"That's a Wrap!" A Book Review Finale

Now that I'm well into the writing stage, I’ve pretty much finished reading novels, short stories, and plays (although I may manage to sneak in a couple more if I’m lucky!), but there were a few stragglers which didn’t get included in my last book review post. So, in this ‘finale’ book review blog, I have three books to appraise, a long list of ‘what-I-wish-I-could-read-if-I-had-time,' a short reflective vignette on how my reading experiences have evolved over the last 7-8 months, and ‘My Feminist Bookshelf’ recommendations. There is just so much great information in this post!

(The massive pile of books I currently have out from the library! I'm still trying to work out how on earth I'm going to get them all back to uni - a wheelbarrow or three?!)

1. The Help (2009) by Kathryn Stockett

Applicability Rating: 8/10

Relevant Themes: Collaborative leadership, women’s stories & perspectives, intersectionality/racial issues, authentic leadership & engagement

Key Thoughts: I don’t usually make a habit of reading a book after I’ve watched the movie, but The Help is a real gem, even if you already have the inside scoop on all the best spoilers. Set in the deep-south in 1962, Stockett’s well-loved novel is narrated by three extraordinary women – twenty-two year old Skeeter, a privileged yet ambitious white girl, and two black maids, the wise and regal Aibileen and her best friend Minny, the sassiest maid in all of Jackson, Mississippi, but also the best cook. In terms of leadership, the whole story is concerned with addressing what Keith Grint would no doubt call a ‘wicked’ problem – the ill treatment of black maids, and more widely, racism in 1960s America. Using Ladkin's leadership 'moment' framework, a general outline of this overarching leadership theme might look something like this:

Leadership ‘Moment’	Context	Purpose	Relationships between leader/s & followers	Relevant W & L Themes/Issues
‘Wicked’ problem Solution: writing a book to encourage social justice	1960s Mississippi Racism Oppressive rules (Jim Crow Laws) Women in sole charge of households (domestic sphere)	Starting a social movement for change. Addressing the ways black and white women view and treat one another (with reference to wider society)	Power-with Authentic engagement Collaboration on a joint project	Leadership moving between women Women's leadership in times of crisis Intersectionality

While the novel could be examined holistically (as a ‘whole’ rather than ‘parts’), this framework can also be applied to more specific ‘moments’ within the story. For example:

Specific Leadership ‘Moments’	Context	Purpose	Relationship between leaders & followers	Relevant W & L Discussion Questions
Skeeter & Aibileen working closely together to write and publish a book. Examples from text: p. ??? p. ??? p. ???	Expectations & perceptions – Skeeter is white and Aibileen is black Fear of discovery Social stigma Skeeter expected to marry, start a family & fit in with the social set rather than pursue a career	Collecting stories from black maids to show what really goes on in white households, and by doing so, expose & address the terrible racial issues in Jackson	Task as the ‘leader’ Collaboration Power ‘with’ Developing trust Support networks	What goes on between women when the task acts as the ‘leader’? What expectations do Aibileen and Skeeter bring to their leader-leader relationship? Etc…

My infatuation with this book was subdued somewhat after I read an essay by Roxane Gay in Bad Feminist. As a black woman herself, Gay claims the book and movie both do a rather poor job of dealing with racial issues (there is a shorter version of this article online: 'Bad Movie, Worse Book'). She specifically takes issue with the typical stereotypes Stockett (who is white) adopts for her black characters – the selfless and loving nanny, the abusive black husband, the sassy, big-mouthed maid who’s always getting into trouble. And whereas Skeeter, the young white protagonist, gets to ‘follow her dreams’ as a result of publishing the book, Aibileen is fired from her job and her future hangs in the balance. It’s really tricky because I think the temptation here, for me at least, would be to use the story for its excellent examples of leadership but ignore race (and more specifically, black women's leadership experiences) since it complicates, and even overshadows, what could be termed the more useful ‘all-women’ or ‘universal’ lessons. I’ll add this book to my long list, but I think until I’m more up-to-the-play with racial issues, critical race theory and intersectional analysis I couldn’t do it real justice.

2. Base Ten (2009) by Maryann Lesert

Applicability Rating: 6.5/10

Relevant Themes: Work-life balance difficulties for women, navigating the double-bind, women in male-dominated fields, agentic vs. communal behaviours

Key Thoughts: I branched out a bit with this book as it’s definitely not on any bestseller or prize-winning lists. In fact, it seems to have flown largely under the radar and is not even available in New Zealand (I had to order it off Book Depository). Published by The Feminist Press in 2009, Base Ten deals with some very topical – though largely invisible – issues to do with women’s careers versus traditional family responsibilities. Although somewhat heavy on the details and perhaps 100 pages too long, I did find the story quite fascinating, particularly in the very human way it approached the double bind most women will face at some point in their lives: a highly rewarding and brilliant career or motherhood. For astrophysicist Jillian Greer who has always dreamed of going into space, the tensions between the real and all-encompassing (but equally frustrating) love she has for her children and the inevitable consequences motherhood has for her once brilliant career in the male-dominated realm of the sciences, is almost enough to drive her mad. She could have achieved so much and yet… While the novel is not so much about leadership as it is about self-discovery, it also interrogates the underlying social structures which govern how the workplace is currently organised - Why are women still a minority in some industries? Why are women still being confronted with having to make a ‘sacrificial choice’ between a fulfilling career and family? Why hasn’t society and the workplace adapted? What can be done?

However, I have mixed feelings about recommending this book. It's not overly gripping or exciting. Yes it's clever and thoughtful, but realistically, as a book club recommendation, participants would struggle to get the whole way through. Sadly, I can see most people designating it to the category of tedious and onerous 'should reads.'

3. The Gate to Women's Country (1988) by Sheri S. Tepper

Applicability Rating: 8.5/10

Relevant Themes: Matriarchal societies, women in power, male/female leadership differences, ethical & moral decision-making

Key Thoughts: This is one of those books that you either simply love or hate (or love to hate as the case may be). Personally, I was equally enthralled and horrified...I couldn't get it out of my head and I just had to keep reading in every spare moment until I'd made it to the unsettling and surprising end. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! In summary, the novel is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world where only two extreme political alternatives exist: an oppressive, in-bred polygamist faction that subscribes to patriarchal religious fundamentalism which disconcertingly is not so far removed from some religious sects that could be found today, and a closely controlled matriarchal dictatorship known as Women’s Country. In an attempt to avoid another devastating world war, most of the men in Women’s Country are only allowed to live in closed military garrisons outside the cities. They provide protection from bandits, thieves and other garrisons. While men may leave the garrisons between the ages of 15 to 25 to become peace-loving ‘servitors,’ only a very few choose to do so. The women, on the other hand, manage the economy and are entirely responsible for the government, as well as agriculture, industry, learning and science. The ensuing story is narrated primarily from the perspective of Stavia, the devoted yet errant daughter of a leading councilwoman, as she comes to terms with her place, and the place of others, in Women’s Country.

Although Tepper seems to hold that male and female differences in temperament and nature are primarily biological, I think she leaves enough room for the reader to challenge her conceptions of gender. Women’s Country is by no means a utopian society even though women do hold most of the power, and there are vast consequences arising from such a rigid social system. A fact which is not lost on the leading Councilwomen, who call themselves the ‘Damned Few’ as a result. So with its thoughtful application of cultural feminism and a healthy dose of Greek mythology, this story can be labelled both provocative and memorable, raising manifold questions about the nature of male and female differences, both as leaders and followers, in a world completely at odds with itself.  

4. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2015) by Becky Chambers

Applicability Rating: 5/10

Relevant Themes: Follower-leader dynamics, crisis situations, gender fluidity (play)

Key Thoughts: I picked this sci-fi novel up because it’s been longlisted for the 2016 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. And I also found it fascinating that Chambers financed this book (both the final writing stages and the self-publishing costs) by successfully campaigning through Kickstarter, a popular crowdfunding website. A fantastic idea, no?

I’m not overly familiar with the sci-fi genre, it seems that the label encompasses a wide variety of different styles and content. Whereas Le Guin’s sci-fi is serious, thoughtful and dystopian, Chambers’ style is much more comic, contemporary, and…teen fiction-y. Imagine a fictional galaxy something akin to Star Wars and you’re halfway there. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic era; the human race have only escaped their dying planet (which has been devastated due to humanity’s propensity for rampant self-destruction – I’m looking at you America!) and resettled on Mars. But out in the galaxy there’s a whole plethora of different intelligent species and advanced civilizations (and it almost goes without saying, much more intelligent than humans). On a tunneling ship captained by a human we meet at least five different varieties of these diverse galactic species. Chambers goes all-out explaining what these fantastical creatures look like – colourful feathers, boneless goo, shimmering scales…I couldn’t help but think of something akin to the cast of characters from Monsters, Inc. And after that funny unprompted mind-association, I completely lost my ability to take this novel too seriously.

While the story is entertaining and clever (Chambers has a vibrant and fun imagination), personally, I think she is trying to achieve too much in this novel. There’s some form of critique and/or message for literally EVERYTHING. Sustainability, the environment, climate change, war & peace, terrorism, racism, acceptance, corporate greed, LGQBT, the political system, colonialism, body modification, artificial intelligence, inter-species sex…that one weirded me out a little bit to be honest. Chambers appears set on trying to take on the entire world, or should I say, galaxy (except for feminism, oddly enough). And I’m not saying that these aren’t all important issues, but can a 300-odd page book really do them any sort of justice?

While the key female character, Rosemary,  is subject to a lot of the action, she fell short of my personal requirements for an interesting and engaging leader/follower. Furthermore, because of all the 'messages' Chambers is trying to get across and drill into her audience, the story/plot feels diluted; simply a vehicle for a political agenda. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. In one word: frustrating. 

So why even bother reviewing this novel? I decided to include this review because it demonstrates how finding appropriate stories is always a matter of trial-and-error. I thought this would be a great choice as according to the summary and reviews I read it featured a decent female lead, controversial/topical issues, an interesting leadership setting, had been nominated for notable prizes...but it just goes to show, until you have a book in your hands and start reading, looking at reviews and summaries is always going to be a hit-and-miss process. In this way it hints at the sheer amount of time and effort it has taken to read and then reflect on almost 50 books and short story collections (as well as read reviews and summaries for well over 200+ books) in order to create a high quality and workable long list.

 

Listomania

While I’m probably not going to get a chance to read them this time around, on my “if-I-didn’t-sleep-and-just-studied” list I have:

• The Stargazer’s Sister by Carrie Brown
• The Women's Pages by Debra Adelaide
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
• Little Aunt Crane by Geling Yan
• Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
• The Green Road by Anne Enright
• Starlight Peninsula by Charlotte Grimshaw
• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
• Impossible Saints by Michèle Roberts
• Cleopatra’s Shadow by Emily Holleman
• Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
• Everything and anything by Alice Hoffman, Ursula Le Guin, and Charlotte Rogan
• More short story collections – like Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology (almost finished this one actually! A captivating, spine-tingling collection).

Also missing from my 'top 50'  list are New Zealand authors. I hate to admit that apart from Patricia Grace, Eleanor Catton and Katherine Mansfield,  I've read very few NZ women writers. But unless I set out on another reading mission, I'm not sure how to rectify this in the short term. It may be something I need to redress if I did a phD (I could spend 2-3 months researching and reading 10-15 novels/stories by NZ women writers) and it will be a limitation for this study.

A Few Reflections on Reading

As my blog and thesis have developed, my ‘reviews’ have concurrently evolved from short, almost timid summaries, to (mostly) thoughtful critiques and detailed appraisals. As a point of comparison, consider my review for The Secret Life of Bees which I wrote back in August 2015:

A clear work environment (the honey business) where there is leadership and followership between women. August Boatwright exemplifies authentic leadership in its fullest sense, i.e. heart leadership, solid values, passionate engagement, self-discipline. Since the story is told from perspective of Lily, I could investigate how women respond to authentic leadership and female support.

This is still a good summary, it’s all extremely relevant information. But I can’t help but feel there was a certain reticence which marred my textual analysis when I first started this project. I also wasn't entirely sure of what I was looking for or how I should talk about the texts.

Turning my gaze back, I can identify changes in how I read and think about my selected stories. My critical thinking skills (for this subject at least) have improved, and I feel that I can more easily recognise leadership 'moments' and what is going on in the 'spaces between' people/characters. But it's not only a matter of practical skills-based improvements, reading fictional stories in tandem with leadership theory has provided me with so many deeply engaging and memorable examples and case studies of women's leadership in action. There are two particular 'case' examples I keep returning to again and again. Firstly, the story of Sarah Grimke in The Invention of Wings [my review says it all here]; I still feel that I can identify with Sarah (the 'reluctant leader') as her story is a 'real-to-me' case study. Secondly, I often find myself reflecting on The Lifeboat and the epic leadership 'crisis' and subsequent power struggle it portrayed (hmm, I might need to rethink my short list...). 
In addition, as a young woman myself, reading well-written women's stories that feature complex and diverse characters has given me more confidence in my own leadership capabilities (personal agency), as well as greater awareness of the pitfalls and problems within the leadership 'labyrinth' (as Eagly and Carli would say) and how I might navigate them in the future. I have been my own experimental guinea pig!

The ‘Feminism’ Shelf

It’s one thing to say you’re a feminist, but another to know and understand what that really means beyond “Yes, I believe in gender equality” (not that that's wrong by any means!). ‘Feminism,’ as a concept/theory/ideology/method (etc!), is extremely multi-faceted. It’s something to struggle with and make sense of over a protracted period of time, maybe even your whole life. In fact, for me at least, learning about and engaging with feminism discourses and theories has been a transformative experience.

When I started my thesis I didn’t fully comprehend the definitive differences between cultural feminism and liberal feminism, let alone what the terms ‘gender binary’ or ‘intersectionality’ meant. And I was absolutely clueless where poststructuralist feminism was concerned. I thought I knew a little bit about first, second, and third-wave feminism, but post-feminism? Not really. And sociological perspectives on ‘gender’ and ‘sex’ – why on earth didn’t I take a sociology paper at undergrad level?! I’ve tried hard to improve my understanding and knowledge of feminism over the last 8 months (a ‘crash-course’ approach to learning), so I am by no means an expert, but as part of “That’s a Wrap!” I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to recommend a few feminist books I’ve found particularly enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring.

These books are easy to read and easily accessible from the public libaray. For me they made feminism more relatable and applicable to daily life experiences, without getting overly theoretical or contentious about it:

• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd (I’ve written about this book here).
• Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (oh wait, Gay is quite contentious!)
• The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages? By Deborah Cameron (Cameron’s blog, language:a feminist guide, is really interesting too!)
• Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism by Natasha Walters
• And I’m just about to start reading Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks

I tried to read Caitlan Moran’s very popular, part memoir, part manifesto – How to Be a Woman, but I found it to be too flippant. Similarly, while Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti had some good points, overall it lacked depth and made feminism seem overly simplistic (and she swears like a trooper…I mean there are only so many expletives you can handle in a non-fiction book before it becomes annoying). Both these books take a decidedly liberal feminist stance.

For your coffee table: Jacky Fleming's The Trouble With Women. This clever and satirical illustrated book will be sure to get some good conversations/arguments started!

But for the more serious reader:

• Modern Misogyny: Anti-Feminist in a Post-Feminist Era by Kristin J. Anderson

This has got to be one of my all-time favourites! I won’t go into any detail here since I’ve already written about this book in an earlier post [check it out here]. But I will say, even if the title sounds negative, Anderson does an excellent job of exploring the current mainstream attitudes towards feminism. An eye-opening read!

• Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine

I’ll admit it – I had trouble understanding everything in this book. It’s dense and filled with ‘science-speak,' and since I have little background in science, or more specifically, neuroscience and psychology, it was a tough read for me! Saying that, it’s still worth the effort. Fine is relentless in her close analysis of the current research on the brain, working hard to disprove or at least seriously bring into question claims that we have either a ‘male’ brain or a ‘female’ brain from which all behaviour in society eventuates. You know that argument – ‘Women are too intuitive for math, and men are too focused for housework.' For me this book is freeing - too often we come up with excuses for our behavior or other peoples behavior along the lines of 'oh well, she's a woman so..." or "you can't expect a guy to...because he just isn't wired that way." And sure, you can't throw out the baby with the bathwater, there are some small differences in biological brain make-up. BUT...as Fine points out, direct correlations between male/female brains and what would stereotypically be considered male and female behaviors aren't scientifically proven, and the experiments which have been done are full of holes. I mean really:

While this image makes the idea of female/male brains seem silly and ridiculous, I can recall multiple occasions when I've been complicit in reinforcing these stereotypes! It reminds me of what bell hooks has said about the need to constantly confront and critique our own internalised sexism, and then, only then, can we as women (and men) begin to change society. 

Last but not least, I really enjoyed reading Michael Kimmel's comprehensive sociology textbook titled The Gendered Society, along with Transformations: Women, Gender, and Psychology by Mary Crawford. 

And, at long last, we've finally made it to the end of this ridiculously long finale post! *applause*

Straight from My Book Bag

We just got back from our Summer beach holiday. And as I reward for all my hard work over the last couple of months I decided to take a week-long break from all texts study related, including novels. Instead I chose to read Atonement by Ian McEwan, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. I enjoyed all three of these novels immensely and would highly recommend them for those who enjoy ‘slice of life,’ deeply thoughtful literary works. Harper Lee’s classic had been on my 'must-read-eventually' list for quite some time (as in several years), and it was really by chance that I ended up throwing it in my bag as a last minute option in case it rained on holiday (which it did, quite profusely). So it almost seems like some strange stroke of fate or coincidence that I finished the book on the very same day she passed away (Feb 19).

Harper Lee, 1926 - 2016

And, finally, here are the last stragglers from my hypothetical 'book bag'!

1. Pope Joan (1996) by Donna Woolfolk Cross

Applicability Rating: 8.5/10

Relevant Themes: Women in power, ‘doing’ gender, masculine vs. feminine traits enacted by leaders, male and female leadership differences, leadership in crisis situations

Key Thoughts: In this dramatic page-turner and book club classic, Donna Woolfolk Cross realistically envisions and brings to life the legend of Pope Joan, a talented ninth-century woman who allegedly disguised herself as a man and unexpectedly rose to become the first, and only, female to preside on the papal throne. Regardless of whether or not Joan the Pope did in fact exist (although the evidence Woolfolk Cross provides in the ‘Author’s Note’ is quite convincing), Joan is an unforgettable character who defies convention and rises to the highest echelons of official power (during this time period, the papacy was one of the most coveted leadership positions in all of Christendom).

What happens when a pseudo-male wields power greater than any other man (or woman) in Europe? Would ‘she’ lead differently? The back cover tries to emphasise the fact that Joan is a ‘woman’ in power, but I would disagree with this as Joan always presents as male, which problematizes labeling Joan as a ‘heroine’ or as a legitimate female leader example. As a ‘man’ to all but a very select few, Joan is free from the negative perceptions and expectations which are naturally afforded to the female sex. In fact, she never has to face the double bind that women are generally confronted with – should she employ communal behaviours and be well-liked but not respected or use agentic behaviours and be respected but not liked. While some members of the papal court are deeply suspicious of his/her more egalitarian leanings and communal caring behaviours, the majority accept and respect these ‘feminine’ attributes as long as they are presented in the guise of the normative masculine body. So even though Joan enacts a more post-heroic, transformational leadership style (‘women’s leadership’) than previous papal leaders, without the cloak of masculinity would her ‘leadership’ and authority ever have been taken seriously? The answer is clearly no – in fact, it is because of her female biological organs that she is killed without remorse by a raging crowd; her ‘innate femininity’ makes her unacceptable as a leader or religious figurehead in the public sphere.

After finishing Pope Joan, I began to ask myself what I consider to be an interesting set of questions. For example, why does Woolfolk Cross choose to have Joan practice more ‘feminine’ leadership traits? Joan's vision for a cleaner, safer, more inclusive, compassionate and moral nation-state is in stark contrast to her competitor Anastasius’s aggressive, authoritative and individualistic political goals. Is Woolfolk Cross constructing her view of female leadership through a cultural feminist lens? Is the novel suggesting that because Joan is a woman, even though she’s posturing as a man and has only had agentic leadership behaviours modeled for her (there are no strong female role models in her life), she will naturally opt for more communal and participatory leadership behaviours? And what wider implications do these assumptions about innate female behaviours have for women and leadership more generally? How would the story be different if Woolfolk Cross had portrayed Joan as an ‘iron maiden’ instead?

The other notable topic Woolfolk Cross highlights is the oppressive social restrictions forced on women, social ideas that she hints have not completely disappeared. This is epitomised in a conversation between Pope Joan and Jordanes, a member of her synod:

“Holiness,” he said, “you do great injury in seeking to educate women.”

“How so?” she asked.

“Surely you know, Holiness, that the size of a woman’s brain and her uterus are inversely proportionate; therefore, the more a girl learns, the less likely she will ever bear children.’

Better barren of body than of mind, Joan thought dryly, though she kept the thought to herself.

“Where have you read this?”

“It is common knowledge.” (p. 366).

Woolfolk Cross wants to challenge ‘common knowledge’ in all forms, and Joan’s quick wits are readily devoted to this task throughout the novel (these clever confrontations are excellent!). While I found the romantic undertones of the story rather frustrating and, at times, unnecessary (although Joan had to get pregnant somehow I suppose!), the novel provides a rigorous examination of the root causes and assumptions of misogyny (in religion and society) and has multiple examples of leadership ‘moments’ with feminist undertones which would serve as lively discussion points in a book club setting.

2. The Nightingale (2015) by Kristin Hannah

Applicability Rating: 6.5/10

Relevant Themes: Women’s courage in times of crisis, female leadership in male-dominated contexts, challenging popular expectations and perceptions, self-actualisation

Key Thoughts: Voted as the Goodreads ‘People’s Choice Awards’ top historical fiction novel for 2015 (with over 57,000 votes), The Nightingale is a rather typical women's WWII novel which follows the stories of two sisters whose lives are thrown into disarray after the Fall of France in 1940. Vianne, the elder sister, lives near the French border with her small family and tries her best to keep her daughter safe by complying with the Germans, especially after a Nazi officer is posted to her house. Isabelle, on the other hand, desperate to fulfil De Gaulle’s call-to-arms and stand up to the German invaders, flees to Paris and joins the French resistance. Brave almost to a fault, she leads countless missions across the Pyrenees, smuggling downed air pilots to safety right under the Germans' noses.

I really struggled to get into this novel and, I have to admit, almost gave up 100 pages in. There is little in the way of subtly or literary acumen in this book. Maybe it was the predictable ‘chick lit’ tag line on the front cover (“In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are”) which made me sceptical or the over-the-top portraits of the annoyingly naive Isabelle and painfully bossy Vianne which made the reading experience less than engaging to begin with. Nonetheless, two-thirds in, as Vianne and Isabelle courageously stand up to the Germans in their own unique ways, I began to pick out some important women and leadership themes. For example, Isabelle, a very pretty young woman, struggles to deal with and counter the prejudices she experiences leading American and British pilots to safety. With some of the soldiers unwilling to listen and follow a young woman, Isabelle must navigate that unsteady bridge between communal and agentic behaviours, showing that she is both compassionate and capable. Saying this, The Nightingale is definitely a novel which falls into the popular fiction category, and is nowhere near as clever or expertly crafted as other works of literature in the same WWII genre, such as Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. For this reason, no matter how popular it was last year, I doubt it will stand the test of time as a canonical ‘great read.’

 

3. The Last Runaway (2013) by Tracy Chevalier

Applicability Rating: 9/10

Relevant Themes: Relationships and ‘space between’ women (follower and leaders), power-with others, ethical and moral decision-making, female role models and mentors, self-actualisation

Key Thoughts: This was a nice and easy, fast-paced read. Set in the 1850s, The Last Runaway tells the story of Honor Bright, a sheltered and overly timid Quaker girl who impulsively decides to immigrate to America with her sister Grace. Her sister dies unexpectedly from yellow fever soon after their arrival, and Honor sets off on her own to a small pioneering Quaker community to break the sad news to Grace's intended groom. Opposed in principle to slavery, Honor is forced to test her beliefs when a runaway slave shows up on her new husband’s farm. As the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 comes into full force in the North, Honor is faced with a difficult moral dilemma: protect her new family or help the runaways who keep appearing and risk losing everything. Honor doesn’t act alone – she becomes friends with the indomitable Belle, the local milliner and a free black woman known as Mrs Reed, both ‘station masters’ for the Underground Railroad. These spirited women challenge and encourage Honor, acting as ‘leaders’ and role models in their interactions with her.

What I particularly liked about The Last Runaway is that all the female characters are diverse and multi-dimensional. Honor’s transformation from shy and reticent to bold and courageous is well-done and believable. It is due to the influence of Belle and Mrs Reed that Honor is able to change the sense of who she is and what she is capable of, giving her a new understanding of the world and mobilising her for collective action. And there are plenty of examples which allow for questions, such as: what goes on between women when leadership occurs? Or, how is leadership between women portrayed and experienced? How can growth and development be facilitated and supported among women?

The novel also demonstrates how leadership has the ability to move fluidly between people, rather than solely being limited to conventional ‘leader’ and ‘follower’ dichotomies. There is a particular scene where Honor runs away with a slave woman called Virginie. At first, it seems that Honor is the one ‘leading the way’ towards their destination, but it quickly becomes evident that Virginie is also, at times,‘leading’ Honor, who knows next to nothing about navigating a dark forest at night or hiding from slave catchers. In this context, the task of escaping becomes the ‘invisible’ leader, guiding how Honor and Virginie relate to each other and achieve their end purpose. 

4. The Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar (2012) by Suzanne Joinson

Applicability Rating: 7/10

Relevant Themes: Bad/immoral leadership, follower’s perspectives, ‘spaces between’ women (followers and leaders).

Key Thoughts: This novel reminded me a little bit of The House Girl by Tara Conklin – a captivating historical narrative punctuated intermittently by a sub-par present day story that tries just a bit too hard to connect with the past. So I was always a little bit disappointed when Evangeline English’s fascinating diary that records her calamitous missionary trip to Kashgar was interrupted by Frieda and Tayeb’s lacklustre observations of London life.

I’m not going to bother re-hashing Frieda’s rather unconvincing story here, but I really did enjoy her great-grandmother, Evangeline’s, 'A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar – Notes.' In 1923 Evangeline, a ‘fake’ missionary who wants to write a piece of creative non-fiction about her travels, and her passionately religious sister, Lizzie, set out to establish a mission station in the Middle East. The sisters are under the direction of an overbearing and conniving missionary leader called Millicent, a woman who is not all that she seems. Along the way they rescue a baby from a dying teenage mother and, accused of the young mother's death, the women end up under house arrest in the unfriendly desert city of Kashgar. In no time at all, Millicent puts all three women in extreme danger, firstly by converting a local Muslim girl (who is subsequently drowned by her angry father) and then by distributing inflammatory tracts throughout the restless and hostile city with a rogue Italian priest. Evangeline is soon forced to flee for her life across the desert with the rescued baby, Ai-lien. In her journal entries, Evangeline is an acute observer of the leader/follower dynamic and the sway a corrupt leader like Millicent can hold over her followers. It is Evangeline’s apparent obsession with Millicent that fuels most of the tension in her diary entries – she is at once repelled and drawn to Millicent’s ‘power-over’ her and Lizzie. Even once she is free from Millicent’s immediate influence, Evangeline continues to be haunted by her presence, frequently asking “what would Millicent do?” This dangerous relationship between the leader and followers would definitely raise some interesting discussion points, however, due to the frustrating hopping and skipping between plot lines and narrative voices, I’m not convinced this novel deserves a place on the short list.

5. Sarah Canary (1991) by Karen Joy Fowler

Applicability Rating: 5/10

Relevant Themes: Female absence and ‘Otherness,’ ‘voicing’ and ‘silencing’ of the feminine, minority experiences (racial, sexual, political, mental, etc), reluctant ‘leaders’/‘invisible’ leaders

Key Thoughts: By virtue of the fact that the majority of protagonists and narrators in this book are male, Sarah Canary should be immediately disqualified from my list. However, some of the themes (listed above) are particularly fascinating and, I believe, quite relevant and worth investigating at least briefly. Most importantly, Sarah Canary, even though she never speaks an intelligible word, could be labelled as a leader. Why? Quite simply, people follow her, in a literal as well as metaphorical sense. In fact, for Chin she emerges as a type of silent charismatic leader/goddess who is leading him, perhaps against his better judgement, towards some unidentifiable purpose/knowledge/discovery.

Something I love about Karen Joy Fowler is that she remains tantalisingly on the fence between genres; playing with science fiction and otherworldly experiences, but not quite indulging in an alternative universe. The alien-like behaviour of Sarah Canary is unsettling, and yet she is still familiar. And because she lacks a ‘voice,’ she is vulnerable to myriad interpretations. In fact every character in the story constructs, and subsequently projects, a different narrative background onto her – abused woman, wild woman raised by wolves, goddess/spirit, mental health patient, etc…

Subsequently, the questions about gender, perceptions, projection, culture, and leadership which the novels raises are quite endless, and could include: What if the female heroine is silent? Who speaks for her? How is she voiced and silenced by those around her? And to what effect? What happens to the ‘leader’ when the ‘followers’ are the ones who ‘hold power’ even if they feel ‘powerless’ (e.g. Chin and BJ)? I'll leave it at that for now since realistically I'm not going to use this book further. However, it is an interesting interrogation of a ‘leader’ figure from the followers’ perspective, and it also calls into question the desirability of setting strict criteria on my literature selection.

 

5. “What I Didn’t See” (short story) (2010) by Karen Joy Fowler

Applicability Rating: 6/10

Relevant Themes: Female perspectives, group dynamics between men and women, expectations and perceptions, the female body, ecofeminism

Key Thoughts: I’ve been on a bit of a Karen Joy Fowler binge recently! While I’m not a great short story reader, this entire collection was surprisingly engrossing with its dashes of science fiction-esque mysteries, alternative historical narratives and dysfunctional family and community tales. The second to last story, and the one for which the entire collection is named, is concerned with providing a feminine perspective on what would normally be considered a masculine (and very white) African adventure story (think classic H. Rider Haggard type narratives).

It is not until all the other group members (one woman and five men) are dead that the narrator feels comfortable voicing her take on what really happened during that ill-fated trip to Africa in 1928, although ‘truth,’ as she points out, is completely subjective: “We seven went into the jungle with guns in our hands and love in our hearts. I say so now when there is no one left to contradict me” (p. 170). Their mission is to hunt down and kill a single sacrificial gorilla in order to save as many gorillas as possible in the future from big game hunters. The women are vital to this endeavour as “If one of the girls should bring down a large male,” he [Archer] said, “it will seem as exciting as shooting a cow. No man will cross a continent merely to do something a pair of girls has already done” (p. 174) (a rather dubious utilitarian and pragmatic approach to environmentalism!). The title of the story, ‘What I Didn’t See,’ seems purposefully ironic. The omnipotent ‘I’ is in a much better position to critique the entire misadventure than any of the men ever were, especially since she is subjected to the full range of gendered expectations one can expect to find in 1928.

In a recent interview, Fowler explained how this short story was actually a forerunner to her Man Booker shortlisted novel, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) (which I also read for this study): “They’re both based on actual events in the checkered history of human/non-human animal relationships…exactly what it means to be a primate. I think of that story as a sort of primate study where the subjects are my small troop of humans.” Although I haven’t found any sources which link Karen Joy Fowler officially with the ecofeminism movement,* she appears to be deeply concerned with questions of sustainability and sustainable development, equity, and social justice in her writing, themes which can be conceptually linked with gender equality empirically through the experience of women, and usefully analysed through the lens of feminism (Haynes & Murray, 2015). For example, ‘What I Didn’t See’ is deeply concerned with both the impact of human activity on primates in Africa (the massacre of the gorillas by ‘rational’ men) and the silencing or alienation of the two women included on the trek (one disappears and the other doesn’t speak on the issue for decades). Both the gorillas and the women are construed of as 'others.' In this way their plights run parallel to one another - there is a "connection between exploitation and degradation of the natural world and subordination and oppression of women" (Haynes, et al., 2015, p. 59).

Why only a ‘6’ applicability rating then? While it critiques gender roles and unsettles the reader with its women/nature exploitation, in this particular case, I’m not sure the text says enough on its own about leadership to make it a truly useful piece for extended analysis.

*"Ecofeminism sees a connection between exploitation and degradation of the natural world and subordination and oppression of women, drawing from the green movement a concern about the impact of human activity on the non-human world, and from feminism the view of humanity as gendered in ways that subordinate, exploit and oppress women" (Haynes, et al., 2015, p. 59).

Other book I read that aren't applicable for this study:

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013) by Karen Joy Fowler

Unless (2003) by Carol Shields
Possession (1990) by A. S. Byatt

Currently reading:

Base Ten (2009) by Maryann Lesert

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2015) by Becky Chambers

Reference: Haynes, K., & Murray, A. (2015). Sustainability as a lens to explore gender equality: A missed opportunity for responsible management. In P. M. Flynn, K. Haynes, & M. A. Kilgour (Eds.), Integrating gender equality into business management and education: Lessons learned and challenges remaining (pp. 55-80). Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.

In the Name of Reading

Books! So many books! If I was offered a job which consisted solely of reading and reviewing books - fiction or nonfiction - I'd take it in a heartbeat. In fact, while I was on holiday I found the latest BBC list of the 100 greatest British Novels, as selected by 82 book critics from around the world. Inspired by this list, I have decided it would be a worthy long-term goal to attempt to read all 100 novels/series over the course of the next 3-4 years (after my thesis is finished of course!). I even created a special Goodreads list for this exact purpose! I could even blog about it - it would be a sort of creative nonfiction exercise...

But that is all beside the point at the moment (and a tad distracting), so without further ado here are my latest readings & ratings:

1. The Dovekeepers (2011) by Alice Hoffman

Applicability Rating: 8/10

Relevant Themes: Interplay of masculine/feminine traits – ‘doing’ gender, challenging gender roles, leadership in crisis, relationships between women, divine feminine (celebration of the feminine)

Key Thoughts: Love, love, love this book! Although, since I read it over Christmas, it almost ruined my tenuous grasp on the ‘spirit of Christmas joy.’ The story was incredibly sad and, as it is based on true events, disturbingly tragic (I shed more than a few tears near the end).

Set in 70 AD just after the fall of Jerusalem, The Dovekeepers retells the tragic story of Masada, a small Jewish stronghold on a mountain outside the Judean desert. Nine hundred Jews held out for several months against the Romans, but by the end of the siege, only two women and five children had survived. The tale is told from the perspective of four extraordinary women whose lives become inextricably intertwined when they become dovekeepers at Masada – Yael, the unwanted daughter of an assassin, Revka, a baker’s wife who has witnessed unspeakable brutality, Aziza, the daughter of a warrior, and Shirah, a wise and powerful woman who some suspect is a witch.

Not only is the story compelling, but the novel also explores the leader-follower relationship from the position of the female follower. Yael is particularly observant of the charismatic appeal found in the ‘leader’ figure: “No one wanted to think about Masada without a leader, a body without a spirit” (p. 98), yet she is also somewhat critical of the godlike and masculine appeal of Ben Ya’ir, a man who “shone because others followed, because they adored him and deferred to him and trusted him…there was a light inside him,” and why they followed him “to this remote and dangerous place” (p. 99). 

In Aziza’s section, Hoffman investigates the tensions between traditional gender binaries and what happens/doesn't happen when they are transgressed. Aziza has lived an unconventional life; although born female, to help her survive in the harsh desert as part of a mountain Moabite tribe, her mother brings her up as a boy. But before she arrives at Masada she reverts back to her female ‘identity.’ However, as the Romans begin their siege, Aziza once again transforms herself into a ‘man.’ Compared to her sister Nahara who joins the Essene people and lives “as if she was nothing more than a passive and beautiful ewe” (p. 284), Aziza is a force to be reckoned with. The gender interplay alone provides plenty of material for discussion about the ‘nature’ of masculine and feminine traits, and the ways in which masculinity and femininity are perceived and the expectations they create.

I loved the sense of 'humanity' in this novel and the way it celebrated the feminine. By allowing some characters to move beyond gender boundaries and enact and play with both the masculine and the feminine, the agentic and the communal, Hoffman has created a story which transcends time boundaries.

2. Flow Down Like Silver: Hypatia of Alexandria, a novel (2009) by Ki Longfellow

Applicability Rating: 7/10

Relevant Themes: Female leadership in male-dominated societies, women’s achievements, perceptions & expectations

Key Thoughts: “Hypatia? Who is she?” I felt I should know, so by the end of the first chapter I was desperately wracking my brain searching for a reference point, some long ago cataloged fact. “Nothing…wait, a movie…Yes! Got it, Agora.”

It’s rather disappointing when all you can remember about such a remarkable woman is that she was killed by a Christian mob sometime in 400 AD, and this from a rather poorly executed movie (as my hubby would claim – the best form of historical (mis)information). Longfellow no doubt thought it was disappointing too, which is why she wrote Flow Down Like Silver, a novel which celebrates Hypatia’s sublime genius in a time period when it was almost completely and exclusively a ‘man’s world.’ Not only was Hypatia of Alexandria a leading Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher in the 5th century, she was also head of the Neoplatonic school at Alexandria where she taught philosophy and astronomy to men – ‘pagans,’ Christians, and Jews alike – during a time of political and cultural upheaval.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the depth with which Longfellow explores Hypatia’s philosophical inclinations (she even has Hypatia debating with Augustine) and bravery in the face of stringent opposition from the leading religious powers. There is no doubt Hypatia deserved to work in the public sphere and male-dominated education system. 
However, I feel there could be problems with workability. The narrative switches haphazardly between protagonists. Personally I would have preferred if the story had followed only Hypatia, or at least Hypatia and Minkah. There is a LOT of philosophy/abstract reasoning sprinkled throughout the text, I love that kind of thing, but it could be a bit tiresome for those wanting a quick, easy read (one of the keys I think is having a story or novel which someone could read in one weekend – books like The Lifeboat and The Dovekeepers are much harder to put down due to the compelling nature of their plots. Saying that, Badaracco still includes more challenging reads like Antigone by Sophocles in his selection).

3.  In the Name of Friendship (2005) by Marilyn French

Applicability Rating: 7/10

Relevant Themes: Third-wave Feminism (in constrast to second-wave), friendship, middleclass women’s careers, changing expectations

Key Thoughts: Written in 2005 and published by The Feminist Press, In the Name of Friendship is a sort of pseudo-sequel to The Women’s Room (originally published in 1977). French obviously realised the need to re-visit the status of the ‘gentler sex’ and relook at the opportunities for (predominantly) white women in the West, and I’m glad she did! I found this novel to be much more relatable (no surprises there!) and in line with the experiences of my own and my mother’s generation.

Set in a small Berkshire town in Massachusetts, the novel opens with the formidable, yet kind-hearted seventy-six year old Maddy Gold stating matter-of-factly: “Things are entirely different for women today.” It is on this premise which French bases her updated exploration into the ‘truth’ behind women’s lives (and to a lesser extent, men’s lives) at the turn of the century. The story brings together four unlikely friends of differing ages and with completely different life experiences, and it seems that what French is really wanting to celebrate is the beauty and necessity of multigenerational female friendships.

Although there is not much in the way of plot or action (it reads quite similarly to other French novels – a type of thoughtful, but disjointed narrative filled with gems of insight and wisdom; ‘real-life’ in all its mundane, everyday glory), as Stephanie Genty notes in her afterword: for readers who are searching for a feminist messages in novels, In the Name of Friendship offers a clear one: “at the beginning of the twenty-first century, more than forty years after the start of the women’s movement, at least privileged women can choose to experience ‘more life’” (p. 389). So it, of course, focused on “female experience in the widest and deepest sense: woman in relation to significant others, in relation to her body and sexuality, in relation to work and creative experience, and in relation to society as a whole” (p. 391).

Does it examine or say anything interesting about women’s leadership? Not overtly. However, it does explore the double-bind women face when it comes to work and family, along with discussing subtle misogyny and sexism in the workplace (there’s an excellent scene where Alicia’s husband, with Alicia’s gentle prompting, comes to the realisation that he has biased perceptions of his female colleagues). As a preliminary text (and by preliminary I mean the type of novel you’d use to kick off the whole discussion of gender and work, an ‘awareness raising’ type of text) it could be useful. 

4. The Gracekeepers (2015) by Kirsty Logan

Applicability Rating: 5/10

Relevant Themes: Gender play, feminist science fiction

Key Thoughts: I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would. I now feel I have a love-hate relationship with the (feminist) science fiction genre. But since this is only Logan’s first novel, maybe I can find it in me to get over my disappointment (or maybe as the fallible reader it was I who failed to pick up on the subtly of Logan’s brilliance??). But opinions count for something, so in my opinion, while The Gracekeepers was poignantly elegant, ethereal and magical in some places, overall it lacked the complexity, depth and artistic genius of Le Guin.

 

The story is supposed to follow the lives of two unusual girls, North and Callanish. They live in a familiar yet mysterious world where the sea has flooded the earth and living on land is a privilege for only the lucky few. North, the circus bear girl, and Callanish, the unwanted gracekeeper, both have secrets which could destroy their lives, and it is because of these secrets that they are drawn to one another. There is a lot of gender play in this book, particularly in terms of androgyny, as well as in a critique of organised religion which is interesting but…there was too much of everything in this short book, too many themes explored, too many characters trying to find a place in the narrative, too many random plot details, etc…And since the book is only 280 pages long (the font is larger than normal and the margins are wide), the ending seemed rushed and forced.  

5.  Remarkable Creatures (2009) by Tracy Chevalier

Applicability Rating: 7.5/10

Relevant Themes: The ‘space between’ leaders & followers (moments between Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot), psychology of prejudice, female friendship

Key Thoughts: Remarkable Creatures retells the true and fascinating story of Mary Anning, a young working class girl in 19^th century Britain with a talent for finding fossils (or ‘curies’ as the locals call them) along the English coastline. To say the least, I learnt a lot about fossils – ammonites in particular, but also Mary’s biggest discovery, a huge ancient marine reptile called an ichthyosaurus. This discovery, and more like it, shook the scientific community, but Mary was barely acknowledged for her significant and difficult work (not only finding and dislodging the delicate fossils from the rock, but also cleaning and piecing the creatures together).

Mary’s story intersects with that of another fossil hunter, Miss Elizabeth Philpot, a prickly middle-aged London spinster who has been effectively banished to the small town of Lyme Regis with her two unmarried sisters. Elizabeth and Mary form an unlikely friendship which crosses class boundaries, sharing a unique passion (and at times, rivalry) for finding fossils. Between them they share many ‘moments’ of leadership as they struggle for recognition in the male-dominated scientific community. It's a charming novel, but underpinned with a kind of haunting sadness or disappointment over the unfair way Mary is treated - if only she had been given the same opportunities as men, what more she could have been and done. As Elizabeth observes, as the 'outcasts' of society (female, working class, spinsters) they are only allowed one or two small adventures in an otherwise unadventurous life.

6. Almost Famous Women (2015) by Megan Mayhew Bergman

Applicability Rating: 4/10

Relevant Themes: Women’s lives, real women, missed opportunities

Key Thoughts: I had really high hopes for this book of short stories, and while it is very well-written and demonstrates the enviable versatility of Megan Mayhew Bergman’s writing style, I felt like something (an ‘essence’? depth?) was missing. The purpose of the collection is to give ‘life’ and attention to a set of unlikely heroines who were born in proximity to the spotlight but, for a variety of reasons, struggled to distinguish themselves or were unjustly relegated to the footnotes of history. Most of the stories are very sad – about unfulfilled potential, reckless decisions and, subsequently, loneliness and bitterness. And while Mayhew Bergman is superb at characterisation, the women she describes are more atypical anomalies than relatable or inspiring examples. 

 

Lists & Classifications

This table is a basic ‘representation’ of women’s literature that I have begun ‘grouping’ into themes/categories (it looks a bit messy because it had to fit the dimensions of this humble blog!). 

The criteria for selection emerged as follows:

• At least one female protagonist/heroine who guides or is subject to the majority of action in the story
• Written after 1970 by a female author
• Well-reviewed and/or award-winning literature (I've tried to stay away from 'chick lit' as much as possible)
• Interesting/provocative story line
• Universal appeal (suitable for a ‘general’ audience)
• Possible 'leadership' themes

Undoubtedly I've missed some suitable books in my search, so this list will hopefully increase to about 50 odd books by the end of February. At the moment I think it stands at 39 novels/plays/short story collections by 32 authors.

Historical Literature / Historical Drama: [Pre-1900]: ·         The Red Tent by Anita Diamant ·         Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks ·         Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin ·         Flow Down Like Silver: Hypatia of Alexandra by Ki Longfellow ·         Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier ·         Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross ·         The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman [Slavery/American History]: ·         The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd ·         The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier ·         Property by Valerie Martin ·         The House Girl by Tara Conklin* [Pre-1980]: ·         The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver ·         In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez ·         The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan ·         The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant ·         Day After Night by Anita Diamant (WW2) ·         The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (WW2) ·         Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart (crime fiction) ·         The Help by Kathryn Stockett	Modern/Contemporary Fiction (1980 – 2015): ·         The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ·         How to be Both by Ali Smith ·         Outline by Rachel Cusk ·         A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley ·         White Oleander by Janet Fitch ·         The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer ·         We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler ·         Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray (chick lit?) ·         In the Name of Friendship by Marilyn French ·         The House Girl by Tara Conklin* ·         Unless by Carol Shields	Feminist Fiction: ·         The Women’s Room by Marilyn French ·         In the Name of Friendship by Marilyn French ·         The Group by Mary McCarthy ·         Top Girls (play) by Caryl Churchill ·         The Shadow of the Sun by A. S. Byatt (?) ·         The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer ·         Almost Famous Women by Megan Mayhew Bergman ·         The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark	Prize-winning Literature: ·         The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver ·         The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ·         The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin ·         How to be Both by Ali Smith ·         Outline by Rachel Cusk ·         The Red Tent by Anita Diamant ·         Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ·         The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd ·         Possession by A. S. Byatt ·         A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley ·         Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin ·         We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler ·         The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ·         Property by Valerie Martin ·         Unless by Carol Shields
	Short Story Collections: ·         The Unreal and the Real: Outer Space and Inner Lands by Ursula Le Guin: -          “The Matter of Seggri” -          “Sur” ·         The Unreal and the Real: Where on Earth by Ursula Le Guin: -          “Hand, Cup, Shell” ·         Oliver Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ·         Almost Famous Women by Megan Mayhew Bergman	Dystopian + Science Fiction: ·         The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin ·         The Unreal and the Real: Where on Earth by Ursula Le Guin ·         The Unreal and the Real: Outer Space and Inner Lands by Ursula Le Guin: ·         The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan ·         The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
	Plays: ·         Top Girls (play) by Caryl Churchill ·         Welcome to Thebes by Moira Buffini

The next round of selection will be concerned with identifying what ‘types’ of women’s stories are appropriate for the study of and deconstruction of women’s leadership. I imagine in this section I will investigate three key criteria for long listing suitable literature. These include, Badaracco’s test of ‘careful reading,’ the ‘Bechdel Test,’ and the presence of identifiable ‘moments’ of leadership within the narrative. Suitable women’s literature should move beyond the actions of a single, heroic leader figure, to encompass complex relationships between followers, purpose and context in the narrative.

From there I should easily be able to long-list 8-10 suitable titles, followed by a shortlist of 3-4 pieces of women's literature which work together to create a unified study on the issues facing female leaders. At the moment, the four interlinked themes I would like to work with include:

1. The impact of gender on leadership (an exploration into social constructionism, gender & leadership)
2. Reinterpreting the hierarchy - destabilising grand narratives
3. Deconstructing popular stereotypes and expectations
4. Leadership as process (women & post-heroic models of leadership)

I will leave it at that for now. The plan is to finish up the women & leadership section by mid-February, go on holiday for a week, come back and write-up the women's literature classification & selection by the beginning of March. #goals