Erika Janik
Author of Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction
About the Author
Erika Janik is an award-winning writer, the author of five previous books, including Marketplace of the Marvelous: The Strange Origins of Modern Medicine.
Works by Erika Janik
Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction (2016) 86 copies, 33 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Janik, Erika
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Linfield College (BA|history)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (MA|American history)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (MA|journalism) - Occupations
- radio producer
author
historian - Awards and honors
- Wisconsin Historical Society Award of Merit for History Writing (2011)
North American Travel Journalists Association award (historical travel writing, 2009)
William B. Hesseltine Award (2007) - Short biography
- Erika Janik is an award-winning author. She is the recipient of a 2011 Wisconsin Historical Society Award of Merit for History Writing, 2009 North American Travel Journalists Association award for historical travel writing as well as the 2007 William B. Hesseltine Award. Her work has appeared in many publications, including Smithsonian.com, Mental Floss, The Onion, MyMidwest, Wisconsin Trails magazine, On Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Magazine of History, as well as on Wisconsin Public Radio. Originally from Redmond, Washington, she now knows more about Wisconsin than she ever thought possible. In her spare time, she's the producer and editor of "Wisconsin Life" at Wisconsin Public Radio. [retrieved 9/14/2016 from Amazon.com Author Page (adapted)]
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Redmond, Washington, USA
- Places of residence
- Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
In the 1980s and 1990s, an explosion of female detectives hit the bookstores in works written by women authors. There were so many new authors and new "lady detectives" (as author Erika Janik refers to them), that it was hard to keep up with them all. They created a unique genre within a genre. Friends were reading quickly, passing books on to others, and sharing notes about their favorite female sleuths. An entire book could be written about women authors and the female detectives of their show more creations. As Janik has so painstakingly pointed out, the genre has been around since at least the 1860s if not earlier. There is a great deal of material to cover here - historical, sociological, and literary - and it would take an entire book to flesh it all out properly. In many ways, that is the problem with Janik's PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS: she took on too wide a field for one book.
The other part of PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS is devoted to the sociological history of real-life women working within the criminal justice systems, as prison wardens in the early days up through to patrol officers and yes, on to detectives. Perhaps Janik thought that analyzing the literature of crime fiction through female detectives would be too dry a subject. Perhaps she thought that exploring how women came to work in prisons and police systems would be too wide an area to explore. It is likely that she thought the two made for a nice coupling, and hence - PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS.
Although well-written and factual, Janik's book can best be described as a primer for someone who knows very little about women authors and their fictional female detectives or very little about the growth of the criminal justice system and the role women played in it. For an overview of either, PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS is good. However, for anyone who has a deep interest in either field or who has studied one side of the other (or both), there is going to be very little new to learn. Still, one must give kudos to Janik for acknowledging the connection and addressing crime and detection through a decent book on women's studies. show less
The other part of PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS is devoted to the sociological history of real-life women working within the criminal justice systems, as prison wardens in the early days up through to patrol officers and yes, on to detectives. Perhaps Janik thought that analyzing the literature of crime fiction through female detectives would be too dry a subject. Perhaps she thought that exploring how women came to work in prisons and police systems would be too wide an area to explore. It is likely that she thought the two made for a nice coupling, and hence - PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS.
Although well-written and factual, Janik's book can best be described as a primer for someone who knows very little about women authors and their fictional female detectives or very little about the growth of the criminal justice system and the role women played in it. For an overview of either, PISTOLS AND PETTICOATS is good. However, for anyone who has a deep interest in either field or who has studied one side of the other (or both), there is going to be very little new to learn. Still, one must give kudos to Janik for acknowledging the connection and addressing crime and detection through a decent book on women's studies. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Fascinating read on both history of women detecting and their rise in the police as well as their fictional counterparts. I have to say I enjoyed reading about the fictional detectives more; I was surprised that real-life women still have been so far behind in advancing. Great read in how far we’ve come yet still need to go. My only upset was wishing there was a “Spoiler Alert” note in some sections as I’d love to find some of the original novels mentioned, yet we were told the whole show more story about the crime and who turned out to be the villains. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Nineteenth-century medical practice was weird: bloodletting, leaches, heavy metal therapies more deadly than disease ... and these were from the recognized "regular" physicians. From "irregular" therapists came herbal drugs, patent remedies, and all manner of idées fixes touted as panacea.
Erika Janik describes several alternative medical practices from the 19th century: herbal remedies, phrenology, hydropathy, homeopathy, mesmerism, patent medicine, osteopathy, and chiropractic. She ponders show more what made these "irregular" therapies so attractive to nineteenth-century Americans and argues that they are more than historical curiosities: that in fact water cures and snake oil have made significant contributions to modern medicine. Results are mixed.
As historical description the book is intriguing and enlightening. For me the historical context was valuable. Take hydropathy, for instance, whose practitioners treated disease by repeated cold baths and showers or by wrapping patients in cold wet sheets. It's hard to see how such treatment could have been effective -- or even how anybody thought it might be. In historical context, however, considering other treatments and even standards in daily life hydropathy was more hygienic than other options and if it wasn't very effective at least it usually didn't make the patient's condition worse. Janik's account helps me imagine a time when these quacky medical ideas might have seemed reasonable, or the least among evils.
As for why these cures appealed to nineteenth-century Americans, Janik notes the scarcity and expense of "regular" medicine; the relative brutality of standard medical treatments; and the sense of self-determination conferred by choosing alternative treatments. She links these arguments to the American frontier and good old American self-reliance -- all of which sounds plausible but does not explain why the treatments were equally popular in Europe.
Even less convincing are her arguments that modern medicine is largely the product of these alternative therapies. For example, she claims that hydropathy's obsession with bathing and clean cold water is the true source of modern standards for hand-washing and hygiene. I rather expect that Ignaz Semmelweis and then germ theory had more to do with this than did the water cure, but they barely get a mention. Or even more oddly: she claims that modern neurology's ideas about localization of brain function have their origins in phrenology. She notes that when Pierre Broca discovered a language-related area of the frontal lobe he specifically distanced his findings from phrenology. Janik thinks his protests reveal his debt but I am not convinced: I suspect Broca's discovery was *despite* phrenology rather than because of it.
On other accounts her claims are more plausible, such as with osteopathy's early use of experimentation and documentation, but largely Janik's arguments follow a pattern: "Irregular ism X proposes theory Y and years later regular medicine adopts similar theory Y'. Therefore, Y' exists because of Y." For example: "Phrenology localized brain function before regular medicine accepted the idea, therefore regular medicine appropriated the idea from phrenology." But this is post hoc reasoning, flawed and unconvincing. It's especially weak when she acknowledges that the idea had been around since ancient times -- maybe even used occasionally in regular medicine, but not to the same extent as in some alternative therapy.
Stylistically it's not bad, mostly readable and engaging though Janik is prone to a puzzling phrase sometimes: referring to Charles Dickens's enthusiasm for animal magnetism she notes that the regular medical community was "less unimpressed with mesmerism than Dickens," by which she seems to mean that Dickens was more impressed than they. And isn't "highly potent placebo" a contradiction in terms?
Entertaining but flawed, I'd recommend it to readers interested in the descriptive bits. Readers hoping to make a case for alternative therapies will have to look elsewhere. show less
Erika Janik describes several alternative medical practices from the 19th century: herbal remedies, phrenology, hydropathy, homeopathy, mesmerism, patent medicine, osteopathy, and chiropractic. She ponders show more what made these "irregular" therapies so attractive to nineteenth-century Americans and argues that they are more than historical curiosities: that in fact water cures and snake oil have made significant contributions to modern medicine. Results are mixed.
As historical description the book is intriguing and enlightening. For me the historical context was valuable. Take hydropathy, for instance, whose practitioners treated disease by repeated cold baths and showers or by wrapping patients in cold wet sheets. It's hard to see how such treatment could have been effective -- or even how anybody thought it might be. In historical context, however, considering other treatments and even standards in daily life hydropathy was more hygienic than other options and if it wasn't very effective at least it usually didn't make the patient's condition worse. Janik's account helps me imagine a time when these quacky medical ideas might have seemed reasonable, or the least among evils.
As for why these cures appealed to nineteenth-century Americans, Janik notes the scarcity and expense of "regular" medicine; the relative brutality of standard medical treatments; and the sense of self-determination conferred by choosing alternative treatments. She links these arguments to the American frontier and good old American self-reliance -- all of which sounds plausible but does not explain why the treatments were equally popular in Europe.
Even less convincing are her arguments that modern medicine is largely the product of these alternative therapies. For example, she claims that hydropathy's obsession with bathing and clean cold water is the true source of modern standards for hand-washing and hygiene. I rather expect that Ignaz Semmelweis and then germ theory had more to do with this than did the water cure, but they barely get a mention. Or even more oddly: she claims that modern neurology's ideas about localization of brain function have their origins in phrenology. She notes that when Pierre Broca discovered a language-related area of the frontal lobe he specifically distanced his findings from phrenology. Janik thinks his protests reveal his debt but I am not convinced: I suspect Broca's discovery was *despite* phrenology rather than because of it.
On other accounts her claims are more plausible, such as with osteopathy's early use of experimentation and documentation, but largely Janik's arguments follow a pattern: "Irregular ism X proposes theory Y and years later regular medicine adopts similar theory Y'. Therefore, Y' exists because of Y." For example: "Phrenology localized brain function before regular medicine accepted the idea, therefore regular medicine appropriated the idea from phrenology." But this is post hoc reasoning, flawed and unconvincing. It's especially weak when she acknowledges that the idea had been around since ancient times -- maybe even used occasionally in regular medicine, but not to the same extent as in some alternative therapy.
Stylistically it's not bad, mostly readable and engaging though Janik is prone to a puzzling phrase sometimes: referring to Charles Dickens's enthusiasm for animal magnetism she notes that the regular medical community was "less unimpressed with mesmerism than Dickens," by which she seems to mean that Dickens was more impressed than they. And isn't "highly potent placebo" a contradiction in terms?
Entertaining but flawed, I'd recommend it to readers interested in the descriptive bits. Readers hoping to make a case for alternative therapies will have to look elsewhere. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.With clear and lively pose, Erika Janik takes the reader through the tempestuous history of women solving crime. Loosely chronological, Janik starts in late 1700s, with the Gothic novel – the forerunner of mystery novels. Her research is excellent, bringing the historical and fictional characters to life. Non-fiction historical writing can be dull, even with a lively subject, but Janik deftly dodges that trap and creates a book that is amusing, intriguing, and easy to read. She didn’t show more get bogged down in a plethora of details, adding just the right amount to draw the reader into the world.
In particular, I enjoy how she compared the women in fiction to those in real life. As often occurs, the female detectives in fiction lived exciting, glamorous lives, solving strange and wild mysteries. In contrast, the women in real life where usually relegated to being social workers with badges or moral keepers, shepherding vulnerable girls away from dance halls and malt shops. Janik did an excellent job of tracing how women moved from these background positions to where they are today – chief of police, head detectives, and women on patrol, with all the duties, power, and responsibilities of their male counterparts.
The prose repeats itself occasionally, but that doesn’t detract from the book. It’s inevitable when writing about any historical subject – it gets tangled.
I had a similar emotional response to her work that I often have to books about the history of women – a deep annoyance at the ignorance of men (and some women) regarding the capabilities of women. The arguments used to keep women out of certain professions, the unfair treatment, the rigged standards, and the sexual harassment. It burns me up.
To conclude, I would recommend Janik’s book to many people. This is perfect as an overview of the subject, and an excellent place to start reading about the topic. It will be of particular interest to those lovers of crime fiction, women’s history in the United States, and anyone who is looking for an enjoyable non-fiction read. This would make an excellent beach book, even if just to give you ideas of excellent crime novels to read!
Note: I received this book free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's Program, in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. show less
In particular, I enjoy how she compared the women in fiction to those in real life. As often occurs, the female detectives in fiction lived exciting, glamorous lives, solving strange and wild mysteries. In contrast, the women in real life where usually relegated to being social workers with badges or moral keepers, shepherding vulnerable girls away from dance halls and malt shops. Janik did an excellent job of tracing how women moved from these background positions to where they are today – chief of police, head detectives, and women on patrol, with all the duties, power, and responsibilities of their male counterparts.
The prose repeats itself occasionally, but that doesn’t detract from the book. It’s inevitable when writing about any historical subject – it gets tangled.
I had a similar emotional response to her work that I often have to books about the history of women – a deep annoyance at the ignorance of men (and some women) regarding the capabilities of women. The arguments used to keep women out of certain professions, the unfair treatment, the rigged standards, and the sexual harassment. It burns me up.
To conclude, I would recommend Janik’s book to many people. This is perfect as an overview of the subject, and an excellent place to start reading about the topic. It will be of particular interest to those lovers of crime fiction, women’s history in the United States, and anyone who is looking for an enjoyable non-fiction read. This would make an excellent beach book, even if just to give you ideas of excellent crime novels to read!
Note: I received this book free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's Program, in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Members
- 306
- Popularity
- #76,933
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 47
- ISBNs
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