Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers

The Female Monster is alive and well in the pop-cultural imagination. What does she tell us about ourselves and how we live today?Funny, smart and encyclopedic, nimbly addressing everyone from the biblical Lilith, to the movie Carrie, to Hae Min Lee (whose death was the focus of the first season of "Serial"), this book is dedicated to exploring the female dark side, as represented in female monsters throughout pop culture. These monsters—who tend to follow a few very common forms—express taboo truths about female life, and femininity. They speak to urges women are encouraged to hide, or deny. They also speak to the viciousness with which a sexist society inflicts traditionally feminine roles upon us. This is a sympathetic—or, at least, curious—look at the women we fear and what they show us about how women navigate a dangerous and frightening world.