For a superhero who has outlasted all by Superman, Batman and Captain America, she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. She was created to inspire young woman to take up their rightful place in society as her creator William Moultan Marston once stated that in the next 1,000 years, Woman will rule the world. He wanted a superhero that embody female strength can be just as strong as any man if not stronger. To truly understand Wonder Woman and her place in history, you really have to know who origins and the man (and the women who inspired) who created her. William Moultan Marston was an heir to a family with a long history. An only child who was doted on by his mother and four aunts. His wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, was just as educated as he was and was often the breadwinner of the family and his other wife, Olive Byrne (yep, he had two wives) was once his student and the caretaker. He was a lawyer and academic. He invented the lie detector. He wrote screenplays and worked for Universal Studios during the earlier days of Hollywood. He was a little bit of everything and a little bit of a mess. He failed as more then he succeeded but all of it culminated in creating Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth was an extension of his life work of seeking truth through his own lie detector machine and research. Wonder Woman’s bracelets were inspired by his second wife’s, Olive Byrne,bracelet that she wore instead of a wedding ring. Speaking of Olive she was the niece of Margaret Sanger. Champion for birth control and founder of Planned Parenthood. Feminism was strong in the family. Actually the suffragist movement very much influenced Wonder Woman as the stories and imagery can be seen all over the the early Wonder Woman comic book. This was a very easy read that goes into the great detail of William Marsters life and highlight moments in his life that he drew upon to create his Amazonian. It may take a while before you get the actual creation of Wonder Woman but Jill Lepore does a great job of showcasing how people, situations and politics would influence Moultan Marsters and how they ended up in his work. How an old professor turned into Dr. Psycho. Or how the art of Lou Rogers inspired story lines. How the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady shaped Wonder Woman’s character and how his own wives and children breathed life into her as well. Sadly, it also shows how the Wonder Woman changed after Marster’s death. Like many women after World War Two, Wonder Woman was forced back into the kitchens even if it went against her origins. She may have gone completely by the wayside if it wasn’t for Women’s movement in the 60’s and 70’s but even then she wasn’t the same. It’s sad to see that many of the issues that Wonder Woman faced in the late 30’s and 40’s we are still facing today. The criticism of her is still charged against many female protagonist of any genre. Progress has been made but we are still so much to go. You to like this book you don’t know need to know anything about Wonder Woman or even comics to enjoy it. You just need to have an appreciation for a good story and kick ass woman.
Review: The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
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***Spoilers Ahead***
Let’s be honest this series is nothing but fluff, not that is a bad thing or anything. We all need a little fluff in our lives. It was entertaining but I’m glad that this was the final book because I’m not sure what more they could do. That being said it was definitely left open for a spin off series. The mermaids or merls (I’m not going to miss the cutesy sea inspired words) have finally regrouped with their talismans and take out Sera’s uncle and the evil mage Orfeo and his monster. Sera, Neela, Ava, Ling, Becca and Astrid have all overcome their own trials to get to this point and worked together to win. Astrid had the biggest arc of the ladies. She started off as standoffish and refused to help but after being shown kindness from the other girls, she knows that she has to help. She sets off to find Orfeo in hopes of getting his talisman. She expects to hate him but she finds that she starts to like him. He does something that no one has been able to. Give her back her magic and her pride. He shows her the love and caring that has been denied to her since she lost the ability to sing. Will she turn against her new friends? Of course not but there were times that I really couldn’t blame her if she did. Sera grew from a girl fearful of not living up to her mother’s standard to true leader. Becca learned to give up some control and trust others to help. The others helped but had little to do throughout the series. So yes it was fluff and not the greatest story of all time but it had it’s moments. Anyone looking for a series to read on their summer vacation this isn’t a bad pick, as long as you don’t mind all the cutesy words.
I think this is really more a political drama then anything else. Kiersten White re-imagines the origins of Vlad the Impaler as if he had been born a Lada, a girl, rather then a boy. Lada is fierce, passionate and ruthless. She is far more interested in fighting and ruling then she is anything else. From a young age, she knows that she will never be taken seriously as a girl unless she is the smarter, faster and stronger then those around here and does everything she can to make it that way. When she and her brother are left as hostages to the Ottoman Empire as a way to secure their father’s throne of Wallachia, she becomes enraged of her lack of power. Felt betrayed by her father for leaving her there, where any misstep by him, forfeits their lives. She uses her time to learn all that she can from her Ottoman captors to use in her vengeance one day. Things go a little sideways when Lada and Radu meet Mehmed, the son of the Sultan. He becomes their friend and third point to their triangle. Radu is the polar opposite to Lada. While she is strong and aggressive, he’s quiet and conservative. He has the charisma that Lada lacks. Lada has the strength that Radu lacks. They are not the closets of siblings but they are all each other has so when push comes to shove, they are there for each other.
2 Women, So Many Books 