The XX Factor: What women really think.

Money, Not Death or Sex

Emily, I don't think that a memoir of Diane Keaton's relationship to her dementia-suffering mother is what readers of any age necessarily want. I think publishers are grasping at straws in this economy and are willing to publish anything with a celebrity name attached. The common wisdom is probably that a book by Diane Keaton on any subject—from Alzheimer's to zoology—will sell more than the latest literary tome from Richard Ford or any similarly revered author.

With news yesterday that HarperCollins is cutting staff and offering buyouts, after a winter of similarly depressing news from other publishing houses, people are getting desperate to sell books. Which might explain the just-announced book deal for Alexandra Penney, the former Self editor who lost a ton of money with Madoff and then complained about having to lay off her maid, Yolanda, and take the subway in a much-reviled story in the Daily Beast. As Hamilton Nolan at Gawker puts it, " 'Notorious' is the new 'Deserving.' " It remains to be seen whether or not this attitude will save the publishing industry, but I guess at this point anything is worth a shot.

Penney Wise, or Penney Foolish?

Sometimes, Hanna, the self-parody is so much funnier (and sadder) than anything people can make up. The Daily Beast has a first-person account by Alexandra Penney, who lost her life savings in the Bernard Madoff scheme. Not only is she going to have to sell her cottage in West Palm Beach, Fla., (her second home) but

I love beautiful things: high thread count sheets, old china, watches, jewelry, Hermes purses and Louboutin shoes. I like expensive French milled soap, good wines and white truffles. I have given extravagant gifts like diamond earrings. I traveled a lot. In this last year, I've been Laos, Cambodia, India, Russia, and Berlin for my first solo art show. Will I ever be able to explore exotic places again?

Now, I have a measure of sympathy for those who lost their fortunes to Madoff. They did nothing wrong except to trust him with their money. I hope that our legal system metes out the proper punishment for him. (I will try to set aside my inclination to remind people that the first rule of investing is Diversify! Diversify! Diversify!) And normally I don't hate on people for enjoying the finer things in life. But when hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs or having their hours and benefits cut, and all of us are cutting back on expenses, neither can I get too worked up about someone having to give up her Hermes bags.

That wasn't the only thing that bothered me about Penney's story, though. She recounts how, in the 1970s, she was married to "a talented industrial designer. We lived right off Park Avenue and had a son. But the chichi uptown lifestyle was not for me." So she gets divorced and brags about leaving without taking a penny, opting to work three jobs to support herself and her son. Because "I was a feminist and I would make it on my own." But isn't that as much foolish pride as it is feminism? She could have refused spousal support but taken child support and worked a bit less, enabling her to spend more time with her son.

I realize I'm looking at this from the perspective of 2008 and not the 1970s, when she made her decisions. Was feminism that much different then, that motherhood was seen as secondary to being independent?