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THINK by Lisa Bloom

THINK

Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World

by Lisa Bloom

Pub Date: June 1st, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59315-659-6
Publisher: Vanguard/Perseus

TV host, commentator and lawyer Bloom felt compelled to write her debut after becoming disgruntled with society’s intellectual decline.

Appalled by the fact that 23 percent of American women would rather lose their ability to read than their figures, the author writes with frantic urgency about the ignorance that is infecting the country and how this epidemic affects American women. A journalist whose career highlights include covering the Saddam Hussein trail, Bloom is dismayed that women are most interested in celebrity scandals, which make up more than 95 percent of the cases she is currently assigned to cover. The author urges women to reassess their priorities, put down the tabloid magazines and become more aware of world issues, many of which she indulges in detailing. Acknowledging that she would be taking cheap shots if she didn’t offer solutions, the second half of the book suggests ways women can make a positive impact in their communities—e.g., volunteering and donating to worthy causes. The author also includes a list recommended reading and recipes that save time in the kitchen. While clearly written out of genuine concern, readers who are sensitive to criticism of American culture may take offense to the use of terms such as “Dumb American Syndrome.”

A wake-up call for women who have succumbed to a culture of mediocrity.