Christian McEwen

I was provided an copy of Legal Tender: Women & The Secret Life of Money by Christian McEwen to review and what a delightful read it is. The book is a series of essays on money topics by a variety of women concerning their experiences with money. Money is a fascinating topic given it malleability. It can be a stand in for success safety, class, identify and much more. The conversations in the essays were revealing in the most interesting ways. For example, how a hoarder father’s surprise abundance surprised and enriched his daughter. My biggest complaint with the book is that it was not bigger and longer. This a tiny jewel of a gift regarding women’s relationships with money.… (more)

I'm not sure what to make of this book. It feels like I'm reading a play, a social commentary play, the kind I might have gone to seen in college as part of a sociology class. I was expecting more science, more sociology but this book is basically transcribed interviews with women about money. It's hard to read- especially since there is little to no commentary about who these women are or the context in which they are speaking. Some parts were really interesting but some were really annoying with swearing or other verbal fillers.… (more)