From an author praised for writing “delicious social history” (Dwight Garner, The New York Times) comes a fast-paced account of memorable Miss America contestants, protests, and scandals, showing decade by decade how the pageant has both resisted and reflected the gains of feminism. Looking for Miss America examines the heady blend of capitalism, patriotism, class anxiety, and cultural mythology that has fueled this American ritual for a century.
Winner of the Popular Culture Association’s Emily Toth Best Book in Women’s Studies Award
A New York Post Best Book of 2020
A Cosmopolitan Best Nonfiction Book of 2020
A Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book
A Library Journal 2020 Title to Watch
A Lithub Best Reviewed Book (“rave”)
A National Book Review 5 Hot Books Pick
A PureWow 12 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020
A 2021 NYTBR Paperback Row Pick
Excerpts in Lithub and Lapham’s Quarterly