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I wasn't aware that Flanagan was so big in the States, but she seems to be a deadpan version of the satirical character 'Polly Filler' in Britain's Private Eye magazine. Polly's blithe descriptions of her useless husband, spoiled child and succession of illegal nannies is the joke that Walsh was making Flanagan out to be.
I disagree that Flanagan is an honest striver after truth: the strident tone, the "straw women" and the all-or-nothing dichotomy put paid to that. While women writers might get a hard time, save your sympathy for someone who deserves it. Ask yourself whether or not Flanagan is helping people with fewer choices than she and it will become clear whether or not the harsh approach is justified.
