Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain
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Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain (Discovering America) Hardcover – September 1, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Kate Shindle’s sharply observed, smart, and heartbreaking take on Miss America will be embraced by pageant super fans and should be required reading for everyone who’s thought about what it takes to be America’s ideal. (Jennifer Weiner, author of Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and All Fall Down)
About the Author
KATE SHINDLE, who represented the state of Illinois, was Miss America 1998. Today, she is a working stage actor who has starred in Broadway musicals, including Cabaret, Legally Blonde, Wonderland, and Jekyll & Hyde, and dozens of regional productions. She has sung at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, worked as a correspondent for NBC’s Today, and appeared in TV/film projects such as Capote and Gossip Girl. Shindle maintains relationships with many of Miss America’s volunteers and contestants and continues to speak and write about HIV/AIDS prevention, marriage equality, and other issues in the Huffington Post, salon.com, and Newsweek. She lives in New York City.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By
Truthteller
on August 14, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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There's some real responsibility in being the first review! Kate has brought an insider's perspective as a former Miss America to something some of us care deeply about (recognizing we are a minority) and struggle with how to bring about change to the organization, brand, and experience. Kate had big shoes to fill from the much-revered, irreverent- yet- insightful, now 'historic' tome from Frank DeFord in 1971. She builds wisely on his work and others but has a modern take on what it's like to be a college student one day and on the road for a year another, following byzantine rules about what you can say about AIDS in school visits and trying to keep out of trouble with 'the front office'. Loved her commentary about the insidious and negative atmosphere online in 'pageant chat rooms' which recent Miss Americas, Miss States, and others are trying to change. As a thirty plus year volunteer who's agonized over many of the same issues she presents and spends too much of my time apologizing for sticking it out, I really appreciate how brave this book was and how necessary. This year isn't covered in the book but has been a very difficult one with judging/auditing and rule difficulties and the death knell for Atlantic City's once prospering casinos so I hope Kate will be in town to weigh in. A long time ago a journalist wrote "I can hardly bear to watch, but I do...the show is awful...the young women are wonderful." Indeed, the women are wonderful!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By
Larry Hoffer
on September 4, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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I'd give this 4.5 stars.
When Kate Shindle was crowned Miss America 1998 in September 1997, she became one of the most polarizing Miss Americas in some time. Some thought she was the clear winner the moment she stepped onstage; some said she only won because the pageant was fixed. Some loved her talent; some hated it. Some thought her swimsuit was fun and unique; others HATED it. But most of her detractors couldn't deny the intelligence and passion with which she spoke about her platform issue or cause, awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
"I have been called courageous, a trailblazer, the first socially relevant Miss America ever, fat, thin, beautiful, handsome, ugly, talented, untalented, inspiring, infuriating, deserving, undeserving."
I've always been a fan of Shindle's, as I feel she is never afraid to tell it like it is. In Being Miss America she speaks candidly both about what it's like to be Miss America--the good and the bad--and the triumphs and challenges the Miss America Organization has dealt with historically, and those it is facing currently.
"Most of the young women who strive to become Miss America see it as the public sees it: as a dream, a wish fulfillment that guarantees one will be respected, praised, and lifted up as an example of all that is right about young American women. Little do they know what they're actually getting into if they win. Decades of stereotypes, expectations, scandal, myths, media scrutiny, public skepticism, and questionable leadership choices have made actually being Miss America nearly impossible."
Those of you that know me are probably aware that I've been a volunteer with the Miss America Organization for more than 10 years.Read more ›
When Kate Shindle was crowned Miss America 1998 in September 1997, she became one of the most polarizing Miss Americas in some time. Some thought she was the clear winner the moment she stepped onstage; some said she only won because the pageant was fixed. Some loved her talent; some hated it. Some thought her swimsuit was fun and unique; others HATED it. But most of her detractors couldn't deny the intelligence and passion with which she spoke about her platform issue or cause, awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
"I have been called courageous, a trailblazer, the first socially relevant Miss America ever, fat, thin, beautiful, handsome, ugly, talented, untalented, inspiring, infuriating, deserving, undeserving."
I've always been a fan of Shindle's, as I feel she is never afraid to tell it like it is. In Being Miss America she speaks candidly both about what it's like to be Miss America--the good and the bad--and the triumphs and challenges the Miss America Organization has dealt with historically, and those it is facing currently.
"Most of the young women who strive to become Miss America see it as the public sees it: as a dream, a wish fulfillment that guarantees one will be respected, praised, and lifted up as an example of all that is right about young American women. Little do they know what they're actually getting into if they win. Decades of stereotypes, expectations, scandal, myths, media scrutiny, public skepticism, and questionable leadership choices have made actually being Miss America nearly impossible."
Those of you that know me are probably aware that I've been a volunteer with the Miss America Organization for more than 10 years.Read more ›
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
Blueberry Hickam
on August 19, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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This really is a must-read for pageant fans. Equally motivating as it is insightful, Kate Shindle tells it like it is. One of America's oldest traditions needs a modern and relevant update. Why not consult the very role models and leaders the organization helped to build?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
Sarah B
on September 17, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998, does a lovely job of visiting the history of the Miss America Pageant and interspersing it with memories of her journey to the crown. Discussion of some of the ups and downs of the organization during its almost 100 year history is eye opening, and gives good insight into how the pageant can evolve in the 21st century. She holds no punches, but is optimistic that Miss America can still be a dream for a young woman. A must read for any pageant fan.
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