Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia

Ms. Mentor receives all her mail via Emily Toth, Professor of English and Women's Studies, at Louisiana State University.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsGraduate School: The Rite of PassageThe Job HuntThe Conference ScenceFirst Year on the JobThe Perils and Pleasures of TeachingWhen Cultures CollideMuddles and PuzzlesSlouching Toward TenurePost-TenureEmerita: The Golden YearsFinal WordsBibliography: Women in Academia and Other Readings Sampled by Ms. MentorIndex

"Never has there been such a forthright collection of wisdom and wit." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) "Toth . . . is the first and foremost agony aunt of American feminist academics. . . . Her very funny and pithy book deals with graduate school, the job hunt, the conference scene, the first year on the job, the 'perils and pleasures' of teaching, 'slouching towards tenure,' and 'muddles and puzzles,' including what to wear to an interview, which discipline has the sexiest men, collegiality, sexual harassment, networking, social faux pas, and why bozos get tenure. A staunch feminist, Ms Mentor knows how to smile and deliver a witty retort instead of a lecture on sexism. Undazzled by the trappings of academic success, she regularly reminds her correspondents that they can find happy and successful careers elsewhere. But she has also come to terms with the realities of working in a profession. . . . Ms Mentor is a more liberating and energizing voice than the subdued, self-questioning wisdom of the autobiographical." (Elaine Showalter, Times Literary Supplement) "A genuine contribution to understanding how the professions of academe function (or don't) and how to negotiate successfully a career path in research and teaching." (Annette Kolodny, University of Arizona) "Everyone who's ever been in academe knows that it's a jungle out there, not a grove; Toth's book is a machete sharp enough to hack a path through the undergrowth." (New Orleans Times-Picayune)