She Said What?

In a book which should appeal to journalists and to those involved with women's studies, Braden, who teaches journalism at the Univ. of Kentucky, assembles interviews with 13 newspaper women and includes reprints of their work. First offering a sketchy history of women in journalism--which slights Dorothy Thompson--Braden interviews pioneers Mary McGrory of the Washington Post and syndicated columnist Erma Bombeck, then goes on to Chicago Daily News foreign correspondent Georgie Anne Geyer, Boston Globe associate editor Ellen Goodman, syndicated conservative political columnist Mona Charon, Judith Martin (Miss Manners) and others. Two black women are included: Dorothy Gilliam of the Washington Post and Marlene Davis of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald Leader . Perhaps typical of their field, these women are brisk and pointed in their observations, eschewing rhetoric about their difficulties as women journalists. The collection proves to be as informative as it is lively. (May)