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Women's History Month Continues

  Today I'm going to share three female authors. The first is one of my favorites: Harper Lee.
 
  Harper was a Southern girl born in the 1920's. She was a tomboy and an avid reader like the character Scout in her only famous book. One of her playmates was the young Truman Capote, who served as a model for the character Dill. Her father was at various times a lawyer, a newspaper proprietor/editor, and a legislator.

    Harper also went to law school but did not finish. She wrote her book in 1959, had it published in 1960, and worked on the screenplay in 1962. During the filming she became close friends with Gregory Peck's family and remained so throughout her life.

    The book was an immediate best seller. No one was more surprised than she. In 1961, she received the Pulitzer Prize for literature. In 1999, To Kill a Mockingbird was named Novel of the Century by The Library Journal. In 2007, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award for working for the safety, welfare, or honor of America or its people.

    In her book, she explores the process of growing up, judging others, race issues, and the legal system. She weaves the story lines together in a way to keep the reader spellbound. And the movie version stands on its own. I believe the black and white movie with Gregory Peck may just be the finest movie ever made.

    Next up is Jacqueline Suzanne. You might say she's hardly the same caliber, yet she had a significant impact on society and gave very insightful commentary on part of the culture of the time. She was born a decade before Harper Lee and died in the 70's. She, too, was involved with Truman Capote. However, they were not friends. Their feud was even aired on The Tonight Show as each was separately goaded by Johnny Carson into insulting each other. She wrote several books, the best known being Valley of The Dolls.

    Ms Suzanne's life was promiscuous, perhaps even bisexual. The latter was never confirmed, but rumors of her and other well known women prevailed. It is believed that she had at least a little first hand experience with the material in her books. She produced a lot and was immensely popular. Her books were best sellers.

    Edith Wharton is another I enjoy. I read Ethan Frome in one sitting in high school; I just couldn't put it down. Her books are about high society, mostly in the North, and about the privileged classes.

    She was born into the upper class about the time of the Civil War and married a well-to-do man who allowed her to pursue anything she wanted. She wrote at first about decorating; she criticized the Victorian style so popular at the time. She designed her own formal gardens and was involved in the architecture of her own houses. She had a nervous breakdown in her 40's and that is when she first began to write, at the recommendation of her doctor.

    Her books of fiction were a commentary on human nature and culture. Edith Wharton is considered by many critics to be one of the great writers of the twentieth century. She won the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Innocence.