Double Bind: Women on Ambition Book Review

One of the upsides of feminism over the last few decades is that it has allowed women to be open about their ambitions. But while we are told to be ambitious, there is limit to how ambitious women can be without crossing the line.

Editor Robin Romm has compiled a series of essays by a diverse group of women about ambition. The list of contributors to the anthology Double Bind: Women on Ambition, includes writer Roxane Gay, singer/actress Molly Ringwald and playwright/TV show-runner Theresa Rebeck.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it because it shows that even with a diverse group of women, the overall experience is the same. At the end of the day, the book reminds of not only the battles that we as women have won, but also the battles that we still need to fight.

I recommend it.

Flashback Friday-His Girl Friday (1940)

Sometimes, the simplest narratives are often times the best. Especially when layered with the perfect comedic sensibility.

In the 1940 movie, His Girl Friday, Walter Burns (Cary Grant) has lost touch with his ex-wife and former employee, Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell). Now she is back in his life and about to re-marry. His plan is to keep Hildy from marrying her fiance, Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) and once more disappearing from his life. Will he succeed?

The movie is based on a 1920’s play, The Front Page by Ben Hecht. When the film was adapted for the screen, the character that Rosalind Russell played was changed from a male character to a female character. This movie is absolutely brilliant for a number of reasons, including the subversive feminist statement of Hildy being a working woman in the early 1940’s.

The best scene is the first scene, it never fails to make me laugh.

I absolutely recommend it.