
December 13, 2024
As a rising journalist, I was really excited about reading this book. Perhaps this was exactly why I found myself disappointed.
Undaunted is very informative and thoroughly researched, but its biggest downside for me is that it’s nowhere engaging to read. Sure, there are some exciting snippets of women who had gone out of their ways to achieve the impossible in a time when the glass ceiling was unbreachable, but aside from that, the book read like a dreary history lecture to me. You would expect that for someone who wrote a book on women storytellers, the author would know a thing or two about making her own story more engaging.
The scope of this book is grand, spanning centuries with many groundbreaking female journalists listed. My heart squealed a little whenever I recognized I name I know — Nellie Bly, Connie Chung, Marie Colvin, Anna Quindlen, and Joan Didion, to list a few (although all of them except Nellie Bly received no more than a fleeting nod). It could be easy to lose track of the story of each individual, simply due to the sheer number of women mentioned in this story, especially as we moved onto more recent decades, when more women are making their mark in the journalism world day by day. The author did a great job with explaining the trend these brilliant women have set over the course of time, but honestly, I would much rather just have more in-depth stories about the few stars who shone exceptionally bright.
Undaunted is very informative and thoroughly researched, but its biggest downside for me is that it’s nowhere engaging to read. Sure, there are some exciting snippets of women who had gone out of their ways to achieve the impossible in a time when the glass ceiling was unbreachable, but aside from that, the book read like a dreary history lecture to me. You would expect that for someone who wrote a book on women storytellers, the author would know a thing or two about making her own story more engaging.
The scope of this book is grand, spanning centuries with many groundbreaking female journalists listed. My heart squealed a little whenever I recognized I name I know — Nellie Bly, Connie Chung, Marie Colvin, Anna Quindlen, and Joan Didion, to list a few (although all of them except Nellie Bly received no more than a fleeting nod). It could be easy to lose track of the story of each individual, simply due to the sheer number of women mentioned in this story, especially as we moved onto more recent decades, when more women are making their mark in the journalism world day by day. The author did a great job with explaining the trend these brilliant women have set over the course of time, but honestly, I would much rather just have more in-depth stories about the few stars who shone exceptionally bright.
August 4, 2023
Undaunted by Brooke Kroeger highlights the exceptional women in journalism who have had to overcome incredible hurdles in a profession dominated by men. While the book is chronological, she also used twelve questions to guide her narrative - telling stories of what women dealt with, how the successful ones got in the door, who were the trailblazers, what contributed to their success, how well did they manage their successes and failures, were they "womanly" or "manly" in their reporting, impact they had on the profession, who has been honored and recognized by the journalism community, what qualities and characteristics brought condemnation or respect, what was the impact of newsroom politics and have women made a difference in the field of journalism. What was eye-opening for me is how many of these incredible women I had never heard of before. From journalists covering the Civil War to modern day "me-too" news. Women had to fight being marginalized to cover "women's topics" to battling sexism, harassment and unequal pay. This is a well-told and researched book and is an important addition to my book shelf on women's history and their incredible contribution to journalism.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
October 20, 2023
A great effort, however for me this fell a little flat and was hard to keep focused on. I picked it up and put it down quite a few times. While the story premise itself was interesting, at times it failed to hold my attention and was a little dry. A solid read, very factual and well researched, I was hoping for a little more excitement. I very much applaud the author for tackling it and bringing up the accomplishments of “The Girl Reporter”. I’ve been reading a lot of WWII history books and enjoyed hearing the stories of the women reporting on the front lines. I’ll give it a second read in time, it was very dense and I’m sure I’ll get more out of it with another read or perhaps and listen.
Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and the author for the ARC copy of this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and the author for the ARC copy of this book!
December 18, 2023
Undaunted is a well researched and put together traceable thread of women and their journey of breaking the barriers of journalism, from total exclusion to growing in numbers within the ranks of the most prestigious newspapers, television stations, and investigative reporting across the board. Brooke Kroeger has done a fantastic job of taking us from the beginning of the process to today, with selected women that time has forgotten, and is bringing them back to life in a way of remembering their struggles and hard work paving the way to today's women in the same field. Well thought out, well planned, well done!!! I certainly didn't know half of these women, and am grateful for the time and effort put into enlightening us all with their struggles.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
August 16, 2025
4.5 stars
This is a good overview of women journalists that had to work at least twice as hard as their male counterparts for half the pay, along with enduring misogynistic comments and actions. I knew quite a few of these women but there are a few that I need to research and learn more about. There are so many more great women journalists than those mentioned in this book but the author had to narrow it down otherwise this would be a never ending book. This book may hit different for women that are 40ish and over. Seeing so many changes to women in the work force verses those who are younger than 40ish. As a GenX woman I have experiences so much misogyny at work and it was predominately the actions of older established men. This book does briefly touch on the #metoo movement.
Narrator was good, listened at 2.5 speed.
This is a good overview of women journalists that had to work at least twice as hard as their male counterparts for half the pay, along with enduring misogynistic comments and actions. I knew quite a few of these women but there are a few that I need to research and learn more about. There are so many more great women journalists than those mentioned in this book but the author had to narrow it down otherwise this would be a never ending book. This book may hit different for women that are 40ish and over. Seeing so many changes to women in the work force verses those who are younger than 40ish. As a GenX woman I have experiences so much misogyny at work and it was predominately the actions of older established men. This book does briefly touch on the #metoo movement.
Narrator was good, listened at 2.5 speed.
May 5, 2023
3.5 stars
An ambitious summary of women in journalism from the 19th century on. Clearly a lot of research and effort went into this but it's so much information that it seems uneven at times as to who and what get emphasized.
The overall picture is typically discouraging. Competent women thwarted at every turn by entrenched men. In the early days, even getting an opportunity to write under a woman's byline was difficult.
As she is documenting more modern times, the book did get more interesting but no less aggravating. Still politics, sexism, sexual harassment and pay inequity abound. But there are pockets of optimism, men and women determined to be more inclusive because they see that it produces a better product. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
An ambitious summary of women in journalism from the 19th century on. Clearly a lot of research and effort went into this but it's so much information that it seems uneven at times as to who and what get emphasized.
The overall picture is typically discouraging. Competent women thwarted at every turn by entrenched men. In the early days, even getting an opportunity to write under a woman's byline was difficult.
As she is documenting more modern times, the book did get more interesting but no less aggravating. Still politics, sexism, sexual harassment and pay inequity abound. But there are pockets of optimism, men and women determined to be more inclusive because they see that it produces a better product. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 19, 2023
3.5 I’m now in a stage of life where it’s hard to read more academically centered books for fun or with everything else I want to read. Though interesting, this reads more dense like a text than a book that’s published for the masses. I’m partly bias because I recently read Fever in the Heartland and that read so easy as a nonfiction. Take away- interesting subject matter but could be condensed into a more digestible shorter text. She does a great overview of women in journalism and the trials and tribulations they went through and still do today.
September 18, 2023
I really wanted to like this. I found my mind wandering as I listened to this book and I'm not sure why. I think it was because I couldn't really figure out how it was organized? It seemed as though it jumped from one person to the next--which is good because I appreciated learning the names of some female journalists I was previously unfamiliar with--but hard because I had a hard time placing each woman in time and space contextually. I also chock this up to being super distracted/preoccupied by life while listening to this one.
February 28, 2025
At its best when the stories are up close and personal. Unfortunately, trying to squeeze this much history into a relatively concise narrative leaves stretches feeling more like listicles than features, lacking in substance or insight.
We get to know a few heroines of journalism, and that's great. I would have appreciated an excerpt or two to from their work to get a better sense of the actual work of the time.
The shift in focus from reporting to editing roles makes sense as part of the story of women succeeding in the profession, but it's just not as interesting to me as a now-outsider.
We get to know a few heroines of journalism, and that's great. I would have appreciated an excerpt or two to from their work to get a better sense of the actual work of the time.
The shift in focus from reporting to editing roles makes sense as part of the story of women succeeding in the profession, but it's just not as interesting to me as a now-outsider.
January 18, 2024
There's too much and not enough here. A history of women in journalism is a valuable resource, but this book jumps from name to name, and there just isn't enough depth to the background offered. One person is highlighted in a few paragraphs, and then it's off to someone else. There are two benefits here: it offers an overview of the craft, and it tempts you to seek out other books on some of the people profiled.
July 15, 2024
lol ironic this book was commissioned by a man.
An artful portfolio of women spanning two centuries’ worth journalism in all forms. while the structure and pedigree of all biographies skew sharply western, that’s expected in a book devoted to American women, and a good deal of time is devoting to dissecting how certain women came to power, why they came to power, and how specifics privileges played in appointments.
An artful portfolio of women spanning two centuries’ worth journalism in all forms. while the structure and pedigree of all biographies skew sharply western, that’s expected in a book devoted to American women, and a good deal of time is devoting to dissecting how certain women came to power, why they came to power, and how specifics privileges played in appointments.
August 3, 2023
So many interesting stories, so little time. The book seemingly touches on every women journalist of any note, sometimes leaving the reader overwhelmed with random bits of information. But it comes together effectively at regular intervals, providing a sense of the slow and not always steady progress women have made in journalism. The last couple of chapters are especially interesting.
November 3, 2024
I have no idea why there are so many mid ratings. This book is fantastic. If you don’t like a rich history… skim to another part of the book.
During an election year, it’s hard to understate the importance of this book in understanding where we are today and just how far we��ve come!
I’ll be getting her other books now. I’m hooked!
During an election year, it’s hard to understate the importance of this book in understanding where we are today and just how far we��ve come!
I’ll be getting her other books now. I’m hooked!
August 21, 2023
Tracing the place of women in journalism in the 19, 20th and 21st centuries, Kroeger shows steady advances, and equally intractable prejudice Justice takes so long. The book is inspiring and depressing in equal measure.
August 29, 2023
This was a great book! Lots of details about influential women in journalism from the 1800s to the present day. Kroeger shows how far women have come, the suffering and prejudice they endured at the hands of their male colleagues, and why it is important to have all voices at the table.
October 23, 2023
My first reaction was to be disappointed in this one, since I didn't learn anything new; but when I thought about writing this review I thought of the amount of research it must have taken to compile this hefty tome and it gave me a new appreciation for it.
Want to read
May 4, 2023Beautifully written and well researched book. I truly enjoyed learning about the different way these women paved the way for women in journalism.
June 30, 2023
Yo the author's note????🤢🤮🤮🤮
July 26, 2023
Fascinating read about women journalists. I loved all the stories about different women.
August 24, 2023
just not that interesting to me.
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