"He stared at me, so clearly astonished I could tell it had never entered his mind that a woman could do the job."
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MsDemeanors by Helen Bonner Lulu.com
book review by Cynthia Collins
It used to be that women were expected to stay home while their husbands held down jobs and earned money. There is nothing wrong with staying home to take care of the house and kids, but for Jennifer Rennfree, it wasn't enough. As the story opens in 1969, Jennifer is tired of playing the dutiful wife with no chance to pursue her own hopes and dreams. She packs her bags and heads off to the big city to get a job. There, she finds a place to stay, gets a job, but leaves that job when she gets passed over for a promotion because her boss doesn't want to lose her as a secretary. At times, she wonders if she's doing the right thing of striking out on her own.
This is a work of historical fiction yet has real-life counterparts. It is well-written and moves quickly through the Vietnam War, the drug culture, rock music, politics, and protesters. Sometimes, the protests resulted in violence and even death. It does not gloss over the agonizing consequences and decisions Jennifer faces. On both a public and personal level, the women's movement of the '70s brought about many new ideas that society takes for granted today, but those were neither easy to accomplish nor easily accepted. Bonner's book is a combination of a good story and a history lesson of a turbulent and changing time. Those who read it, whether for pleasure or as a history lesson, will find complex characters who are often engaged in conflicting ideas between public image versus private misgivings. This book would enhance college level courses as required reading about women's rights and history.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review