Combining the soul-baring confessional of Brain on Fire and the addictive storytelling of The Queenâs Gambit, a renowned puzzle creatorâs compulsively readable memoir and history of the crossword puzzle as an unexpected site of womenâs work and feminist protest.
The indisputable âqueen of crosswords,â Anna Shechtman published her first New York Times puzzle at age nineteen, and later, spearheaded the The New Yorkerâs popular crossword section. Working with a medium often criticized as exclusionary, elitist, and out-of-touch, Anna is one of very few women in the field of puzzle making, where she strives to make the everyday diversion more diverse.
In this fascinating workâpart memoir, part cultural analysisâshe excavates the hidden history of the crossword and the overlooked women who have been central to its creation and evolution, from the âCrossword Crazeâ of the 1920s to the role of digital technology today. As she tells the story of her own experience in the CrossWorld, she analyzes the roles assigned to women in American culture, the boxes theyâve been allowed to fill, and the ways that theyâve used puzzles to negotiate the constraints and play of desire under patriarchy.
The result is an unforgettable and engrossing work of art, a loving and revealing homage to one of our most treasured, entertaining, and ultimately political pastimes.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.