Mallory O'Meara

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4- I do like this and for a biography of someone so obscured Mallory does excellent digging (with notes when she's unable to verify things). However, I recognize the author asides in footnotes and casual conversational tone could be off-putting to readers and I almost feel like I should include the caveat that I do listen to Reading Glasses so I've heard Mallory speak before.

There are two narratives here: the framing is Mallory O'Meara's interest in Milicent Patrick as a fellow woman in the horror film industry and digging through research to find her, and then the story of Milicent's life from being raised at Hearst Castle while her father built it to being pioneer in many ways in the entertainment industry. Milicent changed names periodically which obfuscated the trail, and the credit for designing Gill Man was hidden by an egotistical department head. Despite decades separating us from Patrick's working years, the entertainment industry still has a long way to go in terms of equitable, safe working environments where the work of marginalized folx is respected.

I find Mallory personable, like this is another podcast episode and she's amiably telling me about how her research quest is going. i recognize that's not everyone's cup of tea! It makes for a breezy read though.

Additional caveat: I actually still haven't seen Creature from the Black Lagoon or its sequels, though I did watch The Shape of Water and Lindsay Ellis's vid on why we love monster boyfriend stories- suggest that next if you're interested in the topic.… (más)

I actually learned a lot from this book and not just about women and booze - I learned a lot about the history of alcohol and was super intrigued throughout the whole book. Mallory O'Meara does an excellent job of giving readers the history of women and booze while also highlighting some extremely influential women along the way. There were so many interesting tid bits about how alcohol was made - where customs and laws came from - and of course - how women got the short end of the stick time and time again. Women do not get nearly enough credit for their impact and are even now still overshadowed by their male counterpoints. I think this book is important for anyone who likes learning about history and drinking. A fun and extremely enlightening read!… (más)