Hide this

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Kates Shulman
Loading...

Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen

by Alix Kates Shulman

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
114154,434 (3.32)3
Loading...
won't like will probably not like will probably like will like will love

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

Scandalous when it came out in 1972, the book is the story of a girl growing up in the 1940's and 50's and her deepest, darkest feelings as she stuggles to find her identity and her place in the world. The prose is poetic, giving just enough information to understand this highly complex character. The joys and sorrows of the main character are just as relatable to women who were raised in any era. ( )
  chandraceta | May 4, 2008 |
no reviews | add a review
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Series (with order)
Canonical Title
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

Book description

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0374530793, Paperback)

Alix Kates Shulman’s Memoirs of an Ex–Prom Queen created a profound impact on the cultural landscape when it was originally published in 1972. A sardonic portrayal of one white, middle-class, Midwestern girl’s coming-of-age, the novel takes a wry and prescient look at a range of experiences treated at the time as taboo but which were ultimately accepted as matters of major political significance: sexual harassment, job discrimination, the sexual double standard, rape, abortion restrictions, the double binds of marriage and motherhood, and the frantic quest for beauty. The book went on to sell more than a million copies and is regarded today as a classic, one of the first and best pieces of fiction born of the women’s liberation movement. With many of its concerns still with us today, this witty and devastating novel continues to resonate with readers, and Sasha Davis has proved herself a prom queen for the ages.
Alix Kates Shulman is the author of three other novels, the award-winning memoir Drinking the Rain, two books on the anarchist Emma Goldman, and three children’s books. She divides her time between New York City and Maine.
Alix Kates Shulman's Memoirs of an Ex–Prom Queen created an impact on the cultural landscape when it was originally published in 1972. A sardonic portrayal of one white, middle-class, Midwestern girl's coming-of-age, the novel takes a look at a range of experiences treated at the time as taboo but which were ultimately accepted as matters of major political significance: sexual harassment, job discrimination, the sexual double standard, rape, abortion restrictions, the double binds of marriage and motherhood, and the frantic quest for beauty. The book is regarded as one of the first pieces of fiction born of the women's liberation movement.
"An extra-ordinarily fine novel . . . Men may curse, they may howl . . . yet men owe it to themselves to see themselves plain, as their wives and girlfriends perceive them, by approaching Memoirs as a splendid looking glass—above all, an honest one . . . A writer of remarkable narrative talent, sharp wit . . . and acerbic insight . . . with a keen ear for speech patterns and a peeled eye for the nuances of emotion, Ms. Shulman is very comic indeed."—Alden Wittman, Los Angeles Times
 
"This book has the sting of recognition for young women, and may be something of a relief for women over thirty, who perhaps can understand themselves better and be more empathetic toward their own daughters."—New York Daily News
 
"This story, told with astringent wit, explores every facet and cliché of what it means to grow up female and beautiful."San Francisco Chronicle
 
"An extraordinary novel . . . Sad and witty, expertly conceived and executed . . . Important."—Peter Prescott, Newsweek
 
"Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen is a vivid reminder of just how much—and sometimes, how little—has changed for women in the last 35 years. Typing prowess and wedding-night virginity may no longer be expected, but Shulman's tale of Sasha Davis's struggle to find herself amid conflicting cultural messages about beauty, brains, and sex will be resonant for many more years to come."—Andi Zeisler, editorial/creative director of Bitch magazine

"Extremely relevant—I loved it! Growing up female in America forces many to become obsessed with how they look and how others see them, yet these cultural pressures and their effect on young woman are too rarely taken seriously and it was valuable and comforting to read a book that recognizes this and puts it in perspective. I only wish I'd found Alix Shulman's classic earlier."—Sophie Pollitt-Cohen, co-author of The Notebook Girls

(retrieved from Amazon Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:44:37 -0500)

(see all 2 descriptions)

The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details.

Quick Links

Ebooks Audio Swap
1 pay5/12

Popular covers

 

Help/FAQs | About | Privacy/Terms | Blog | Contact | LibraryThing.com | APIs | WikiThing | Common Knowledge | 47,184,305 books!