Minggu, 15 Juli 2012

Loved it

Mad Women Madison Avenue Beyond

Mad Women Madison Avenue Beyond

Quite an interesting, yet...exceptionally torrid view of the female version of the life presented by the AMC series "Mad Men". Being an avid "Mad Men" fan, this book held a great deal of interest for me. I must say, it more than fulfilled my expectations. Perpetual extra-marital and otherwise sex, pimping, wild office romps, "nooners", this book has it all.

On a more serious note, this book is an invaluable tool for understanding the difficulties of working women at the time. The blatant sexism, the difficulties that women had to overcome to achieve in what war really a man's world are vividly expressed. Quite a few chapters are devoted to the age-old problems facing working women who wish to maintain a career, be a good mother and also a good partner. Nothing ever seems to change in that regard. The women of the 60's faced an even higher degree of difficulty than women today. But, the emotional grind and the difficulties of trying to "do it all" , with its accompanying perpetual feeling of guilt are beautifully expressed.It was never easy to be a working women and it seems that nothing much has changed in that area. Let us hope that our daughters are better able to experience and enjoy their careers and their family life.

Having wondered about the female viewpoint of life at a 60's ad agency, this book answered many questions. Far from seeming oppressed and used, many of the women interviewed seemed to cynically recognize the best way to succeed on Mad. Ave. and were every bit the swingers that the males were. Reading of all of the wild activities, enabled and promoted by the newly-released "Pill", was a mind-boggling experience. Even so, as a woman, I was glad to be a product of the 70's. How any work was ever performed at these ad agencies is beyond my grasp. Not being judgmental,I just simply would not have had the energy required. A wild, well-written, educational, and fast read. Read it, you will have no regrets.

Get your Mad Women Madison Avenue Beyond Now!

6 komentar:

  1. I like reading bios because through them I can vicariously live the life of other people and this week I have been vicariously living the life of a female ad executive in the 60's. The book is not long, just 213 pages and is easy to read and well written, as befits the writing of an experienced copy writer and ad executive. Most of the book deals with Jane Maas' time at the firm of David Ogilvy who was one of the pioneers of advertising in those days. It was a very interesting book for me because the world of advertising is completely foreign to me but through the eyes of Jane Maas, I got to live it.

    I learned a lot about advertising in general and what the advertising agencies were like in the 60's. It'll be a good read for those who are interested in it as a career as some of the events in the books and the maxims espoused by some of the characters probably provide the foundation of the advertising canons of today.

    For life in those days, it shouldn't surprise us how much people were drinking and smoking then as the dangers weren't as well know as they are now. For the sleeping around part, well, we've lived through the free love era of the 60's, the numerous presidential scandals (and those of the other two branches, legislative and judicial), teenage pregnancies and the internet, so it's a big meh - face it, the human race just likes to do it, then and now!

    Overall, I really liked the book because it was easy to read, easy to follow and even though advertising is not my field, the author made it interesting. I have to give her high marks for that. I really did live the life of a female ad executive in the 60's for a week or so, and only a very good author can make you do that.

    BalasHapus
  2. Forget "Mad Men," Jane's book is The Real Deal. She names names. She tells it like we all knew it really was. Shame on us for our neanderthal attitude towards women - and brava to brave women like Jane who were willing to play by rules that worked for her - while accepting (but still challenging) the realities of The Boys Club.

    It was people like Jane who inspired me to go into advertising - and people like her who taught me to be a mensch. Maybe not as quickly as I should have, but the end result is that I honestly believe I'm a better person for it. Advertising as a business is generally on the cutting edge of market trends...and as women rose to their rightful place at the table (side-by-side and sometimes above) their male peers, it was our industry that was one of the few to break the glass ceiling.

    If you've never been inside advertising, this is a must-read. The true story of what it was like in the era of Mad Men. If you were (or are) in advertising, you'll love the honesty, integrity and heartfelt walk down memory lane.

    BalasHapus
  3. Quite an interesting, yet...exceptionally torrid view of the female version of the life presented by the AMC series "Mad Men". Being an avid "Mad Men" fan, this book held a great deal of interest for me. I must say, it more than fulfilled my expectations. Perpetual extra-marital and otherwise sex, pimping, wild office romps, "nooners", this book has it all.

    On a more serious note, this book is an invaluable tool for understanding the difficulties of working women at the time. The blatant sexism, the difficulties that women had to overcome to achieve in what war really a man's world are vividly expressed. Quite a few chapters are devoted to the age-old problems facing working women who wish to maintain a career, be a good mother and also a good partner. Nothing ever seems to change in that regard. The women of the 60's faced an even higher degree of difficulty than women today. But, the emotional grind and the difficulties of trying to "do it all" , with its accompanying perpetual feeling of guilt are beautifully expressed.It was never easy to be a working women and it seems that nothing much has changed in that area. Let us hope that our daughters are better able to experience and enjoy their careers and their family life.

    Having wondered about the female viewpoint of life at a 60's ad agency, this book answered many questions. Far from seeming oppressed and used, many of the women interviewed seemed to cynically recognize the best way to succeed on Mad. Ave. and were every bit the swingers that the males were. Reading of all of the wild activities, enabled and promoted by the newly-released "Pill", was a mind-boggling experience. Even so, as a woman, I was glad to be a product of the 70's. How any work was ever performed at these ad agencies is beyond my grasp. Not being judgmental,I just simply would not have had the energy required. A wild, well-written, educational, and fast read. Read it, you will have no regrets.

    BalasHapus
  4. Loved this book and have recommended it to all my friends.
    Some of it was pretty shocking, some hilarious!!
    Irene

    BalasHapus
  5. I'm in the advertising business and enjoyed reading what it was like in the 60's and 70's for women in the biz! Well written, enjoyed the descriptions of Madison Avenue, and how things have changed.

    BalasHapus