Short Synopsis
An inside look at what it was really like to be an ad woman on Madison Avenue in the 1960s and '70s, from casual sex to professional serfdom, in this immensely entertaining and bittersweet memoir.

Full Synopsis
Mad Women is a tell-all account of life in the New York advertising world of the 1960s and '70s from Jane Maas, a female copywriter who succeeded in the primarily male environment portrayed by the hit TV show Mad Men.

Fans of the show are dying to know how accurate it is: did people really have that much sex in the office? Were there really three-martini lunches? Were women really second-class citizens? Jane Maas says the answer to all three questions is unequivocally yes. And her book, based on her own experiences and countless interviews with her peers, gives the full stories, from the junior account man whose wife nearly left him when she found the copy of Screw magazine he'd used to find "entertainment" for a client, to the Ogilvy & Mather agency's legendary annual sex-and-booze-filled Boat Ride, from which it was said no virgin ever returned intact. Wickedly funny and full of juicy inside information, Mad Women also tackles the tougher issues of the era, such as equal pay, rampant jaw-dropping sexism, and the difficult choice many women faced between motherhood and their careers.

"Since the book is very much about an intimate discussion, I found the audio format to be an ideal way to experience this book. And yes, she does answer all those questions about what is and isn't real in the TV series, based upon her experiences." ---Surreal Talvi

"Maas's humorous yet authoritative account of her life in advertising during the Mad Men era is a welcome look behind the curtain into a traditionally male world. . . . Maas mixes personal stories with advertising history, making this a compelling read." ---Publishers Weekly

"Hilarious! Honest, intimate, this book tells it as it was." ---Mary Wells Lawrence, author of A Big Life (In Advertising)

"Coleen Marlo . . . along with the author makes the listener want to hear more stories." ---Library Journal Starred Audio Review

"[An] enjoyable performance." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

Library Journal Audio