A book review (as part of a book tour) of Wicked Witch of the West: An Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon by Lona Bailey
Stars: *****
Bloomsbury (2025)
Popular Culture
220 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: In The Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon, Dr. Lona Bailey turns her historian’s lens on one of the most enduring figures in modern mythology. With precision and empathy, she reveals how the Wicked Witch of the West—so often dismissed as evil—became a cultural symbol for women’s strength, ambition, and defiance.
Bailey’s book chronicles the Witch’s long journey through history, art, and feminism, showing how this seemingly fictional woman became a touchstone for real-world issues. Each retelling, from Baum’s early novel to the cinematic spectacle of The Wizard of Oz and the Broadway reinvention Wicked, captures society’s conflicted relationship with female power. Bailey delves into the historical and psychological underpinnings of the Witch’s evolution, connecting her story to women’s rights movements and the continuing pursuit of equality. It’s part cultural study, part feminist manifesto, and entirely a love letter to storytelling that challenges the status quo.
Wicked Witch of the West
I loved watching The Wizard of Oz as a child at least once a year. I definitely grew up watching it. My children never got into it sadly as they were easily scared. I don’t remember being scared of the Wicked Witch of the West but I probably was when I was younger. I feel like everyone knows who the Wicked Witch of the West is and where she is from. I’m not as familiar with the other forms of it the author Lona Bailey talks about such as the Broadway Musicals or the original and added on books.
I really liked this book even though I don’t necessarily consider myself a feminist per say. I’m not talking about politics and such here though, let’s focus on the book.
The book is the most in depth analysis I’ve ever seen on one character. I kept getting blown away by how much Lona was able to say about her. I was never good at character analysis in school and couldn’t find the words. The author here knows what she is talking about and clearly did a lot of research and study to write this book (which is shown in her footnotes and bibliography.)
I have never thought of the Wicked Witch of the West in so many ways. She introduced me to the Wicked storyline too which I had heard about when the first movie came out but I didn’t know anything about it. She explains the books which made the musical which was turned into a movie and I guess there is another one coming out very soon. It makes me want to go check them out. I like the idea from Wicked and The Wiz that the Wicked Witch of the West has more to her than meets the eye. The different takes on her back story are interesting and bring depth.
I was also interested in all the talk about witches in media and in other cultures in various points of the book. She goes into different cultures around the world’s take on witches in one chapter. You usually hear about North American or Europe’s take on witches so it was interesting to see what the rest of the world thinks about witches.
She also talks about witches in media throughout the ages all the way up to Harry Potter including Bewitched, Escape to Witch Mountain, Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Witches of Eastwick, Practical Magic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and HalloweenTown.
If you love The Wizard of Oz or the history of Witches you will love this book. If you’re a feminist you will triple love this book. There is lots of talk of course about how this character, who at first you probably don’t see what she has to do with feminism, tells the story of feminism and how it changes throughout history.
An Amazing Read.
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About the Author:
Dr. Lona Bailey is an acclaimed biographer, researcher, and Golden Age of Hollywood expert whose work reclaims the lives of women who built the foundations of entertainment. Her award-winning biographies—Uncredited, Voice of Villainy, Mrs. Radio, and The Wasp Woman—combine meticulous scholarship with profound human insight. Bailey’s academic background as a PhD and her professional history as a therapist infuse her writing with empathy and depth, making her work as emotionally resonant as it is informative. Learn more on her website or visit her Facebook.
