Culture critic Scarlett Harris deep dives into the world of women's professional wrestling, highlighting the commodification and exploitation of the athletes as she recounts both the triumphs and adversities faced by the biggest names in the biz, including Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and the Bella Twins."Diva is not just another retelling of the same title matches of yesteryear-it firmly calls for the future of women's wrestling to be placed in the hands of women themselves."-Heather Bandenberg, author of Unladylike: A Grrrl's Guide to Wrestling
"Often when I read a good wrestling book I will find myself saying "I didn't know that" about parts of the content. In this case my reaction was more often "I hadn't thought of it that way" and that makes for a refreshing change." -John Lister, Prowrestling Books
A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler: An Abbreviated Herstory of World Wrestling Entertainment, the latest book from the dynamic new publishing house Fayetteville Mafia Press, is a profoundly intelligent and opinionated cultural exploration of the history of professional women's wrestling. It has never been more relevant than now, with its strong connection to the #MeToo and Times Up movements and its passionate argument that WWE wrestling has undervalued and even mistreated women over the course of its history. The book is full of humor and astonishing insights and is a gripping, thoughtful read throughout.
From the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection to the Attitude and Divas eras to the women's wrestling evolution happening now, A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler is a loosely chronologized cultural criticism of World Wrestling Entertainment's herstory.
Lifelong wrestling fan and critic Scarlett Harris uses big ideas, such as #MeToo, the commodification of feminism, and how we tell women's stories, to chart the rise and fall and rise of women's wrestling, and vice versa.
All of the biggest names in wrestling, past and present, are here -- Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, the Bella Twins, The Fabulous Moolah, Trish Stratus, Wendi Richter, Miss Elizabeth, and Chyna -- and their stories of adversity and triumph as they fought for respect and equal treatment range from despair to exhilaration. This is an incredibly powerful book that is needed now more than ever.
