Sisterhood of the Squared Circle

February 1, 2017

From carnival tents to pay-per-view extravaganzas, women wrestlers have always grappled in the shadows of their male counterparts. Often exploited by promoters and misunderstood by audiences, early ring queens such as Mildred Burke and the Fabulous Moolah laid the groundwork for the mainstream popularity of professional wrestling in the 1980s and beyond. Their stories and the history of women's wrestling, however, have not been seriously examined until now. This work by Laprade (coauthor, Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs) and journalist Murphy (Pro Wrestling Illustrated) is an extensively researched chronology of women in professional wrestling, with over 100 biographical entries, including current stars, international story lines, legal challenges, essays on topics such as the sexualization of women's wrestling, and further resources for fans and researchers. Knowledge of professional wrestling vocabulary would be helpful for readers, and there is little examination of professional wrestling as a hybrid of sports and entertainment. For serious professional wrestling fans, though, this is an extremely valuable resource and an eye-opening look at women who have earned their history the hard way. VERDICT A definitive, accessible chronicle of professional female wrestlers, for public libraries where wrestling collections are popular.--Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT

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