As a college freshman, Greer Kadetsky is smart and ambitious but timid when it comes to speaking her mind. A sexual assault leads her to a campus talk by iconic feminist Faith Frank, and a personal conversation following the event eventually materializes into a job at Faith's foundation, Loci. While still in thrall to Faith, Greer begins to question the practices and priorities of Loci, which is funded by a corporation with a mixed record. Meanwhile, Greer also struggles with her relationships with boyfriend Cory and best friend Zee. This novel, which feels very much of the moment, wrestles with issues of sexism, the corporatization of politics, and conflicts between second-wave feminism and 21st-century intersectional feminism and progressivism. At the same time, Wolitzer (The Interestings) also delves into mentorship, female friendship, gender roles, privilege, class, and emotional labor (without necessarily labeling them as such). It's a big book, and the detours into the lives of supporting characters sometimes feel like diversions, though it all fits into the broad canvas that the author is painting. She doesn't demonize, even when her characters display deep flaws, and in the end, strikes a note of positivity in troubled times. VERDICT Sure to be in demand: an essential purchase. [See Prepub Alert, 10/22/17.]—Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis

Timid new college student Greer Kadetsky, devoted to boyfriend Cory but otherwise uncertain of her life and herself, has a sudden sense of purpose when she hears leading feminist Faith Frank speak on campus. Remarkably, Faith takes an interest in Greer, setting her on an unexpected new path. Timely reading as circumstances revivify the fight for women's rights; from the New York Times best-selling author of The Interestings.

Wolitzer's ambitious and satisfying novel (following The Interestings) charts a Massachusetts girl's coming-of-age and asks pressing questions about what it means to be an empowered modern woman. When "selectively and furiously shy" freshman Greer Kadetsky first encounters 63-year-old feminist icon Faith Frank's impassioned rhetoric during a guest lecture at her college, she is bowled over by Frank's knowledge and intimidating stature. A few years after graduation, Greer lands a coveted job at Frank's Loci Foundation, a new speakers' forum dedicated to sharing women's stories, and couldn't be more excited about what her future might hold. But life throws a few curveballs. Her high school sweetheart, now a hotshot consultant, endures an unfathomable tragedy and moves back into his childhood home, disrupting the couple's plans to move in together. And, while her job at the foundation started out exhilarating and full of big ideas, the once-wide-eyed Greer has gained a more realistic perspective a few years in—including a nuanced understanding of a more human Frank. As in her previous novels, Wolitzer writes with an easy, engrossing style, and her eye for detail seamlessly connects all the dots in the book's four major story lines. This insightful and resonant novel explores what it is to both embrace womanhood and suffer because of it. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME Entertainment. (Apr.)

Bright and ambitious, Greer Kadetsky, the child of former hippies, attends her fallback school while her high school sweetheart, Cory, an academic powerhouse, enrolls at Yale. During her first weekend in college, she's groped at a frat party by a serial abuser, and she becomes inspired to stand up for herself by a speech given by Faith Frank, a charismatic icon whom Greer later engages in conversation. Greer's burgeoning friendship with a feminist freshman, Zee, also motivates her. After college, Cory sets off to capitalize on his Ivy League degree in international finance, while Greer reaches out to Faith, and both women embark on a new venture, a foundation to empower and support women around the world. It's a testament to Wolitzer's skill that few characters remain unexplored. Greer, Faith, and Cory are all unflinchingly defined. The three true-to-life protagonists face struggles that will interest young adult readers because of the book's weighty and relevant themes. Here, they will also find a powerful character-driven coming-of-age story told in a stark, wry voice. VERDICT Buy for discerning teens and collections serving academic high flyers.—Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA