Release Date: April 30, 2019

Alice Weiss is an aspiring photographer looking for a job in New York City. She moved from Ohio hoping that a family connection would provide a job. With limited experience, Alice finds employment at Cosmopolitan magazine. Her new role is the secretary to Helen Gurley Brown who is their first woman editor in chief.

In the mid-1960s Helen Gurley Brown was hired to bring life to the failing magazine. Her progressive and sometimes racy ideas were questioned by her management team causing many of them to resign. Alice develops a close relationship with Helen and enjoys the photo shoots and expensive dinners.  She soon becomes protective of her boss and resists the internal forces seeking to oust her. Things become more difficult for Alice as she fights for balance in her personal and professional life.

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen takes you behind the scenes of the amazing life of Helen Gurley Brown. She was a visionary who broke down social barriers in a man dominated field. I recall the racy quotes from Cosmopolitan when I was younger but never appreciated the significance until I read this book.