Arts, Culture & Fun: Women Who Read Are Dangerous

What is it about a woman reading that has captivated hundreds of artists over the centuries? Stefan Bollmann’s book Women Who Read Are Dangerous explores this popular subject in more than 70 artworks—drawings, paintings, photographs, and prints—by iconic artists such as Henri Matisse, Edward Hopper, Suzanne Valadon, August Sander, Rembrandt, and many more. As the book’s provocative title indicates, a woman reading was once viewed as radical. In chapters such as “Intimate Moments” and “The Search for Oneself,” the book profiles how a woman with a book was once seen as idle or suspect, and how women have gained autonomy through reading over the years.

Women Who Read Are Dangerous offers intelligent and engaging commentary on each work of art it features, telling us who the subject is, her relationship to the artist, and even what she is reading. With works ranging from a 1333 Annunciation painting of the angel Gabriel speaking to the virgin Mary, book in hand, to twentieth-century works, such as a stunning photograph of Marilyn Monroe reading Ulysses, this appealing survey provides a veritable slideshow of the many iterations of a woman and her book—a compelling subject to this day.

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Carli Braithwaite is a media and marketing producer at Abbeville Press. After studying art history at the Fashion Institute of Technology with concentrations in critical studies and art theory, she joined Abbeville with the goal of making art history more accessible to more people than ever before through social and digital media. 

Natalie N. Caro is a Bronx born author and a 2015 Pushcart Prize Nominee. She holds a BA in English Literature and Philosphy from Lehman College/CUNY where she currently teaches composition, and an MFA in Poetry from City College/CUNY.

Lorraine Currelley is a mental Health Counselor with a certificate in Thanatology.  She also writes in this professinal capacity and incorporates her knowledge to advocate for mental health and self care. She is a life and writing coach.

Dr. Shamika Mitchell teaches a broad spectrum of English Courses, including composition, world literature, modern fiction, research methods, African-American literature, Asian-American literature and children's literature.