Bookmark: "Inside Ms." by Mary Thom

Title: Inside Ms.: 25 Years of the Magazine and the Feminist Movement
Author: Mary Thom
ISBN: 0-805-058-451 (Henry Holt & Co., 1997)

This book is a good balance between personal stories, tales of shifts in the staff at Ms. and editorial struggles, and the larger cultural frame throughout the magazine's history.

Mary Thom was one of the researchers at Ms., so she writes with an insider's knowledge, which is a great asset, but also a disadvantage. I got the feeling she edited some parts of Ms. history. For instance, the issue of race was glossed over, in two instances: the resignation of Alice Walker from the staff, and Margaret Sloan, one of the founding editors, leaving the magazine. We don't get to hear much from these two women, which is a shame because it would've really expanded the discussion of race at Ms.

It amazed me just how many pies Ms. had its finger in. I was familiar with the "Free to Be... You and Me" book, record, and educational tape. But I didn't realize that Ms. arranged a Philharmonic concert, a TV special, an award winning documentary that aired on HBO, and a sports event. Not to mention the magazine's role in raising awareness about rape, wife-beating and legal issues. Did you know that Ms., not the U.S. Government, produced the first national survey on date rape? The list goes on and on.

I got a little bogged down in the middle, but it picks up again in the last two chapters: "Ms. as a State of Mind" and "Readers". The former describes the cultural impact of Ms., the latter the importance and popularity of the "Reader's Letters" section. The reader's letters section were so popular that they've been compiled and published as a book, "Letters to Ms.", edited by Thom. I like to think of "Reader's letters" as a paper-based blog community, as it was one of the few forums where women could speak about issues ignored by the mainstream press; it was also a safe place for women to disagree.

The blood, sweat, and tears the Ms. staff put into their work and the many offshoot Ms. projects is staggering; the philanthropists and volunteers who strengthened Ms. are also to be commended. One thing's for certain: America would've been a much poorer nation if Ms. hadn't existed, not only for women, but for everyone.

Go ahead and buy a birthday/ Christmas/ Hanukkah/ Mother's Day/ Father's Day/ Juneteenth/ Kwanzaa/ Cinco de Mayo / Earth Day (the list could go on!) subscription for yourself, a friend or relative.

Bonus book link: The Curious Incident of the Boy Novelist and the Girl Novelist from Wrapt In Her Wings.

Explanation of "Bookmark" series.