Regina Barreca '79

Associate Professor of English, University of Connecticut, Storrs

I want to take back the f-word," says this professional stereotype-buster. She is referring to that strangely shocking term "feminism." In the classroom, and in a dizzying number of publications, Gina Barreca is giving feminism a good name. She's funny, for one thing. Her two hot-selling books for lay readers lay down punchlines along with sharp intellectual analysis: Perfect Husbands and OtherFairy Tales: DemystifyingMarriage, Men andRomance (Random House); and They Used toCall Me Snow White...ButI Drifted: Women's StrategicUses of Humor. Coming up: an edited collection of short stories on women, an academic book on humor, and "a book on revenge." Revenge? "It's one way I think being Sicilian is an advantage." Barreca is a natural for the talkshow circuit; the networks are just beginning to catch on.

Barreca's nextwork: revenge.