Unbecoming a lady The forgotten sluts and shrews who shaped America

Oneill, who specializes in cheeky books about Victorian culture (like Ungovernable, 2019), expands her oeuvre to include badly behaved women in later history. She quickly dispenses with the adage "well-behaved women rarely make history" by insisting that "well-behaved women almost exclusively make history." She introduces readers to an unapologetically impudent cast of characters who are as diverse as they are brazen. They include Celesta Geyer, an early twentieth-century psychic, whose unapologetic fatness--she was 555 pounds at her heaviest--"made her seedy." The Cherry Sisters were considered "the Worst Vaudeville Act in the World." This dubious distinction didn't stop them from continuing to enthusiastically perform. Oneill also highlights women who were unafraid of diving into cultural taboos in order to enact change. Lena Himmelstein designed clothes for plus-size and pregnant women, ultimately founding the clothing company Lane Bryant. Lillian Gilbreth, the mother in Cheaper by the Dozen, improved menstrual pads. Oneill's tone sobers when discussing the antilynching activism of Ida B. Wells but mostly remains acerbic throughout. By turns enlightening and amusing, this work is a great option for young people seeking unconventional models.

A fascinating collection of biographies of women who refused to conform to the strictures of their time. Some rules deserve to be broken, but their ends do not come about through the actions of conventional people; progress occurs due to the work of the troublemakers, renegades, and misfits. Oregon-based writer Oneill, the author of Unmentionable and Ungovernable, brings together the stories of 18 women rebels, from the 19th century through the early 20th, who became famous for being infamous. Among the many interesting characters are Black entertainer Aida Overton Walker; Lillian Gilbreth, an engineer and educator who came up with the design of the modern kitchen, removing a huge burden of physical work from the shoulders of women; Mary Edwards Walker, who was "raised to believe she was equal to men" and created a ruckus everywhere she went by wearing trousers; and "Poker" Alice Stubbs, who roamed the Wild West and financed her colorful life from her extensive winnings at the card table. Elizabeth Packard was sent to an insane asylum on the word of her husband after questioning Presbyterian practices, but she gained her freedom through legal actions and later became an advocate for the marriage rights of women. Mary "Mother" Jones, a radical union organizer, wielded her image as a kindly grandmother to great tactical effect. Oneill has a wonderful time with all this material. Though she's sometimes happily loose with the historical facts, she ably captures the spirit of these impressive women, and she makes serious points about the importance of courage and how small advances can lead to broader change. She concludes with some emphatic advice: "Be fantastic. Be dreadful. Make awful and brilliant mistakes….When the world tells you that you don't fit, agree most cheerfully." Oneill gathers a cast of remarkable women for an enjoyable, raucous romp through history. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.