Reviews

“A fascinating cultural history of mid-twentieth century publishing and fashion photography through the lives of two women photographers in this richly detailed biography. Kino demonstrates in light and elegant prose the important role that women played during the ‘Golden Age of Magazines’ and writes them back into the history of that time, painting a rich portrait of the rarified world of fashion and women’s magazines.” — Brooklyn Rail

“In ‘Double Click,’ the journalist Carol Kino has interwoven a biography of the McLaughlins with an authoritative, detailed history of fashion, the art world and photography in midcentury New York.” – Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal

“Double Click is so packed with names that the author has included a cast of characters appendix . . . it bursts with enthusiasm and excitement just like the McLaughlin twins. Kino has given us a double biography and evocation of a remarkable time in American life, business, and art.” – Claudia Keenan, BookTrib

“In this deeply researched and fascinating biography . . . Carol Kino explores the lives and all-too-short careers of both women as well as a lost age among some of the 20th century's most important creative forces.” – Town & Country

“A group portrait with a winning ensemble cast, albeit one boasting two standout performers.” – Shelf Awareness

“Women today will identify with the story of the McLaughlin twins, and perhaps be surprised by how much they were able to achieve so many decades ago.” – Michelle Young, Untapped New York

“A new biography will delight lovers of photography, magazines, and American fashion.” – Fritinancy, substack

“As identical twins they are captivating and uncanny. It’s hard to look away.” – The New York Times Book Review

“A monument to talent and creativity as much as it is to resiliency and determination...an essential read for anybody curious about the relationship between cultural history, journalism, and photography.” —Musée

“Kino brings twentieth-century American history, culture, and gender roles into sharp focus as she recounts the remarkable story of these pioneering female photographers...[her] dual portrait…deftly maneuvers the twins’ lives, relationships, and artistry into a composite image that will engage and illuminate as much as it entertains.” – Booklist

“An engrossing dual biography … Kino paints a textured portrait of artists who came of age amid sea changes in magazine publishing and women’s cultural roles …Fashion, photography, and pop culture aficionados will be captivated.” — Publishers Weekly starred review

“An engaging dual biography … A colorful cultural history emerges from two eventful lives.” — Kirkus

Advance Praise for Double Click

“What makes Double Click such a revelation is Carol Kino’s precise and engaging narrative. An exquisitely intimate portrait of the McLaughlin sisters and their work, this is a beautiful biography, richly detailed and full of life. A remarkable accomplishment.” —Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove

“Carol Kino’s Double Click is a fascinating, rich, and beautifully written tale of two twentieth century women photographers navigating a world of images that focused on women in front of the camera without encouraging them to step behind it. . . . Kino has written a story that is inspirational and thrilling. Double Click is a joy to read.” —Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women and Madonna: A Rebel Life

“With this double biography of the McLaughlin twins, Carol Kino has uncovered a fascinating slice of 20th century photography and magazine publishing…[she] reveals just what it took for the pair to thrive in a man’s world, using the story of their successes and their challenges to restore a pair of female creators to their rightful place in the pantheon.” —William Middleton, author of Paradise Now and Double Vision

“Carol Kino presents a lively, much-needed double biography of the female twin photographers whose careers flourished magnificently during wartime and who then had to adapt once the men came home. A unique, and uniquely female, window into the mid-twentieth-century art world in New York.” —Sherill Tippins, author of February House

“I came to this book excited to learn about the fascinating twin female photographers of the Forties, but I discovered so much more. Carol Kino taught me about photographic technologies and techniques, the history of industrial design in America, and the fun, early days of the “college craze” in fashion and magazines. Double Click is much more than a biography times two, it is a historical work times ten!” —Becky E. Conekin, author of Lee Miller in Fashion

“In Double Click, Carol Kino tells the riveting story of Frances and Kathryn McLaughlin, Brooklyn-born identical twin photographers who came of age in the 1930s and went on to infiltrate the male-dominated ranks of their profession. . . . It’s an extraordinary tale, one Kino deftly places into social and historical context, including World War II, the history of photography, fashion trends, and the rise of feminism.” —Penelope Rowlands, author of A Dash of Daring