Undaunted

Praise

“Compendious and lively . . . Deeply researched and encyclopedic in the best sense, the book attempts to create a broad new canon of unforgettables.”—Jane Kamensky, The New York Times

“This book is a timely reminder that while women have come a long way in journalism, their gains can’t be taken for granted. . . . Kroeger is well equipped to take us through generations of determined, tenacious women.”—Janet Hook, Los Angeles Times

“Monumental . . . A substantial work of research on women journalists over the last 180 years, underscoring both sexist hurdles and tremendous breakthroughs . . . A tour de force that should be in every library and school in the country.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A sweeping history . . . A solidly researched and fluidly written overview of an important chapter in women’s history.”—Publishers Weekly

“Kroeger’s immersive history examines the myriad challenges [women journalists] faced professionally and from society writ large and celebrates the ingenuity, valor, and integrity with which they pursued their goals. Merging feminist struggles with journalistic triumphs, Kroeger sheds an important light on both spheres.”—Booklist

“Brooke Kroeger has produced a significant reference work on women in American journalism, an encyclopedia of individuals with the key moments of their professional lives brought to life with useful and engaging detail. . . . Kroeger’s principal contribution has been the breadth of her catalog and how up to date it is.”—Sheila Gibbons, Media Report to Women

“After her sharp, smart biographies of pathbreaking women writers Fannie Hurst and Nellie Bly . . . Kroeger extends her vision and now chronicles the full sweep of female reporters. . . . Kroeger’s powerful history is a way to consider the continually winding road toward equality for women.”—The National Book Review, “5 Hot Books”

“Undaunted is proof that not every patriotic hero bore a gun and wore pants. Historically, most of the women who poured their souls into the Fourth Estate were treated like witnesses to their own execution: Everyone got to make a speech about them — but them. Now their story is told by one of their own, with the forthright candor and superb journalistic skill for which Brooke Kroeger is known. The pioneers in this tome were foot soldiers of justice and imagination. Their presence in newsrooms challenged the very nature of journalism, which by its nature, lives in a language dipped in the subtle but charged, effective strength of male prejudice. For all their talent and skill, these women had no voice in history. Now, thanks to Kroeger, they have one.”—James McBride, author of Deacon King Kong

“Editors confined them to the women’s section, and thought them too emotional for wider duty. Bosses insisted they could not go out at night without a male escort. Professional societies would not let them in. Historians of journalism wiped them from the story. Newspapers mercilessly underpaid them. And everyone seemed to observe upon their ‘nature,’ said to be ill-suited for journalism’s toughest tasks. The gradual overcoming of these barriers is the grand theme of Brooke Kroeger’s Undaunted, a phenomenal work of research with a simple point to make. Women are half the public. Making them equals in the newsroom is not an option but a necessity.”—Jay Rosen, author of What Are Journalists For?

“Brooke Kroeger here offers an invaluable accounting of two centuries of achievement. Full of surprising stories, Undaunted masterfully charts individual breakthroughs while building the larger narrative of female journalists in America. While it can be disheartening to watch the same issues come back decade after decade, it is impossible to read this record of journalistic innovation without a sense of triumph.”—Kim Todd, author of Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s “Girl Stunt Reporters”

“For too long the contributions of women to American journalism have been devalued or overlooked. Fortunately, Brooke Kroeger has retrieved many of their inspiring tales from the waste bin of history to show how women forever changed the field. An overdue collective history of generations of intrepid female journalists.”—Pamela Newkirk, author of Within the Veil: Black Journalists, White Media

“With unprecedented scope, Brooke Kroeger has created a fast-paced, beautifully written account of fearless women journalists across America whose inspiring, relentless determination overcame pernicious behavior and persistent barriers. Undaunted is a heavy dose of inspiration for today’s women working in journalism and all women still knocking down gender barriers.”—Jennifer Preston, Senior Fellow, Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy

“In the no-stone-unturned style of the reporters whose exploits she retells, Brooke Kroeger documents how tenacious pioneers from Nellie Bly to Nikole Hannah-Jones blasted through the walls of journalism, exposed topics previously ignored, and built a home for women in America’s most controversial profession even as newsrooms fought for survival. Kroeger leaves no doubt that enterprising women have long narrated America’s real story.”—Elizabeth Cobbs, author of Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé