Bachelor Girl - by Betsy Israel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Journalist Betsy Israel paints remarkably vivid portraits of single women -- and how they have been perceived -- throughout the decades using primary sources, including private journals, newspapers, and other materials from popular media. From the nineteenth-century spinsters of New England to the Bowery girls of New York City, to the career girls of the 1950s and 1960s, single women have fought to find, and feel comfortable in, that room of their own. One need only look at Bridget Jones and the Sex and the City gang to see that single women still maintain an uneasy relationship with the rest of society -- and yet radiate glamour and mystery.

Bachelor Girl shines a light on the stereotypes that have stigmatized single women and celebrates their resourceful sense of spirit, enterprise, and unlimited success in a world where it is no longer unusual or unlikely to be unwed.

Review Quotes

Israel has made the triumphs and travails of those Bowery babes ... and women's libbers ... immediate and hilarious .... -- Vogue

"Israel tells a story of social prejudice and personal pride." -- The Oprah Magazine

"A must-read for feminists with a sense of humor." -- Marie Claire

"Essential reading for those interested in women's issues ... and understanding today's single girl." -- USA Today

"Lively and intriguing..." -- Washington Post Book World

"BACHELOR GIRL absorbingly depicts the struggles single women faced in fighting for freedom and independence..." -- Elle

"The book provides an intriguing balance of cultural history and pointed detail." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Impressive...Israel's witty and provocative look at a topic dear to many women deserves wide readership." -- Publishers Weekly

"Engaging, convincing, even stirring." -- Kirkus Reviews

Israel packs more than a century's worth of information into a detailed and entertaining overview of the bachelor girl's evolution. -- Book Page

"A must read for contemporary Bachelor Girls." -- Booklist

Israel provides a fresh point of view and elevates the bachelor girl to her rightful place in American history. -- Susan Seidelman, director Sex in the City and Desperately Seeking Susan

Betsy Israel's brilliant book takes us through a century of the 'different-ness' and explores why it might be extant. -- Helen Gurley Brown, former Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan, and author of Sex and the Single Girl

"Bachelor Girl is such a delectable read that it belies its stature as a profoundly important synthesis." -- Marcelle Clements, author of The Improvised Woman; Single Women Reinventing Single Life

"What a read! At long last, a book that really tells it like it is. I loved it!" -- Liz Smith