The Billiken Bookshelf
The Billiken Bookshelf is a roundup of some of the most recent and published titles from Saint Louis University authors.
Many of the books may be found in SLU's Pius, Medical Center and Law Libraries.
Settling: Women Who Sued the News
A history of courage and collective action by women inside America’s most powerful newsrooms. In the 1970s, newswomen sued for equality at Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others—and transformed journalism itself. Their victories reshaped coverage and helped build women's power across American society.
For much of American history, journalism has been rigidly segregated by gender, with women confined to research or clerical work while men dominated reporting, editing, and leadership. That system began to crack with the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the women’s liberation movement, but this development was largely hidden by editors reluctant to document inequities within their own institutions. Settling recovers this lost story.
Tracing class-action sex discrimination lawsuits at some of the most powerful news organizations in the United States, Ashley Walter draws on oral histories and long-forgotten documents to reconstruct legal battles at eight major outlets. She argues that meaningful change came not from institutional goodwill but from the courage of women who organized, testified, and risked their careers to demand equality.
About the Author
Ashley Walter, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of journalism and media at Saint Louis University, where she teaches media ethics, feature writing, and contemporary issues in media. She is an expert in women’s media history and is the co-author of “How America Gets the News: A History of U.S. Journalism” (2024). Born in Williamsport, PA, Walter received her B.A. and M.S. from Duquesne University and her Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University.
Pursuing the Spirit: The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art
Pursuing the Spirit: The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art offers an extensive and generously illustrated treatment of the first museum to focus on the religious and spiritual dimensions in contemporary art.
The 154-page, richly illustrated book includes an essay by MOCRA’s second director, David Brinker, that begins with an exploration of the museum’s origins in the scholarship of founding Director Terrence Dempsey, S.J., then traces the establishment of MOCRA at Saint Louis University during a vibrant period of transformation at SLU and in Midtown St. Louis in the early 1990s. The essay concludes with valedictory thoughts about MOCRA’s significance and ongoing impact. The book also features annotated chronologies of MOCRA’s exhibitions and programs, as well as a list of artists whose work was exhibited and/or collected by the museum.
About the Author
David Brinker spent 31 years working at Saint Louis University's Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, seven of those as its leader. He currently serves as the Education and Outreach Director for Saint Louis University’s Museums and Galleries.
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