From The Archives: Book Review – 'A Women's History of The Beatles'

An informative and ground-breaking book that details the misrepresented audience of the world's greatest genre-breaking band — and the ways we can shift that paradigm

For all the terminology associated with being a female fan of the Beatles, I’m happy to say that “aca-fan” is one I believe needs more press. Accordingly, Dr. Christine Feldman-Barrett’s newly published A Women’s History of The Beatles (Bloomsbury, 2021) seeks to inform a wide, multi-generational audience that may not wholly understand the role of women in ‘Beatlefandom.’

The definition of aca-fan or academic fan stems from Feldman-Barrett’s research into how we define the span of women (either first generation or beyond) who were deeply affected by the Beatles’ impact on their lives. Through countless interviews that range from women who saw the band during their brief lifespan or who discovered them through recordings and film or from family members, Feldman-Barrett brings into focus the multi-layered emotions felt by each discovery and life-changing course of action.

The Beatles Fan Club secretary Freda Kelly with Paul | Credit: Courtesy of Freda Kelly

However, Feldman-Barrett begins by discussing the Beatles’ unique understanding of their female fans, especially those they befriended in Liverpool. These girls were stalwart supporters at a time when young women were still expected to finish school, get married and raise a family. Although many did go down that avenue, so too did many seek to break out of the norm, establish an identity and pursue a career. The Beatles in many respects, through their performances or correspondences, helped them to achieve what was considered a fairly lofty, nearly unattainable goal. In return, these working girls from Liverpool (whom the group considered friends) set the pattern for years to come: whether they were fan club secretaries (like Liverpudlian Freda Kelly) or journalists (such as the Evening Standard’s Maureen Cleave), these smart women were there from the start and stayed the course helping to spread “The Word.”

The Shirelles | Credit: Wikimedia/Creative Commons

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