This book serves as a nice, strong introduction to the Beat movement, and especially the women of the beat movement--tragic figures consumed by their artistic passions and ruined by either the men they loved (or thought they loved) or by their families that despised the idea that they did not conform to the Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best mentalities of the day.

Be forewarned. The book is a collection of short biographies ranging from two to four pages long, with a small collection of the artist's poetry or prose afterward. It took me a few days to read through this. Biography after biography after biography can get tedious. If the book has a flaw, it is the lack of writing by the actual artists the book proclaims to hold in esteem; however, at the end there is a nice bibliography of works to allow you further exploration.