Sochen considers such women as Mae West, Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, Pam Grier, Lucille Ball, and Mary Tyler Moore to discover what show business did for them and what they did for the world of entertainment. She places each woman within the context of her time and talks about her relationship with dominant female stereotypes.

In examining how they worked within or transformed particular genres and how their personal and public lives affected their careers, From Mae to Madonna casts the spotlight on a series of remarkable women and their dramatic effect on America s popular culture.