By Marilyn French
In the late 1960's, Jess Leighton, daughter of a celebrated, but tortured artist and a pro-feminist professor mother is growing up in the New England town of Cambridge. Along with the headlining issues of the times, the Vietnam war, feminism, assassinations and protest rallies, Jess also learns about issues that most teens had never really had to deal with. The foster care system from her first boyfriend, a friends' abuse at the hands of a parent, and police corruption when her best friend's father is convicted of bribery. All this and her parents' splintering marriage can give any teen, then and now, cause to stop and examine each and every choice she makes.
Going off to college, and then like so many kids of the time, dropping out, Jess decides to locate a childhood friend at a commune in rural Massachusetts. Deciding to stay, she quickly finds out that having to take financial and emotional responsibility for herself is "...far from liberating," and the communal life is hardly idyllic. Jess does discover her love of cooking, and the early days of organic farming, and replaces Doris Lessing with Alice Waters as her role model. She also realizes that now, even though she has more options than her mother's generation did, there are no set guides for her to build the kind of life she wants to live. Jess realizes that to have the happy life she wants, she has to make it for herself, on her own terms.
"The Women's Room," Marilyn French's 1977 novel became one of the most influential books on the feminist movement. In her final novel, published after her death in May of 2009, French addresses the issues and captures the spirit of the times for the daughters of "the Women's Room" generation.
MUSHROOM LOVE
Stuffed Mushrooms from cookingcache.com
Ingredients
18 mushrooms (cleaned with stems removed)
4 Tbs. "Alouette" spreadable cheese, Spinach & artichoke flavor works best
2 Tbs. grated parmesean cheese
1/8 - 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbs. bacon bits
Prep
Mix all ingredients except mushrooms. Fill mushrooms with mixture. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 12-15 minutes.
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