Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore’s new book is The Secret History of Wonder Woman. Lepore will be in South Hadley, MA tonight for an Odyssey Book Shop event at Mount Holyoke College to discuss Wonder Woman. So, why is a History Professor writing about Wonder Woman. Well, it happened by accident.
The book is a work of historical detection revealing that the origins of one of the world's most iconic superheroes hides within it a fascinating family story--and a crucial history of twentieth-century feminism. Wonder Woman, created in 1941, is the most popular female superhero of all time. Aside from Superman and Batman, no superhero has lasted as long or commanded so vast and wildly passionate a following. Like every other superhero, Wonder Woman has a secret identity. Unlike every other superhero, she has also has a secret history.
Jill Lepore tells us that super heroes are good at fighting crime, but not in fighting equality. She says the heroes are limited because they are supposed to be better than everyone else – you know, super – But, that is not what equality is all about.