Stella Dallas

Originally published in 1923, this epic tale of motherhood, money, and sacrifice, inspired the first radio soap opera, a play, and three films, including the Oscar-nominated 1937 movie starring Barbara Stanwyck. Stella Dallas brings into sharp focus our societal obsession with the judgment of mothers, offering social commentary that is still shockingly relevant nearly one hundred years after its initial publication.

Olive Higgins Prouty (1882–1974) is the author of many books including Now Voyager. Later in her life, Prouty was a patron and mentor, and the basis for a character in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.