Download or read book Women and Self-Help Culture written by Wendy Simonds and published by . This book was released on 1992-06-01 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines what the phenomenon of self-help reading reveals about gender relations in contemporary American culture. She interviews women readers and editors of self-help books, and looks at bestsellers since 1963 -- those offering advice about managing relationships, enhancing sexuality, developing self-esteem, becoming assertive, and improving spiritual life. Drawing on feminist theory and critical cultural studies, she explores the appeal of self-help books and asks what readers are making of them. She includes discussions of readers' assessments of the meaning and effectiveness of self-help reading, and creators' views of their work.