BACHELOR GIRL: The Secret History of Single Women in the Twentieth Century

While historians have studied various subsets of women—working class, professional, radical, etc.—little attention has been paid to the single woman. As journalist Israel documents in this impressive history of single women in America from the Industrial Revolution to modern times, these women have maintained a flourishing subculture, despite attacks and ridicule by the media. While focusing primarily on white, middle-class Manhattan women, Israel draws on a variety of sources—movies, popular novels, magazine and newspaper features—that shape the single-woman experience for the broader population. "B-girls"—bachelor or bohemian—have always been with us, some from lack of marriage prospects, true, but many by preference. Israel says it's mainly the appeal of the companionship of other women and the desire for independence from marital suppression that keeps these women from tying the knot. Social acceptance of singletons has flip-flopped over the generations. Positive icons, including the emancipated New Woman, settlement house professionals, WWII's Rosie the Riveter, and liberated '70s "chicks," have alternated with scary images of frigid, lonely Old Maids staring at their used-up biological clocks. But even as social critics have changed their tunes about how much rope to allow these women, the women themselves—brave factory girls, Bowery Girls, "shoppies," Greenwich Village bohemians, flappers, Murphy Browns and Bridget Joneses—have been tough enough to have it "their way." Israel's witty and provocative look at a topic dear to many women deserves wide readership. Agent, Susan Ramer. (Oct. 16)

Forecast:With flashy jacket art and lots of media publicity planned, this empowering book should become a staple in women's studies programs. Booksellers beware: there is an 11-year-old collection of Wendy Wasserstein's plays with the same title.