Publisher's Synopsis
Combining the soul-baring confessional of Brain on Fire and the addictive storytelling of The Queen's Gambit, a renowned puzzle creator's compulsively readable memoir and history of the crossword puzzle and its use as an instrument of feminist progress.
Anna Shechtman published her first New York Times puzzle at age nineteen, and later, spearheaded the formation of The New Yorker's popular crossword section, for which she is today a biweekly contributor. Working with a medium often criticized as exclusionary, elitist, and out-of-touch, Anna is widely regarded as a crossword revolutionary-a female prodigy who has come to dominate an overwhelmingly male field, and who steadfastly works to make puzzles more gender-inclusive and accessible for diverse audiences.
Yet Anna's rise has had its share of challenges. A female prodigy who has come to dominate an overwhelmingly male field, she had to face down her considerable demons in her rise to the top. In this fascinating work-part memoir, part cultural history-she excavates the hidden history of the crossword and the overlooked women who have been central to its creation and evolution, from the "Crossword Craze" of the 1920s to the role of digital technology today. As she tells the story of her own experience in the CrossWorld, she analyzes the roles assigned to women in American culture, the boxes they've been allowed to fill, and the ways in which they've used crosswords as both a form of social critique and rebellion.
The result is an unforgettable and engrossing work of art, a loving and revealing homage to one of our most treasured, entertaining, and ultimately progressive pastimes.
