On this week’s 51%, we hear from an author about her book on Helen Gurley Brown and school nurses find themselves in a new era tending to food allergies. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.
In 1965, Helen Gurley Brown, author of the groundbreaking bestseller Sex and the Single Girl, took over an ailing Cosmopolitan magazine and revamped it into one of the most bankable brands around. At a time when women’s magazines taught housewives how to make the perfect casserole, Gurley Brown spoke directly to the single girl next door. Journalist Brooke Hauser has written the biography “Enter Helen, The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman” in which she reveals how a self-proclaimed “mouseburger” from the Ozarks became one of the most influential women of her time. Hauser, who teaches nonfiction writing at Smith College and has written for a number of magazines as well as newspapers, talks about why she chose to write about Helen Gurley Brown.
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed a bill that would require sexual assault evidence to be preserved for at least 15 years. Supporters of the new law say it will help women who are dealing with trauma after an assault and may need time before pursuing charges against their attacker. Previous state law required that rape evidence kits be held for only six months unless the victim files a formal report with law enforcement or requests the evidence be held another six months. Baker, a Republican, signed the bill in October, saying it will help survivors of sexual assault focus on healing. Democratic state Senator Cynthia Creem says women should not be forced to revisit painful events every six months. The 15-year retention period matches the statute of limitations for rape prosecutions.
More of America’s school children have food allergies. Nationally the rate of food allergies went up 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. But in some states, like Missouri, the documented increase has been much higher. For Side Effects Public Media, Bram Sable-Smith reports on how that’s changing the work of school nurses.
This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media, a news collaborative covering public health.
And that's our show this week. Thanks to Patrick Garrett for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio
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