NPR's Book of the Day
'What Will People Think?' and 'Climbing in Heels' star women trying to make it big
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Overview
Sara Hamdan and Elaine Goldsmith Thomas chronicle women challenging industry barriers and stereotypes, navigating culture, ambition, and hidden truths in showbiz worlds.
Takeaways
  • Sara Hamdan presents a nuanced Palestinian-American protagonist, Mia, who balances cultural expectations, family loyalty, and a secret comedy career, exploring layered forms of love beyond political or religious narratives.
  • Elaine Goldsmith Thomas draws from her Hollywood experience, revealing the struggles and strategies of women secretaries surmounting sexism in 1980s agencies, showing both solidarity and the costs of breaking institutional glass ceilings.
  • Both novels center women’s ambitions and the invisible rules governing their lives, using storytelling and authenticity to confront power dynamics, cultural stereotypes, and the pursuit of joy amid adversity.
Mind Map
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Chapters
  • This is a chapter‘s title.
    The Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of Change
  • This is a chapter‘s title.
    The Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of ChangeThe Fragility of Society and the Pendulum of Change
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