Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women Are Really Doing on Screen and Page

The Library of Contemporary Thought series (from which Dove will be releasing new audio titles throughout the spring) gives popular authors a chance to tackle intellectual subjects in a format aimed at a general audience. Isaacs, whose novels of female empowerment (Lily White, etc.) enjoy a healthy cult of faithful followers, examines the roles of women as depicted in books and movies, finding them too often ""wounded"" and ""abused."" She divides contemporary ""female protagonists"" into ""brave dames"" and ""wimpettes."" What's refreshing is Isaac's comfortably familiar take on popular culture, as reflected in her dissection of such movies as Serial Mom, Baby Boom and Terminator 2. She's also not afraid to venture candid opinions on fellow popular novelists such as Thomas Harris and James Patterson. Reader Swope replicates the author's easy breeziness, in nonpretentious and appealingly accessible tones. But, how does Isaacs stack up against formidable feminist precursors such as Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and Camille Paglia? Though no complete ""wimpette,"" Isaacs fails to deliver deep insights or hardened convictions. She remains a popular entertainer at heart. Based on the 1999 Ballantine paperback. (Feb.)