In One Minus One, MacDougall takes us back to the 1960's in the U.S.A., a time when the world reeked of cigarette smoke. Women chose ladylike brands including "Salem." Men opted for the more "manly" unfiltered brands like "Pall Malls."
At lunch and dinner, men drank Martinis …more or Manhattans since alcohol was a business ritual. It was also considered, the best way to relax even at home.
Women, who stayed at home, drank, too. Some even drank to the "soaps" on TV. Women, who worked in business usually drank like men.
(Nuns, priests, teachers, and nurses were the exception and seldom used smoking and drinking.)
In this world, divorced women simply did not fit in. They were outcasts without an "Oprah" or Dr Phil.
These women were "one minus one" to many even themselves.
This book lures no readers with one notable exception, young women born after 1970. These women can read and learn how a woman's place in the world has changed for the better. They can learn how a woman's value escalated and appreciate an identity without a husband, partner or boss. No cigarettes or alcohol are not required. Today's woman is blessed. (less)

Matthew Goodman's writing is magic! He transforms historic documents into a fast-paced fascinating story that introduces the reader to Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland during the colorful era of the late 1880s. Both are single women taking on the challenges of New York City. …more Each is a talented writer and well qualified as a professional journalist. Newsrooms, however, are a male domain, and editors are proud of that. How these women overcome this obstacle unveils their creativity, tenacity, and talent. Nellie Bly is Yankee ready to make a difference in the world and Elizabeth Bisland is confident in her Southern style.

Prompted by Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, Bly sells the "World" newspaper on her imaginative story idea. Since Fogg circled the globe in eighty days; she explains that she can beat his record. At the "Cosmopolitan" magazine, Bisland's editor sees potential for a wager in the race, and he decides to sponsor her participation. But the real competitor in this race is time.

Newspaper and magazine readerships grow handsomely as the race begins and continues. Editors are pleased as Bly circles the globe from the east and Bisland from the west. But the ultimate winner today is the reader, who can follow such exotic travels from an easy chair at home.

The sights and sounds reported by these two amazing women offer excitement and insight as they open the door to the 20th century, and they find their way into the male dominated world of journalism. (less)

Greenberg's characters are women, whose lives are touched by crisis, first in their 20's, later in their 40's, but how distinctly their problems change. Emotions that cloud thinking, especially when the women are young, are not as fierce when they mature. Readers breathe …more easier as maturity points the way, and the emotional roller-coaster ride reaches resolution in a testimony to love.
The only negative response that I have to this work is the "self-help" language used by the major characters; I have worked in major market TV, and even there, women do not use the "F___" word. I find that language unnecessary and offensive. (less)