Almost Famous Women

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Almost Famous Women
256 pages; Scribner

Because your friend is a superstar...always.


Megan Mayhew Bergman's beautifully crafted new short-story collection, Almost Famous Women, focuses on real women who lived exceptional lives and deserve to be remembered—especially because they've been largely forgotten. These women (like their better-known peers, Joan of Arc or Eleanor Roosevelt) take risks that put them in emotional or physical peril, often in pursuit of happiness. Our favorite: Hazel Marion Eaton, who rode an Indian motorcycle in a motordrome in 1921. As Hazel lies on the hospital bed after an accident, Bergman imagines her reflecting on her earlier years growing up in the country and what led her to pursue her untraditional career: "What makes you empty and what makes you full?" Others tales include the adventures of Oscar Wilde's niece, Dolly, and the aviator Beryl Markham—both of which serve as a reminder that every life has a story behind it, sometimes fascinating enough to be turned into compelling fiction.
— Michele Filgate