Based on meticulous archival research, this book details the vast array of projects in which Meloney was involved: arranging Marie Curie’s fundraising tours throughout America, campaigning to promote women’s college education, advising politicians on strategies to secure women’s votes, championing the Better Homes in America movement, and spearheading relief efforts during World War I. Without idealizing her subject, the author carefully points out Meloney’s contradictions and inconsistencies. Meloney led an amazingly productive life despite living with chronic health conditions, challenging us to reimagine our definitions of powerful women ... A meticulously researched and readable biography that will engage readers interested in women’s history and journalism, and in 20th-century social reform.

Throughout her life, Meloney forged connections with major political and cultural figures in her professional capacities, then deepened them into personal relationships with her warm, engaging manner. Her biography reveals a good deal about mass media and women’s evolving role in society in the first half of the 20th century, and Des Jardins capably weaves together these narrative strands. But sometimes you want to pat the author’s hand and tell her to relax and stop trying so hard to convince us of her subject’s importance ... Meloney’s moderate politics and ladylike strategies were hardly surprising for a woman born into respectable middle-class circumstances in Kentucky in 1878, but they seem to embarrass Des Jardins, who compensates with a mix of defensiveness and overstatement ... It’s flat-out absurd to claim that in 1920, as the editor of a popular women’s magazine, 'Missy had engaged women as political beings more than anyone else before her' ... Fortunately, when Des Jardins gets off her hobbyhorse she is an effective chronicler and astute analyst of Meloney’s life and work.

...noteworthy ... a useful contribution to the history of American journalism. It’s odd, though, that the author seldom lets Meloney speak for herself by quoting from her journalism and letters. It’s a perplexingomission in a biography of someone who wrote tens of thousands of words ... Ms. Des Jardins’s portrayal of Meloney as one of the most powerful players of her age is persuasive. The use of a girlish nickname smacks of a condescension that the author clearly doesn’t wish to imply.

Combining accessible political history and social registry, this sympathetic biography tells the story of Missy Meloney, a pioneering early twentieth-century journalist, magazine editor, lobbyist, and political advisor ... There are plenty of quotes, anecdotes, and quick studies of members of her vast inner circle, encompassing presidents, royalty, movie stars, and literati ... A frail woman who walked with a limp and suffered from chronic tuberculosis as well as a wife and mother, Meloney managed to raise public consciousness regarding women as a significant political demographic, always celebrating the contributions and capabilities of others. It’s about time she got some attention for herself, and this deft offering does an admirable job.

Missy delivered not only a story, but also photos and connections to famous neighbors, whom she knew personally. As Des Jardins clearly demonstrates, she never stopped looking beyond the story ... Her accomplishments were vast, and Des Jardins capably brings them to light ... The author opens our eyes to a woman who should be a household name.

Julie Des Jardins brings impressive research skills in her biography of Missy Meloney, the most important feminist nobody has heard of ... this one small sickly woman packs more into her life than any ordinary human being. Reading this biography is like reading the lives of several people. Des Jardins rightly stresses Meloney’s role as facilitator and cheerleader, showing how important this kind of support can be for scientists, writers, and politicians. Meloney’s life serves as a kind of blueprint for how women can help each other ... Des Jardins’ writing inspires all of us in the way Missy clearly inspired others. It’s an incredible feat for a biography to serve its subject so well.

Historian Des Jardins unearths the power and influence of early 20th-century editor Marie 'Missy' Mattingly Meloney (1878–1943) in this competent and purposeful biography ... Des Jardins makes a convincing case for Meloney’s crucial role in showing American women how to flex their political muscle. Readers interested in women’s issues will find this to be a valuable contribution to the subject.