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March 2021 Vol. 58 No. 7

Cultural scientist Hartley (emer., Curtin Univ., Australia) investigates the role of individuals and groups in the creation, diffusion, interpretation, and response to stories, whether the stories be told through plays, magazines, monuments, television, or social media. The author’s intention is in part to highlight traditionally marginalized storytelling voices. Yet, most scholars discussed are white, Western males, and most media examples are drawn from English-speaking countries. When others, e.g., indigenous persons or girls and women are referenced (as in chapter 9, "Staged Conflict: Dialogic Monuments and Dancing Difference"), their own perspectives and agency are given little attention. As further illustration, the artwork on the book cover, created by Natasha Lea, portrays white girls/women in motion, evidently engaged in a storytelling endeavor, but at the same time depicted in sexually suggestive ways. While this could be interpreted as a graphic nod to the discussion in the book's final chapter, "World Class: Girls as a Problem of Knowledge," Hartley does not offer any explanation for or interpretation of the artwork, nor does he even refer to it. These issues could have been usefully resolved by the author's more explicit acknowledgment of his own identity and how it has influenced the story that he tells.

--K. Sorensen, Bentley University

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