Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen: A Novel [Paperback]

Alix Kates Shulman (Author), Jennifer Baumgardner (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

Alix Kates Shulman's Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen created a profound impact on the cultural landscape when it was originally published in 1972. A sardonic portrayal of one white, middle-class, Midwestern girl's coming-of-age, the novel takes a wry and prescient look at a range of experiences treated at the time as taboo but which were ultimately accepted as matters of major political significance: sexual harassment, job discrimination, the sexual double standard, rape, abortion restrictions, the double binds of marriage and motherhood, and the frantic quest for beauty. The book went on to sell more than a million copies and is regarded today as a classic, one of the first and best pieces of fiction born of the women's liberation movement. With many of its concerns still with us today, this witty and devastating novel continues to resonate with readers, and Sasha Davis has proved herself a prom queen for the ages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen is a vivid reminder of just how much--and sometimes, how little--has changed for women in the last 35 years. Typing prowess and wedding-night virginity may no longer be expected, but Shulman's tale of Sasha Davis's struggle to find herself amid conflicting cultural messages about beauty, brains, and sex will be resonant for many more years to come."

--Andi Zeisler, editorial/creative director of Bitch magazine

"Extremely relevant--I loved it! Growing up female in America forces many to become obsessed with how they look and how others see them, yet these cultural pressures and their effect on young woman are too rarely taken seriously and it was valuable and comforting to read a book that recognizes this and puts it in perspective. I only wish I'd found Alix Shulman's classic earlier."
--Sophie Pollitt-Cohen, co-author of The Notebook Girls

"An extraordinary novel . . . Sad and witty, expertly conceived and executed . . . Important." --Peter Prescott, Newsweek

"This story, told with astringent wit, explores every facet and cliché of what it means to grow up female and beautiful." --San Francisco Chronicle

"A vicious little gem of a novel." --Cosmopolitan

About the Author

Alix Kates Shulman is the author of three other novels, the award-winning memoir Drinking the Rain, two books on the anarchist Emma Goldman, and three children's books. She divides her time between New York City and Maine.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374530793
• ISBN-13: 978-0374530792
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We only wish it felt dated., August 3, 2004

By 

Amanda (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen (Paperback)

This is my favorite book of all time. I was suprised to read the other reviews, as they suggest that the women's movement has corrected all the injustices described in the book. Unfortunately the situations the author speaks of are almost as real today as they were then. While women have more financial options than in the past, those who think these situations won't resonate with 'the pretty girls' of today are living in a dream world. Plus, it's a great read.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book For Every Women, March 4, 2005

By 

AMLeClair (Lake Grove, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen (Paperback)

I'm 21 years old and was given this book to read for my U.S. Women's History class that I knew I'd hate (the class, not the book) because I'm no history buff, as this class was an unfortuantely forced elective. I was merely looking forward to reading some of the literature that the professor mandated, such as Work by Louisa May Alcott and Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs; however stumbling onto Memoirs Of An Ex Prom Queen, I opened up to a random page and read a little bit to see what I was getting myself into. This was unlike any other female writer that I've read and did read in that particular class. I knew that ending the semester, this book would still be in my head and hands. I started from the beginning and couldn't put it down with my mind swarming inside and out of the words that dive further and further into Sasha's world of sexuality and ambition. As an English: Creative Writing major, I found this to be my literary muse. Of course, I've always found creative inspiration in plays and poetry, but this work of fiction opened up my eyes to new depths of writing as the woman that I'm growing to be. Everything that Alix Kates Shulman touched on was clever and thought-provoking, relatable and enticing, as well as genious and raw. It reminded me a bit of Sylvia Plath's The Belljar (although that's much heavier and serious to take on) because of the brutal honesty and irony that Sasha expresses in scrutinizing herself and relationships. As a young woman approaching the age that Sasha starts at in the beginning of the novel, all of those qualities and characteristics of the story are amplified to me, although I'm not married, in an anonymous mid-West town, or in a post World War II society. She writes with such gripping reality that could truly touch every woman. For those who are strongly against promiscuity, this perhaps is not the book for you, but if you have an open mind and are willing to hear her philosophies of intimate relations that are both viable and provocative, meet Sasha Davis. I've read this book twice already and know that whenever I need inspiration or to have a little laugh, this is the book to turn to. Even though I know what happens at the end and in the beginning of her story, reacquainting myself with Sasha is stimulating, rewarding, and entertaining. For the holidays, I know that I'm going to give this book to every friend of mine. I've read a variety of talented "dead-white-male writers" like Jack Kerouac, the recently deceased Hunter S. Thompson, William Faulkner, and Ernest Hemingway and they write like men write, but Alix Kates Shulman rivals those classic writers, epitomizing how a real woman tells a story about a real woman.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic, August 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen (Paperback)

This is the most well written piece I have read since dabbling in the American cannon in my college literature classes. It is very frank, sexual and revealing. And the language is abosultely edible! Sasha is raw and on the edge of profound feminine insights, yet is battered again and again by the male-ism that dominates her culture. Women who have had few lovers may find this a difficult read, but that's the challenge. This book was not only a delight for the time period it represented, but I also appreciated the disturbing and yet real male/female scenarios that, although "dated," have given me a insight into raising raising my own young boys ... different from their grandfathers.