June 6, 2003

When a Book Cover Speaks Volumes

By STEPHANIE A. SHIELDS

When I show friends the cover of my recent book, Speaking From the Heart: Gender and the Social Meaning of Emotion, I get one of two responses. The first is an enthusiastic "Cool! Did you get to choose the cover yourself?" The second is a restrained "Interesting." Pause. "Did you choose the cover yourself?" These exchanges take place before the questioner opens the book to the inside cover flaps, and finds the most, ahem, striking image: men in thongs.

I have written many journal