McKendree Professor of English's Latest Book Wins Award

Lebanon, IL (02/28/2024) — Dr. Brenda Boudreau's latest book recently won the Susan Koppelman Award for the Best Anthology, Multi-Authored, or Edited book in Feminist Studies for 2024. The book, titled Abortion in Popular Culture: A Call to Action, was written in 2022 during the McKendree English professor's spring sabbatical. It was co-edited with Dr. Kelli Maloy and published by Lexington Books in 2023.

Named after Susan Koppelman, a feminist literary historian and anthologist, this award is given by the Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association.

Boudreau's new book analyzes narrative styles, rhetorical strategies, and cinematic techniques, all of which shape cultural attitudes toward abortion. It also analyzes cultural shifts, including the willingness or reluctance of networks, cable channels, and filmmakers to acknowledge changing trends in reproductive health. As a whole, the book argues that popular culture can play a significant role in destigmatizing abortion by including a wider range of narratives and doing so with nuance and empathy.