In the late 1940s, when television was in its infancy, four women helped shape the medium, introducing genres and formats, and blazing trails that have largely been forgotten. Why? Because their shows were for the most part broadcast live and not captured on film. But Betty White (pioneer of daytime talk shows), Gertrude Berg (Jewish sitcom queen), Irna Phillips (mother of soap operas), and Hazel Scott (the first African American woman to host a TV show) were the founding mothers of TV, and Armstrong's book shines a much-needed spotlight on these overlooked women. It's well worth a read (or a listen, which is how I experienced the book).
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