Valerie Estelle Frankel approaches Star Wars as more than a collection of multi-media narratives; she frames the franchise as a not-so-far-away galaxy of intertwined stories, perspectives, cultural touchstones, and identities. Like the force itself, this book connects the seemingly disparate, bringing into conversation the voices of feminist theorists and film critics with fans, actors, and directors. The result is a wide-reaching and useful analysis of Star Wars films, novels, comics, television shows, and even merchandise.
- Tony Vinci, Ohio University-Chillicothe,
In this bold, ambitious work, Frankel demonstrates the importance of understanding Star Wars texts in light of the four waves of American feminism. Her work will be particularly interesting to the legions of fans who came of age in the 1970s and beyond, who have been influenced particularly by second and third wave feminism. Well-researched and well-grounded in both popular culture and feminist studies, this book is theoretically important and yet accessible to general readers. It is an important text for readers interested in popular culture studies, women's and gender studies, and fandom and media studies.
- Veronica A. Wilson, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown,