Alix Kates Shulman's Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen created a profound
impact on the cultural landscape when it was originally published in
1972. A sardonic portrayal of one white, middle-class, Midwestern girl's
coming-of-age, the novel takes a wry and prescient look at a range of
experiences treated at the time as taboo but which were ultimately
accepted as matters of major political significance: sexual harassment,
job discrimination, the sexual double standard, rape, abortion
restrictions, the double binds of marriage and motherhood, and the
frantic quest for beauty.
The book went on to sell more than a million copies and is regarded
today as a classic, one of the first and best pieces of fiction born of
the women's liberation movement. With many of its concerns still with us
today, this witty and devastating novel continues to resonate with
readers, and Sasha Davis has proved herself a prom queen for the ages.