Saturday, December 3, 2011

Mad Women, by Jane Maas


Jane was one of those rare women who worked in advertising during the 60's.  Office sex abounded, women were second class employees not trusted to work on the "big boy" accounts, and many a working lunch included  drinks before, during, and after the meal.  So, while the show Mad Men paints a somewhat accurate portrait of what it was like, there is so much more to the story.

I am a huge fan of the show Mad Men, there is something about it I find so decadent.  And as a woman, I am fascinated by the gender power struggle at play.  I often forget, however, that the show represents a real time in American history, a time when my salary would be so much lower simply because I am a woman.  This book really helped me realize that the struggles of the women on the show were based in reality.

Jane Maas does a great job of storytelling, really tying in to the popularity of the show, and making the time period come alive to readers.  I could really see her stories playing out in my mind.  However, about 3/4 of the way through the book, I felt like she strayed away from the tie in to the shows themes and began simply writing a memoir about her life.  Which was fine, but just felt out of theme with the book.  The parts about the I Love New York campaign and her time working for Leona Helmsley just seemed a bit out of place to me.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, as I think many fans of the show will.  I think my attention just started to drift by the end is all.

I received this book as part of the Amazon Vine program.



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