July 2026
SINGLE GIRLS by John Searles is a wonderful ode to Helen Gurley Brown --- and the “girls” who worked with her --- wrapped up in a brilliantly fun novel. John worked with Helen (in later days, he became comfortable calling her Helen instead of Mrs. Brown) when he started in the Books department at Cosmopolitan. Since I have known John, he has been fascinated by the mission of the magazine and its history.
This is a departure from the thrillers that we have come to expect from John, and his storytelling is spot-on. He nails the gumption and pluckiness that Helen harnessed. She wrote a book called SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL, which encouraged women to become financially independent and experience sexual relationships before or without marriage. After its publication in 1962, she was inundated with letters from young women seeking her advice.
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