"The Secret History of Wonder Woman" lecture by New Yorker writer Jill Lepore

Wonder Woman is the most popular female comic-book superhero of all time. Aside from Superman and Batman, no other comic-book character has lasted as long. Like every other superhero, Wonder Woman has a secret identity. Unlike every other superhero, she also has a secret history. In this illustrated lecture, Jill Lepore, the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University, lifts that veil of secrecy to reveal the surprising origins of Wonder Woman.

Jill Lepore’s books include Book of Ages, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize; The Mansion of Happiness, a finalist for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction; New York Burning, winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Award and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and The Name of War, winner of the Bancroft Prize. The Secret History of Wonder Woman is Lepore's most recent book, published by Knopf in October 2014.

Lepore is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she covers American history, culture, and politics. A co-founder of the magazine Common-place, her essays and reviews have also appeared in the New York Times, the Times Literary Supplement, American Scholar, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, The Daily Beast, the Journal of American History and American Quarterly.

"The Secret History of Wonder Woman" is the annual John L. Hatfield '67 lecture, hosted by the Friends of Skillman Library.