Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food Book

A truly eye-opening look at the making of an American icon. I think we tend today to brush off or mock such kitchen staples as Betty Crocker, but it was amazing to read about the impact a fictional character had on the morale and skills of several generations of cooks, bakers, and homemakers, for good or ill. In some ways, she promoted a Stepford wife-like lifestyle for her followers, yet with the introduction of Betty Crocker's one-step and quick-step baking mixes and other time-saving food mixes, she freed women from the stove.

One thing's for certain: We know who to blame for the obesity epidemic we're currently suffering. Dieticians, nutritionists, and psychologists are having to fight against decades of "Love is food" advertising, perpetrated for the most part by Betty Crocker and her ilk. The overwhelming number of pamphlets and cookbooks produced in the name of Betty Crocker, enticing and exhorting wives and mothers to show their love to their families with delicious food has been pervasive for the better part of a century. No wonder, then, that many people turn to food for comfort. After all, Betty Crocker says it's okay, and that's okay for me!

Okay, so I may be exaggerating...slightly. However, reading this book definitely makes one aware of how our culture became food-obsessed, and how the creation of a fictional spokeswoman for a once-small flour company became the heart and soul of America's kitchens.