She Reads . . : Biography.
Stover, Kaite Mediatore (author).
FEATURE.
First published June 1, 2009 (Booklist).
There Is Nothing like a Dame
All the women I admire share at least one quality—they’re what my grandfather would have called “dames.” I’ve never thought of that moniker in a pejorative sense. He used it to mean that a woman had good sense, a sense of humor, a courageous heart, and, usually, a nice pair of “stems” to round out the package.
Formidable, warm, determined, and lively are the qualities that Madeleine Albright brings to the best book ever written about the life of a secretary of state. Madam Secretary is the utterly compelling autobiography of this extraordinary yet down-to-earth woman and her rise through the D.C. political scene to become the first female secretary of state. It’s heady stuff, but Albright tells it in such an endearing and plainspoken style that readers will think they’re sharing a cup of coffee with an exceptionally smart gal.
I was introduced to Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry in eighth grade and was captivated by her words. Then I saw a photo of her and liked her immediately. From behind round glasses, her piercing eyes were laughing above a smile that turned down. A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, by George E. Kent, traces the evolution of Brooks’ poetry from colorful childhood verses through the more mature voice she developed as a member of the Black Arts movement. In lines that both sparkle and roar, Brooks uses poetry to effect social change without ever sounding preachy or strident.
Elizabeth “Grandma” Layton holds a special place in the heart of most residents of Kansas. Her artwork hangs on the walls of many schools and libraries as well as museums and galleries. In 1977 she took a drawing class that pulled her from the depths of depression. Paging through the drawings collected in The Life & Art of Elizabeth “Grandma” Layton is alternately inspiring, depressing, thought-provoking, and fun. When I find myself full of self-doubt, I only need a glance at Layton’s works to realize that wrinkles can be beautiful, and there are still good times to be had.
Memories of staying home sick from elementary school center on two omnipresent female figures, my mother and Julia Child. As all you children of the 1970s recall, there wasn’t anything on the idiot box during the afternoon except soap operas and cooking shows—which is why I know how to julienne a potato. I hold a special fondness for Child because she demonstrated what my mother practiced—it’s OK to make a mess in the kitchen. Backstage with Julia proves that what we saw on TV was what Julia’s friends got in real life. Julia, the slob on airplanes; Julia, the blowtorch wielder (hey, every kitchen needs a blowtorch); and Julia, the unflappably creative culinary artist whose mantra is one I can get behind: “Fix it with parsley.”
She may not be royalty, but there’s no denying she’s a dame. Dame Edna Everage showed readers how to be outrageous and fabulous long before the Sex and the City gals put those adjectives together. In her tell-most autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, Dame Edna gathers the rich adventures of her life into one hoot-inducing chapter after another, from her upbringing in a dull Australian suburb to her assault on Broadway and Hollywood. Nothing is too sensational for Dame Edna, not even herself: “Never be afraid to laugh at yourself; after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.”
When I grow up, I want to be just like them.
Titles Discussed:
Backstage with Julia: My Years with Julia Child. By Nancy Verde Barr. 2007. Wiley, paper, $14.95 (9780470276372).
The Life & Art of Elizabeth “Grandma” Layton. By Don Layton. 1995. OP.
A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. By George E. Kent. 1990. Univ. Press of Kentucky, paper, $20 (9780813108278).
Madam Secretary. By Madeleine Albright. 2003. Miramax, paper, $14.95 (9781401359621).
My Gorgeous Life. By Dame Edna Everage. 1992. Simon & Schuster, $20 (0-671-70976-3).
Kaite Mediatore Stover is Head, Central Library Readers’ and Circulation Services, Kansas City (MO) Public Library. For a man’s point of view, see what David Wright thinks.