I was provided an copy of Legal Tender: Women & The Secret Life of Money by Christian McEwen to review and what a delightful read it is. The book is a series of essays on money topics by a variety of women concerning their experiences with money. Money is a fascinating topic given it malleability. It can be a stand in for success safety, class, identify and much more. The conversations in the essays were revealing in the most interesting ways. For example, how a hoarder father’s surprise abundance surprised and enriched his daughter. My biggest complaint with the book is that it was not bigger and longer. This a tiny jewel of a gift regarding women’s relationships with money. ( )

I'm not sure what to make of this book. It feels like I'm reading a play, a social commentary play, the kind I might have gone to seen in college as part of a sociology class. I was expecting more science, more sociology but this book is basically transcribed interviews with women about money. It's hard to read- especially since there is little to no commentary about who these women are or the context in which they are speaking. Some parts were really interesting but some were really annoying with swearing or other verbal fillers. ( )

Based on the title I thought Legal Tender was going to be a financial advice guide for women. Instead it is short stories and vignettes about women's relationships with money. Based on my own horrific experiences with men and money, it is entirely relatable. Control your own money and your own destiny. If not somebody will try to do it for you, generally to your sorrow.

I really enjoyed this book. As a woman that grew up poor seeing my stepfather use money against my mother I could really relate to a lot of these stories. I like the diversity of the women telling these stories. There was a bit of repetition in the book but not a big deal. I would have really liked if there was a mixture of the stories as well as some really sound advice from a financial advisor or so. Overall really enjoyed it and glad I was picked to review this book. ( )

Very short book. A quick easy read. I thought it would be a more in depth discussion about women's relationship with money. It is more short stories. It did bring to mind my f'd up relationship with money. Money should be a topic in public education. Maybe it is now. It is something I had to learn by trial and error. ( )