{"product_id":"her-brilliant-career-ten-extraordinary-women-of-the-fifties-isbn-9780062333872","title":"Her Brilliant Career: Ten Extraordinary Women of the Fifties","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exuberant group biography—\"a splendidly various collection of 'brief lives' written with both gusto and sensitivity\" (The Guardian)—that follows ten women in 1950s Britain whose pioneering lives paved the way for feminism and laid the foundation of modern women's success.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Her Brilliant Career, Rachel Cooke goes back in time to offer an entertaining and iconoclastic look at ten women in the 1950s—pioneers whose professional careers and complicated private lives helped to create the opportunities available to today's women. These plucky and ambitious individuals—among them a film director, a cook, an architect, an editor, an archaeologist, a race car driver—left the house, discovered the bliss of work, and ushered in the era of the working woman.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDaring and independent, these remarkable unsung heroines—whose obscurity makes their accomplishments all the more astonishing and relevant—loved passionately, challenged men's control, made their own mistakes, and took life on their own terms, breaking new ground and offering inspiration. Their individual portraits gradually form a landscape of 1950s culture, and women's unique—and rapidly evolving—role.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore there could be a Danica Patrick, there had to be a Sheila van Damm; before there was Barbara Walters, there was Nancy Spain; before there was Kathryn Bigelow, came Muriel Box. The pioneers of Her Brilliant Career forever changed the fabric of culture, society, and the work force.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the Fifties, retold: vivid, surprising and, most of all, modern.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer Brilliant Career is illustrated with more than 80 black-and-white photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWho were the women who defined an era before the world was ready for them?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePioneering Women:\u003c\/b\u003e Meet the architect, race-car driver, archaeologist, and Queen’s Counsel who left the house, discovered the bliss of work, and defied the expectations of 1950s Britain.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Feminist History:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover how these women’s complicated private lives and professional ambitions challenged men’s control and laid the groundwork for modern feminism before the movement had a name.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eUnsung Heroines:\u003c\/b\u003e Uncover the astonishing and relevant stories of trailblazers like rally-driver Sheila van Damm and journalist Nancy Spain, whose obscurity makes their accomplishments even more inspiring.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eVivid Social History:\u003c\/b\u003e Go back in time with more than 80 black-and-white photographs that form a compelling landscape of post-war culture and the rapidly evolving role of the working woman.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eAcclaimed journalist Rachel Cooke goes back in time to offer an entertaining and iconoclastic look at ten women in the 1950s—pioneers whose professional careers and complicated private lives helped to create the opportunities available to today's women. These intrepid and ambitious individuals—among them a film director, a cook, an architect, an editor, an archaeologist, and a race car driver—left the house, discovered the bliss of a career, and ushered in the era of the working woman. Daring and independent, they loved passionately, challenged men's control, made their own mistakes, and took life on their own terms, breaking new ground and offering inspiration. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore there could be a Danica Patrick, there had to be a Sheila van Damm; before there was Barbara Walters, there was Nancy Spain; before Kathryn Bigelow came Muriel Box. The unsung heroines of Her Brilliant Career forever changed the fabric of culture, society, and the workforce. This is the Fifties retold: vivid, surprising, and, most of all, modern.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Cooke’s book provides a sparkling group of portraits that, taken together, cast the ‘50s in a new and modern light.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMarilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In a series of engaging, gossipy essays, filled with sharp observations, she examines the lives of 10 very different women…. It’s clever and amusing, a series of sketches that provide a revealing glimpse into the culture of 1950s Britain.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMoira Hodgson, Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Reveals the challenges, failures, triumphs and sex lives of those who came of age during World War II by defying society’s expectations…The men and women, loves and losses that shaped them are a fascinating reminder of how the choices we make both imprison and free us.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatty Rhule, USA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Both entertaining and touching…. It’s Cooke’s intention to “make people reconsider the ‘lost’ decade between the war and feminism” and to “pull the reader along” with these tales of “derring-do.” She succeeds on every count.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuzzy Jackson, Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Lively…. Cooke offers up a “sly kind of feminism” with this collection of rule-breakers and role models…What shines through in these intimate stories is Cooke’s respect for her subjects’ shared attitude of ‘derring-do’.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shines a new light in an elegantly original way into the 1950s…. A very enjoyable and distinctive book.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKate Atkinson, author of Life After Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Rachel Cooke’s \u003ci\u003eHer Brilliant Career\u003c\/i\u003e is that rare beast: a work of history as utterly enjoyable as it is important. The women profiled herein are fascinating, yes, and offer enormous insight into our lives today, but this splendid book’s power stems entirely from the author’s intimate, masterful voice, her way of shaping a story, her powerful analysis and far-reaching ideas. Cooke writes with a novelist’s authority, humor, and eye for detail—Kate Atkinson and Diane Johnson come to mind—and, in doing so, has crafted a history for the ages. Which, of course, you should read \u003ci\u003eright now\u003c\/i\u003e.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJoanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Rachel Cooke’s \u003ci\u003eHer Brilliant Career\u003c\/i\u003e is that rare beast: a work of history as utterly enjoyable as it is important. Cooke writes with a novelist’s authority, humor, and eye for detail and, in doing so, has crafted a history for the ages.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJoanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cooke’s droll, pressing style is what binds the stories together; no sooner do we embark than we know we will not be disappointed, though every portrait is different, every life depicted complex and, at times, startling.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBarbara Bamberger Scott, Bookreporter.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Lively…. Cooke offers up a “sly kind of feminism” with this collection of rule-breakers and role models…What shines through in these intimate stories is Cooke’s respect for her subjects’ shared attitude of ‘derring-do’.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJoanna Scutts, Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The lessons gleaned from these women of another era are timeless and relatable.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNatasha Awasthi, Fast Company\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mad men, move over! \u003ci\u003eHer Brilliant Career\u003c\/i\u003e is Rachel Cooke’s intelligent, informative and gossipy proof that women in the 1950s were doing a lot more than taking dictation, fixing the perfect dry martini, and going nuts in the suburbs.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrancine Prose, author of Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932: A Novel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Engrossing, entertaining and, yes, deliciously gossipy. Just as \u003ci\u003eEminent Victorians\u003c\/i\u003e forever changed our view of the Victorian era, \u003ci\u003eHer Brilliant Career\u003c\/i\u003e demolishes the conventional wisdom of the fifties Woman. I, for one, will never think of this decade in the same way.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eElsa Walsh, author of Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of Three American Women\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Collection of ‘brief lives’ written with elan and sensitivity by the \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e writer.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I always thought of British women of the sixties as cultural pioneers, but I had no idea how fascinating and accomplished—how daring and tough—were the women of the decade \u003ci\u003ebefore\u003c\/i\u003e. Thank you, Rachel Cooke, for stylishly adding a chapter to this provincial American’s personal women’s studies curriculum.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSheila Weller, author of Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon-and the Journey of a Generation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating.  Each of the portraits illuminatingly details the struggles and triumphs of these women, who laid the groundwork for working women in the 1960s and beyond.  Cooke’s history of these uncelebrated heroines admirably fills in the gaps in the continuing story of women’s role in the workplace.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The stories are insightful and crafted with care…. A satisfying read for anyone interested in narratives about women’s lives in the early to mid-20th century.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Vastly entertaining, cannily researched and sharply perceptive.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Witty, intelligent, poignant, and exuberantly opinionated. Each life history is as rich and strange as a novel, and Cooke has a novelist’s feeling for story. She never condescends to the past but enters into the conditions of these lives with sympathy and imagination. A superb book.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTessa Hadley, author of Clever Girl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Eloquent, concise, fair-minded, witty and elegant.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A must-read biography of an era, featuring the sort of women who feel like something out of a novel but who were there in the 1950s-larger-than-life and far more thrilling than any housewife stereotype (however \u003ci\u003eMad Men\u003c\/i\u003e glamorous).” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRed Online\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cooke’s bright, enjoyable group biography contains a double triumph. She brings to light the lives of 10 lesser-known women of the 1950s…and in so doing succeeds in recasting the entire decade.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLondon Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mad men, move over! \u003ci\u003eHer Brilliant Career\u003c\/i\u003e is Rachel Cooke’s intelligent, informative and gossipy proof that women in the 1950s were doing a lot more than taking dictation, fixing the perfect dry martini, and going nuts in the suburbs. The subjects of these small biographies led remarkably big and complicated lives: in film, architecture, archeology, gardening and auto racing; they wrote best-selling books about food. Who knew?” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrancine Prose, author of Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932: A Novel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A gallery of vividly drawn portraits—witty, poignant, inspiriting—that opens up a new front in our understanding of the ‘lost’ Fifties.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Kynaston, author of Modernity Britain\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A marvellous, moving and funny book. Rachel Cooke makes history come alive. Written by a true storyteller with wonderful writing, a great sense of justice and splendid one-liners.  Dorothy Parker with brains and proper prose.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarmen Callil, author of Bad Faith\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Delightful….Cooke offers seven mini-biographies of bold, brilliant, sexy women…whose lives are compulsively vivid, page-turning and rich in surprises. They do indeed, as Cooke intends, make you want to cheer….Cooke sought, she says, to achieve a sly form of feminism by uncovering inspirational role models….She has more than succeeded. There is warmth and lightness of spirit to this book: it is witty, intelligent, kind and poignant. Cooke exudes love and knowledge of people, gardens, food, art. The highest praise I can give her is to say that she leaves you wanting more.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe London Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Delightful….Cooke offers seven mini-biographies of bold, brilliant, sexy women…whose lives are compulsively vivid, page-turning and rich in surprises....There is warmth and lightness of spirit to this book: it is witty, intelligent, kind and poignant..” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe London Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Tells the stories of ten women…who didn’t let their skirts stop them….The full-skirted stereotype has been smashed by the end of Her Brilliant Career.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Brilliant.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cooke is one of the outstanding British journalists of her generation.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSebastian Faulks\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Lively and thought-provoking.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Delightful….Cooke offers seven mini-biographies of bold, brilliant, sexy women…whose lives are compulsively vivid, page-turning and rich in surprises.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe London Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An exuberant, glass-chinking book….A splendidly various collection of ‘brief lives’ written with both gusto and sensitivity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Engrossing….Cooke’s subjects are gloriously tough, too busy pursuing their dreams for introspection or self-doubt. These women achieved what they did because they were able to pierce the blanket of male supremacy. They were happy to achieve something; they weren’t obsessed with having it all.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLondon Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Rachel Cooke shines a new light in an elegantly original way into the 1950s and especially into the role of women therein. By cleverly focusing on the lives of several extraordinary women, she manages to produce a social history which is highly absorbing and richly informative. A very enjoyable and distinctive book.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKate Atkinson, author of Life After Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Excellent….Looks back at a time when women’s lives were undergoing amazing changes and completely demolishes any notion that the 50’s were just a dull and domestic time for women.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An exuberant gallop….There is a kind of glee in Ms. Cooke’s writing about the 1950s which, by the end of the book, almost persuades readers that-men notwithstanding-those were the days.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888240488677,"sku":"NP9780062333872","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062333872.jpg?v=1730228598","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/her-brilliant-career-ten-extraordinary-women-of-the-fifties-isbn-9780062333872","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}