New Book Out Today: Fierce Females on Televison

If you’re in Times Square New York City on Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m., look up and you just might see the ad for my book!

Need a book to curl up with as we head into Spooky Season and the cold months ahead? If you’re a fan of television (and who isn’t or at least hasn’t been?) I’ve got a book for you!

It’s publication day for Fierce Females on Television: A Cultural History, my analysis of 10 TV shows from the 1990s through now, showing how beginning with the third wave of feminism, women were increasingly allowed to embrace their whole being and wield their power, both on television and in life. Shows covered include:

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • Charmed
  • Alias
  • Nikita
  • Agent Carter
  • Jessica Jones
  • Homeland
  • House of Cards
  • Orphan Black
  • The Equalizer (Queen Latfa version)

Interested in buying? You can get it in ebook and hardback pretty much anywhere books are sold, but here are a few links I’ve rounded up:

U.S.

Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop US | iBooks | Walmart |
Rowman & Littlefield | Indie Bound (independent bookstores)

International

Blackwells | Bookshop UK  | Foyles | Hive | Kobo | Waterstones

Amazon Australia | Amazon Brazil | Amazon Canada | Amazon France | Amazon Germany Amazon India  | Amazon Italy Amazon Japan |  Amazon Mexico | Amazon Spain |  Amazon UK

Reviews

“[An] entertaining study…The analysis is smart…[and] fans will enjoy the fresh insights into some old favorites.” – Publisher’s Weekly

“Expertly conveys how each of the ten shows was groundbreaking in its representation of women taking center stage and fighting against the many obstacles in their way while inspiring female audiences…A thoughtful and accessible read for teen fans looking for a deeper dive into any of the featured shows.” — Booklist

“[T]his is an accessible study of archetypes and their pop culture iterations. Evelina gives viewers of the featured 10 shows an excuse to binge watch some of their old favorites. — Library Journal

“When it comes to expositions on fierce and fearless females, there’s no better authority than Nicole Evelina. Her deep dives into the badass—and, sometimes, sadly forgotten—women of history is unparalleled, and her research is second-to-none…Fierce Females on Television is… a must-read for both feminists and gender studies scholars alike. – Bernadette R. Giacomazzo, author of In Living Color: A Cultural History and The Golden Girls: A Cultural History

“Mixes a breezy writing style with a comprehensive overview of the emerging bad-assery of women on television from the mid-1990s to the present day…[and] focuses on the nuances—and responsibilities—of power and what it means for a woman to wield it.” — Erin Giannini, author of Supernatural: A History of Television’s Unearthly Road Trip

Cover Reveal: Fierce Females on Television

I was so busy moving and such that I realized I never did a cover reveal for my next release: Fierce Females on Television: A Cultural History.

Coming October 15

A fascinating deep-dive into how shows from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The Equalizer have changed the way women are portrayed on television.

The last three decades of television have been a formative and progressive time for female characters, as stronger, more independent women have appeared on screen to guide a new generation of viewers into their own era of power. These characters battle vampires, demons, corrupt government officials, and scientific programs all while dealing with the same real-world concerns their audiences face every day.

In Fierce Females on Television: A Cultural History, Nicole Evelina examines ten shows from the past thirty years to unveil the enormous impact they have had on the way women are portrayed on television. She reveals how Buffy the Vampire SlayerCharmedAliasNikitaAgent CarterJessica JonesHomelandHouse of CardsOrphan Black, and The Equalizer feature extraordinary lead characters who are at the same time utterly relatable, facing surprisingly familiar questions in their everyday lives regarding sexuality, gender, and how to fight back in a patriarchal world.

Fierce Females on Television shows how, even with their captivating mix of melodrama, mystery, magic, and martial arts, these shows nevertheless represent the audience’s own desires and fears. Finally, viewers of science fiction, fantasy, spy, and political shows have strong, modern women to watch, admire, and emulate.

Pre-order hardback or ebook

U.S.

Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop US | iBooks | Walmart |
Rowman & Littlefield | Indie Bound (independent bookstores)

International

Blackwells | Bookshop UK  | Foyles | Hive | Kobo | Waterstones

Amazon Australia | Amazon Brazil | Amazon Canada | Amazon France | Amazon Germany Amazon India  | Amazon Italy Amazon Japan |  Amazon Mexico | Amazon Spain |  Amazon UK

Two-Book Traditional Publishing Deal!

So…I have news!

I am over-the-moon excited! I’m finally a hybrid author! This has been a long time coming and I am so excited to write these books. Here’s a little more about them:

Obviously, not the real cover.

Sex and the City: A Cultural History
This book will provide cultural context and analysis of the famous show, both how it affected cultural as it aired and also how it looks now 20+ years later. Some topics include:

  • Looking at what it means to relate to each of the girls (ala, Are you a Carrie? A Samantha? A Miranda? A Charlotte?)
  • What the men in the show illustrate about masculinity and what that means about the kinds of men women are attracted to.
  • Issues like diversity or lack thereof, treatment of sex and sexuality, LGBTQIA portrayal.
  • How the show made New York a character, built brands, influenced fashion and reflected third wave feminism.
  • And a lot more!

I have an end of year deadline, so hopefully the book will come out around the time the reboot, And Just Like That, airs.

Fierce Females in Television: A Cultural History

Thank God, not the real cover!

This book will briefly discuss the nature of physically strong women on TV from the 1950s-1980s, but will focus specifically on the 1990s to today because that is when we saw a major ramp up in the portrayal of these kinds of women.

Shows covered include: Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Charmed (1998-2006), Alias (2001-2006), Nikita (2010-2013), Agent Carter (2015-2016), Jessica Jones (2015-2019), Game of Thrones (2011-2019), and Homeland (2011-2020).

Some of the topics include:

  • An analysis of the main female characters on each show.
  • The meaning of female strength and friendships/family.
  • The influence of third- and fourth-wave feminism on the shows and their characters.
  • Treatment of sex and diversity.
  • The role of redemption narratives and change in female lives.
  • And more!

This book will be out sometime in 2023/24.

Between these, the League of Women Voters book (due Oct. 4) and at least one work of historical fiction, you know what my next few months and even my 2022 will look like!