FICTION

The Subway Girls

by Susie Orman Schnall
Griffin: St. Martin's. Jul. 2018. 320p. ISBN 9781250169761. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250169778. F
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In this dual narrative, contemporary Olivia is struggling to make her way in the advertising world. She has an inappropriate crush on her boss and endures a sexist coworker who steals her ideas. In addition, the advertising firm just lost a major account. As she develops a pitch for a potential new client, Olivia discovers the Miss Subways campaign of the 1940s-70s, a monthly spotlight on a young woman from one of New York's five boroughs. In 1949, Charlotte is one of the women featured in the campaign. She sees her future in advertising closing, too—she can't seem to get hired into the steno pool, which would be her step into an agency. Her father needs her to help at the family store, and her boyfriend is pushing her to get married before she's had a chance to be successful on her own.
VERDICT As Olivia observes in the book, she'd always assumed women in the 1940s only aspired to be housewives and mothers, not careerwomen. Schnall (The Balance Project) nicely shows that women have always wanted to balance family and a career, and that it's never been easy.
Reviewed by Jennifer Mills, Shorewood-Troy Lib., IL , Jun 01, 2018
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