Blyth, Myrna 1939-

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Blyth, Myrna 1939-

PERSONAL: Born March 22, 1939, in New York, NY; daughter of Benjamin (a textile manufacturer) and Betty (Austin) Greenstein; married Jeffrey Blyth (a journalist), November 25, 1962; children: Jonathan, Graham. Education: Bennington College, B.A., 1960.

ADDRESSES: Home—90 Riverside Dr., New York, NY. Agent—Inkwell Management, 521 5th Ave., New York, NY 10175.

CAREER: Datebook, New York, NY, senior editor, 1960–63; Ingenue, New York, NY, book and fiction editor, 1963–72; Family Health, New York, NY, senior editor, 1972–74; Family Circle, New York, NY, book and fiction editor, 1973–77, executive editor, 1977–81; Ladies Home Journal, New York, NY, editor-in-chief, 1981–2002. Founding editor-in-chief and publishing director, MORE. Former delegate for the United States to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Chairman of President's Commission on White House Fellows; member of advisory committee for Office of Research in Women's Health, National Institutes of Health.

MEMBER: American Society for Magazine Editors, Overseas Press Club, Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Writers Guild, Women's Media Group, Child Care Action, New York Women in Communications.

AWARDS, HONORS: Matrix Award, New York Women in Communications, 1988; Headliner Award, Women in Communications, 1992; American Jewish Committee's Publishing Division Human Relations Award, 1992; Henry Johnson Fisher Award, Magazine Publisher Association, 1999; Publishing Executive of the Year Award, Advertising Age; Women of Achievement Award, New York City Commission on the Status of Women; Matrix Award, New York Women in Communications.

WRITINGS:

Cousin Suzanne (novel), Mason Publishing (New York, NY), 1975.

For Better and for Worse (novel), Putnam (New York, NY), 1979.

Spin Sisters: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness—and Liberalism—to the Women of America (nonfiction), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2004.

Also author of introduction, Ladies' Home Journal Vintage Covers: A Poster Book, Harmony Books (New York, NY), 1983. Author of a radio play for Columbia Broadcasting System. Contributor of short stories and articles to New Yorker, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Mc-Call's, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Reader's Digest, Ms., Ingenue, and magazines in England, Holland, Scandinavia, South Africa, and Italy.

SIDELIGHTS: Myrna Blyth held many influential positions in the magazine publishing industry, and this experience gave her the insight needed to write a controversial book titled Spin Sisters: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness—and Liberalism—to the Women of America. She describes an elite group who have considerable influence over the media messages that reach millions of American women. According to Blyth, this group is almost uniformly liberal, and they create the false illusion that most American women share their particular mindset. Blyth also states in her book that the mass media bombards women with messages designed to frighten them and make them feel victimized.

Evaluating Spin Sisters in Reviewer's Bookwatch, S. Daniel Smith called it a "hard-hitting book" that has credibility because of its author's background. Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper doubted that Spin Sisters would convert many political liberals to conservatism, but called Blyth is "an engaging writer" who makes her points "effectively."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS.

America's Intelligence Wire, March 1, 2004, Kathleen Hays, transcript of interview with Myrna Blyth for television program The Flipside; March 22, 2004, Rick Klein, "Myrna Blyth's LHJ Career Had Spin Sisters Tendencies, Too"; July 19, 2004, "Myrna Blyth's Spin Sisters Played No Role in Salvatore's 'Politicking,'"

Booklist, April 15, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of Spin Sisters: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness—and Liberalism—to the Women of America, p. 1408.

Columbia Journalism Review, March-April, 2004, Andie Tucher, review of Spin Sisters, p. 57.

Crain's New York Business, February 16, 2004, James Brady, "Women's Magazine Editor Looks at Years of Disservice," p. 9.

Folio, April 15, 1999, Dzintars Dzilna, profile of Myrna Blyth, p. 51.

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT), March 17, 2004, Liz Halloran, "Former Editor of Ladies Home Journal Lambastes Women in the Media."

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2004, review of Spin Sisters, p. 66.

Library Journal, March 1, 2004, Judy Solberg, review of Spin Sisters, p. 88.

Mediaweek, March 25, 2002, "Meredith Expands Blyth's Role," p. 35; July 29, 2002, "Blyth Steps Down at Ladies Home Journal," p. 27.

National Review, March 22, 2004, Kate O'Beirne, review of Spin Sisters, p. 51.

National Right to Life News, June, 2004, review of Spin Sisters.

Publishers Weekly, March 8, 2004, review of Spin Sisters, p. 68.

Reviewer's Bookwatch, January, 2005, S. Daniel Smith, review of Spin Sisters.

USA Today, March, 2005, Raymond L. Fischer, review of Spin Sisters, p. 80.