DNF @ 25% This was a book with such promise (and such a beautiful cover!) but didn’t quite live up to expectations. Overly wordy and can drill into a singular topic until we’re all blue in the face and the same sentence has been said in five different ways. There was interesting discussions deep within them, but it was so difficult to stay focused.

And that introduction? Should have been my first clue that this wasn’t for me. WAYYYY too long and full of (mostly unnecessary) disclaimers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had incredibly mixed feelings after finishing this book, so let’s start with what I really enjoyed!

The insight into the women and feminist ideas behind the creation of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West were fascinating. It had never occurred to me (although it seems obvious now that it’s been pointed out) that everyone with real power in Oz is a woman, and that the only man with real political power is exposed to be a charlatan. I had no idea about L. Frank Baum’s family and their involvement with the women’s suffrage movement, and it was fascinating to have these links explained.

I also really enjoyed the chapter about Margaret Hamilton’s depiction of the Wicked Witch, and how it fed into gender roles of the time both in front of and behind the camera. I thought these early chapters were the strongest, as well as some of the discussion on how Elphaba has become a modern icon.

Structurally, I think this book needed a bit of an overhaul. The chronological approach worked well, but about two-thirds of the way through, suddenly we had a side-quest into the way different cultures around the world have perceived witches through history. While I appreciate the research the author has done on this, I think it would have worked much better either earlier on in the book, or woven in to the rest of the chapters. The continent-by-continent approach also felt a little juvenile, and prevented any serious discussion on how these ideas and concepts came to be.

It’s rare that a few individual lines put me off a book, but I think in non-fiction especially, where the trust between the reader and the writer is so important, a bit of poor phrasing here and there does a lot to undermine the integrity of the book. I had three main issues: first, Bailey refers to the ‘Civil Rights Era’, which is not only inaccurate but demonstrates a misunderstanding of the term “civil rights”. Another instance was in the introduction (which I generally found to be overly-apologetic, as if pre-empting any and all issue the reader might have), where she clarified that despite ‘respecting’ Brexit, she would consider the UK to be part of Europe for the purposes of the book. Again, this shows a wild misunderstanding of what Brexit is, and unless you’re planning on pitching this book to the Daily Mail comments section, an unnecessary clarification. Finally, I took issue with the use of the word ‘unalives’ instead of ‘kills’. If your book is serious enough to include citations, it is DEFINITELY serious enough not to use TikTok-style censorship. They’re minor gripes, but in non-fiction especially, it is so important to be accurate in everything you’re saying, not just the details of the main thesis of the book.

I think with a couple of edits, this could be an excellent book, but for now it doesn’t quite reach the mark.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

"The Wicked Witch exhibits a defiance of traditional gender norms. She rejects the stereotypical attributes of femininity...she is fierce, commanding, and unapologetically ambitious. The broomstick came later, and it was never intended for tidying up."

I, as most American children, grew up watching The Wizard of Oz annually as it was broadcasted on cable TV. I enjoyed this thought-provoking look into how the Wicked Witch inspired and continues to inspire a desire and most importantly, a choice, to go against the mainstream.

I have loved the Wizard of Oz since I was a kid and was fascinated by the Wicked Witch of the West, so I was excited to read this book. It does not disappoint and was invested in the history and symbolism of the character. I was engaged with the way Lona Bailey wrote this and how everything worked for the Wicked Witch. This book was everything that I wanted and was glad I read this.