SEE JANE WIN

Journalist Moscatello provides a close-up view of women’s journeys from activists to candidates and politicians in recent U.S. elections.

Though she explores multiple political races, which she covered in articles for New York magazine’s The Cut, Glamour, and Elle, the author goes deepest in her accounts of those involving Abigail Spanberger, Anna Eskamani, Catalina Cruz, and London Lamar. Noting the influx of Democratic voices and wins, Moscatello also attends to the ways in which Sarah Palin’s candidacy may have influenced how women run for office. Centering on the 2018 blue wave of women, the author explores the challenges and benefits of political representation within an increasingly diverse nation. Her analysis of specific barriers and needs of women of color and, to a lesser extent, trans and queer women adds an important dimension to her critique. She squarely addresses multiple layers of intersectional biases women face, exposing how racism, homophobia, classism, and sexism may impact candidates. The result broadens conversations about political engagement and clarifies how diverse voices strengthen the political landscape regardless of party affiliation. Without situating trends as facts, Moscatello casts these changes as natural extensions of the work many women are doing already in resisting threats to health care, attacks on Planned Parenthood, political stagnation on gun control, and a host of other related issues. The author considers the numerous complexities of navigating male political norms and how to effectively acknowledge the importance of motherhood, disrupt the dress code, and address media hostility toward female voices, demeanors, and appearances. While the percent of women in office has been relatively static prior to the recent influx, Moscatello optimistically and realistically balances a blend of demographics and anecdotes from the candidates and politicians, painting a provocative picture about the impact of equalizing representation in the American political world.

Memorable stories and illustrative data combine in a pertinent political and cultural analysis.