Havranek has pooled an impressive list of leading women from a variety of musical genres, including country, alternative rock, hip-hop, R&B, and folk. The text is rigorously researched, with each chapter running approximately 20 pages in length and providing an overview of the artist and an examination of her early years; career path; mission, motivation, and processes; and legacy and other interests. The only drawback is the scarcity of photographs throughout. BOTTOM LINE: Dale Sherman's 20th Century Rock & Roll Women in Rock (Collector's Guide Pub., 2001) lacks the currency and diverse nature of the engaging and surprisingly cohesive Women Icons. From an introduction that weaves shared histories and destinies to a time line that makes for interesting comparisons of such a varied group of artists, Havranek's work calls for a complete reading and as such is much more than a go-to fact book for a single artist. Recommended for a wide range of libraries.'

Library Journal

[Havranek's] essays are generally well done. As with other volumes in this series, these biographical
essays would be a good starting point for students looking at career achievements. […] This volume will be useful for libraries with strong collections on popular culture. Summing Up: Recommended.

Choice

Havranek's 2-volume set is written for both high school students and undergraduates, along with the curious fan or general reader. This work would make a good addition to any public, school, or academic library with a paucity of reference literature pertaining to popular female musicians.

ARBAonline

With its attention on women artists, this set provides a useful complement to the publisher's previous titles, Icons of Hip Hop (Greenwood Press, 2007), Icons of Rock (Greenwood Press, 2007), and Icons of R&B and Soul (Greenwood Press, 2008). All provide detailed examinations of the creative careers of popular artists. As such, they will find an appreciative audience in high school, public and academic libraries.

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