Tripping the Prom Queen: The Truth about Women and Rivalry

"Frasier is one of the most talented readers of nonfiction audio books (it wasn't a simple matter to make a book like Mary Roach's Stiff both edifying and wry, but Frasier pulled it off wonderfully). Frasier delivers the text at a brisk clip, just quick enough to hold the audience's interest through Barash's repetitive text, but clearly enough to enunciate every word. Moreover, Frasier individualizes the voices of research respondents, 500 heterosexual women interviewed about competitive relationships with other women, putting a human face on Barash's conclusions. Barash has a gift for innuendo: the respondents come across as reluctant, shy, angry, bitter or matter-of-fact. Although these women appear only briefly, Frasier manages to convey more than the printed text might. It's an easier task to read a brilliant book than one like Barash, which lags at times. Kudos to Frasier's fine job with a book that is an important addition to women's and cultural studies but lacks narrative sparkle. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 12, 2005)." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Tripping the Prom Queen is an investigation of the dark secret of female friendships--the deep vein of female rivalry. Based on interviews with more than 500 women the social spectrum, Susan Shapiro Barash has discovered startling facts, including that 25 percent reported that they themselves had stolen another woman's husband, lover, boyfriend or job. She explodes the myth that women are generally supportive of one another. In fact, the competition between women is more vicious precisely because it is covert. In this book she: 1. Tells us why we want to trip the prom queen in the first place. Where does this desire come from?2. Explains how rivalry is different among women than among men.3. Identifies the areas in which women most heatedly compete: looks, jobs, kids, men.4. Shows how this competition can be harmful.5. Gives useful strategies to stop the competition and have a new, healthy, kind of relationship with other women.