Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia [Paperback]

Emily Toth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

In question-and-answer form, Ms. Mentor advises academic women about issues they daren't discuss openly, such as: How does one really clamber onto the tenure track when the job market is so nasty, brutish, and small? Is there such a thing as the perfectly marketable dissertation topic? How does a meek young woman become a tiger of an authority figure in the classroom-and get stupendous teaching evaluations? How does one cope with sexual harassment, grandiosity, and bizarre behavior from entrenched colleagues?

Ms. Mentor's readers will find answers to the secret queries they were afraid to ask anyone else. They'll discover what it really takes to get tenure; what to wear to academic occasions; when to snicker, when to hide, what to eat, and when to sue. They'll find out how to get firmly planted in the rich red earth of tenure. They'll learn why lunch is the most important meal of the day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No aspect of the scholastic woman's life lies outside the scope of this crusty doyenne."—Publishers Weekly

"Never has there been such a forthright collection of wisdom and wit."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Toth . . . is the first and foremost agony aunt of American feminist academics. . . . Her very funny and pithy book deals with graduate school, the job hunt, the conference scene, the first year on the job, the 'perils and pleasures' of teaching, 'slouching towards tenure,' and 'muddles and puzzles,' including what to wear to an interview, which discipline has the sexiest men, collegiality, sexual harassment, networking, social faux pas, and why bozos get tenure. A staunch feminist, Ms Mentor knows how to smile and deliver a witty retort instead of a lecture on sexism. Undazzled by the trappings of academic success, she regularly reminds her correspondents that they can find happy and successful careers elsewhere. But she has also come to terms with the realities of working in a profession. . . . Ms Mentor is a more liberating and energizing voice than the subdued, self-questioning wisdom of the autobiographical."—Elaine Showalter, Times Literary Supplement

"A genuine contribution to understanding how the professions of academe function (or don't) and how to negotiate successfully a career path in research and teaching."—Annette Kolodny, University of Arizona

"Everyone who's ever been in academe knows that it's a jungle out there, not a grove; Toth's book is a machete sharp enough to hack a path through the undergrowth."—New Orleans Times-Picayune

About the Author

Ms. Mentor receives all her mail via Emily Toth, Professor of English and Women's Studies, at Louisiana State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812215664
• ISBN-13: 978-0812215663
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #907,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Funny, well-intentioned, but not so useful..., April 9, 2003

By 

Acacia C. Parks (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia (Paperback)

I am gearing up to start in a Ph.D. program in the Fall, so I picked up this book hoping for some of the "practical stuff nobody wants you to know about" regarding grad school, publishing, and conferences. The thing about this book, though, is that the title is misleading. It's "advice for women in academia", but most of the advice (with a few exceptions) has nothing to do with being a woman. It's useful advice (usually) for important problems, but mostly stuff I had heard from many other sources, not really "issues that women daren't discuss openly", as advertised. People mostly ask questions like "Should I publish before looking for a job?" and "People say cover letters should have a 'WOW' factor to attract attention. How do I do that?". Standard fare questions about academia.

For example... out of 16 questions in the chapters on job searching, grad school, and conferences, I found three that had anything to do with being a woman. The three questions were (paraphrased): 1) "What should I wear to work/class/conferences?" 2) "The director of grad studies puts the course catalogue on his lap during course scheduling meetings, which makes it so students have to stare at his crotch. I don't WANT to stare at his crotch. What can I do about it?" and 3) "I am genetically obese, I have tried every get-thin-strategy including surgery, diets, insane exercise, etc. but nothing works. I am used to unpleasant comments from people who don't understand about weight setpoints and genetic predispositions to obesity, but I am worried about my academic career. My graduate advisor recently told me that if I can't suck it up and lose weight that I might as well drop out of grad school because it will be wasted on me. Is she right?"

These three questions were the kind of topics I expected the book to be comprised of, as they are at least applicable to issues of being a woman in academia. Unfortunately, questions of this type (that is, directly relevant to the title of the book) were a rarity, I found. I was disappointed, however, to find that her responses, while for the most part useful and comforting, was speckled with off-color jokes. One choice excerpt in response to the third question I described: "Claim you're on a slow, medically approved diet. They don't have to know that your four food groups are whatever you like best -- such as chili corn dogs, sour cream and onion potato chips, Godiva Chocolates, and Budweiser." Ok look, sister. Not everyone is fat because they eat like a hog. That really made me mad. It turns out the book is sort of speckled with jokes like that throughout, though they are usually at the expense of out-groups (men, men, and more men) so I didn't notice it at first.

So in summary, I think this book had a few tidbits of important information but I would not suggest buying it. I checked it out from the library yesterday and will probably return it tomorrow. It was funny, but a lot of the time I was laughing because I couldn't figure out why this question was in a book about academia and women. Example: "When I get nervous, I get gassy. I don't have tenure yet. What if I fart at a bad moment?"

I don't know... you might like it, it was entertaining, but I don't feel like I learned anything new or useful.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead-on advice...and pithy, to boot!, May 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia (Paperback)

As someone who has experienced some of the worst viciousness academe has to offer and gone on to flourish in spite of it, I say to all budding professors: read this book! KNOW this book! I bought it when I went back on the job market a couple of years ago. This is the practical stuff nobody wants you to know when you send them your $50 and original transcripts hoping to get into X program at Prestigious U. Grad School- because lesser souls would run screaming. THIS time around, I'm tenure-track at one and a half times the salary I earned before. Take what Emily Toth says to heart- I've been there, done that, can give the dime tour, and she's RIGHT.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading! Do not miss!, September 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia (Paperback)

As a beginning grad student who has been away from academia for several years, I found this book not only a kick to read but full of refreshingly straightforward information. I plan to follow Ms. Mentor's advice to the letter. But this isn't just a guidebook for academia. Any woman (or man!) who wants succeed -- and survive -- as a professional should read this book.