19. Louise Fitzhugh — Harriet the Spy with Leslie Brody and Laura Mazer
In this week’s episode, Amy and Kim discuss Louise Fitzhugh and her groundbreaking children’s book Harriet the Spy with Fitzhugh biographer Leslie Brody and Brody’s editor Laura Mazer. Though many people know of Harriet the Spy, they typically don't know much about Fitzhugh—until now. Brody’s new book on Fitzhugh, Sometimes You Have to Lie (Seal Press), received rave reviews from The Boston Globe and The New York Times, among others. As a children’s book author and a lesbian, Fitzhugh had to keep a low profile with the 1960s-era reading public, but in her private life, she was an unabashed renegade, just like her genre-busting heroine, Harriet. Join Amy and Kim as they find out more about her life story and how it influenced her writing of this beloved children’s novel.
Discussed in this episode:
Sometimes You Have to Lie by Leslie Brody
Laura Mazer of Wendy Sherman Associates
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
So You Want to Talk About Race? by Ijeoma Oluo
From Cradle to Stage: Stories From Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars by Virginia Grohl
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
“You Don’t Own Me,” by Leslie Gore
“A Bunny’s Tale” by Gloria Steinem