"In the Land of Men," by Adrienne Miller

When I read descriptions of Adrienne Miller’s memoir “In the Land of Men” (HarperCollins, 2020), I knew I would enjoy reading the book. Miller started off her adult life in New York City in the mid-nineties working as an editorial assistant at the magazine GQ, and in a few years, improbably at her age, became the literary editor of Esquire, then one of the most important publishers of fiction, among other features. There she got to know many literary figures, experienced various forms of sexual harassment, and became involved -- literarily and personally -- with the very well-known and controversial (both idolized and derided) writer David Foster Wallace. So we have the following enticing (to me, definitely) elements: a young woman starting off her adult life; immersion in the publishing, literary world; revelations about various famous writers and editors; discussion of sexism in the publishing world as well as the larger world; and plain old good gossip. As I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this memoir.