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thebookishunicorn's review
4.0
To all the women whose stories were never told, whose songs were never sung, and whose works were never celebrated. May the knowledge of your lives stir up ambitious dreams in new generations of women who will never be forgotten.
This was a great selection of unknown women who I learned a little bit about while reading this book! I also really loved the illustration of them at the beginning of each of their stories, it really brought the person they were talking about to life.
I do appreciate that the authors did include many people of color in this book, but was disappointed that there were only two LGBTQ+ stories: Lucy Hicks Anderson a trans black women and the swashbuckling duo Ana de Urinza and Eustaquia de Sonza. Hopefully if they do a volume 2 they will include more!
Overall a really great collection of amazing women and I feel more empowered just reading about them!
This was a great selection of unknown women who I learned a little bit about while reading this book! I also really loved the illustration of them at the beginning of each of their stories, it really brought the person they were talking about to life.
I do appreciate that the authors did include many people of color in this book, but was disappointed that there were only two LGBTQ+ stories: Lucy Hicks Anderson a trans black women and the swashbuckling duo Ana de Urinza and Eustaquia de Sonza. Hopefully if they do a volume 2 they will include more!
Overall a really great collection of amazing women and I feel more empowered just reading about them!
sunshine169's review
5.0
You do what you have to do, and when you must, then you do a little more- Maria Tallchief
History vs Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don't Want You to Know by Anita Sarkeesian; Ebony Adams aims to introduce readers to a range of dynamic women across many different races, countries, time periods, and classes. I can wholeheartedly say they achieve this goal. There were a few names in there that I had previous known about but the majority I sadly previously never knew. This was a tour-de-force collection of women who aspired for greatness despite their biological “setback.”
Some of the few standouts for me were:
Mai Bhago played a powerful role in preserving the Sikhs religious freedom when Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb tried to eradicate everything but Islam from his empire during the 18th century.
Fatima Al-Fihri used her inherited wealth to open an educational mosque in 859 that would eventually become al-Qarawiyin University. It is still a world renowned university into our times. Her and her sister used their wealth to serve Allah because the pursuit of knowledge and devotion to academic study are core principles of the Islamic faith.
Annie Jean Easley, dubbed “the human computer” helped send men to space through her incredible skills as a programmer and mathematician. In addition she, her computing skills helped scientists understand galaxies and analyze the ozone layer.
Murasaki Shikibu was an 11th century writer from Japan. Her novel, The Tale of Genji, is considered to be the first fictional work.
Lastly, but not truly last, there was Jackie Mitchell. She had a huge love of baseball and signed a contract to play with the Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor league baseball team in Tennessee. She played her one and only game on April 2nd 1931 against the New York Yankees for an exhibition game where she struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! Her prize? She earned a torn up contract by the commissioner who stated baseball was too strenuous for women and accusations of her skills as being staged!
I think this is a great introduction book that can spear head further investigation into the lives of these women. It is sad to think about how many other wonderful achievements are lost to us through the suppression of woman achievement.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
History vs Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don't Want You to Know by Anita Sarkeesian; Ebony Adams aims to introduce readers to a range of dynamic women across many different races, countries, time periods, and classes. I can wholeheartedly say they achieve this goal. There were a few names in there that I had previous known about but the majority I sadly previously never knew. This was a tour-de-force collection of women who aspired for greatness despite their biological “setback.”
Some of the few standouts for me were:
Mai Bhago played a powerful role in preserving the Sikhs religious freedom when Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb tried to eradicate everything but Islam from his empire during the 18th century.
Fatima Al-Fihri used her inherited wealth to open an educational mosque in 859 that would eventually become al-Qarawiyin University. It is still a world renowned university into our times. Her and her sister used their wealth to serve Allah because the pursuit of knowledge and devotion to academic study are core principles of the Islamic faith.
Annie Jean Easley, dubbed “the human computer” helped send men to space through her incredible skills as a programmer and mathematician. In addition she, her computing skills helped scientists understand galaxies and analyze the ozone layer.
Murasaki Shikibu was an 11th century writer from Japan. Her novel, The Tale of Genji, is considered to be the first fictional work.
Lastly, but not truly last, there was Jackie Mitchell. She had a huge love of baseball and signed a contract to play with the Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor league baseball team in Tennessee. She played her one and only game on April 2nd 1931 against the New York Yankees for an exhibition game where she struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! Her prize? She earned a torn up contract by the commissioner who stated baseball was too strenuous for women and accusations of her skills as being staged!
I think this is a great introduction book that can spear head further investigation into the lives of these women. It is sad to think about how many other wonderful achievements are lost to us through the suppression of woman achievement.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
phenaproxima's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I liked this book, but didn't quite love it. By its nature, it's not a deep dive into the lives of the 25 women in it, which is both a strength and a weakness.
The overall point is a good one, and well-taken: there are so many extraordinary women in history whose stories should be widely known, but aren't. Yet there are too many places where the book comes right out and explicitly states that point in various ways. I don't like to use the word "preachy", but it occasionally came off that way, since I'd imagine that most people reading this book probably already agree with its basic idea.
Aside from that, it's an enjoyable, easy, valuable read and I wish it had gone into more detail! I loved learning about these colossal historical badasses (and villains), and it's certainly eye-opening. It definitely me wonder how many other amazing contributions women have made that I've never heard about, and at the end of the day, that's what this book is trying to do. Mission accomplished!
I liked this book, but didn't quite love it. By its nature, it's not a deep dive into the lives of the 25 women in it, which is both a strength and a weakness.
The overall point is a good one, and well-taken: there are so many extraordinary women in history whose stories should be widely known, but aren't. Yet there are too many places where the book comes right out and explicitly states that point in various ways. I don't like to use the word "preachy", but it occasionally came off that way, since I'd imagine that most people reading this book probably already agree with its basic idea.
Aside from that, it's an enjoyable, easy, valuable read and I wish it had gone into more detail! I loved learning about these colossal historical badasses (and villains), and it's certainly eye-opening. It definitely me wonder how many other amazing contributions women have made that I've never heard about, and at the end of the day, that's what this book is trying to do. Mission accomplished!
stenaros's review
4.0
Sarkeesian and Adams find a host of important women you might never have heard of and give you short biographies about their lives. Each one has a beautiful pencil illustration.
czarina_misha's review
4.0
This is a good selection of subjects, from around the world and throughout history. The 19th-21st centuries are maybe a little more represented mostly due to information available. The author points out the lack of details known in too many cases. She also laments the names and accomplishments completely lost to us today because no one recorded (or possibly even believed) what women did. The emphasis is on women who excelled in male fields: warfare, science, politics, crime, and athletics. The author really tried to select subjects readers will probably less aware of, especially women of color.
The entries are very short. They are obviously meant to be read because the reader is interested, not to fulfill a school assignment.
I really enjoyed the casual writing style.
The entries are very short. They are obviously meant to be read because the reader is interested, not to fulfill a school assignment.
I really enjoyed the casual writing style.
zootedbunny's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
don't you ever just go "women <3"
lsmith36's review
3.0
This book just didn’t have the information I wanted for these women. It felt very surface level, which I suppose it has to be when it’s covering so many people. I think it’s a nice starting point to pinpoint people you’d like to learn more about, but not particularly groundbreaking or new.
scostner's review
3.0
Tired of damsels in distress? Ready for some rebels, artists, scholars, amazons, and even villains? Then this is the book for you. Some of the women profiled within these pages may be familiar - Margaret Thatcher, Annie Easley - but others you have probably never heard of. How about Wang Zhenyi, a poet from the Qing Dynasty? She was born in 1768 and studied everything from astronomy to martial arts. In 1994 a crater on the planet Venus was named for her. "When you look into the night sky, seek out Venus and be dazzled by the celestial body and the woman who saw the stars and felt the wonder of the universe."
If stargazing isn't your style, perhaps you prefer the arts? Maria Tallchief and her brilliant performance as Ballanchine's Firebird may be more to your tastes. The first Native American prima ballerina explained her achievements by saying, "You do what you have to do, and when you must, then you do a little more." Or there is Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji around the year 1000, and it is considered the first modern novel. She "filled her novel with multifaceted female characters who provided a rare glimpse into how it felt to be a woman in her world."
After something more aggressive? What about Khutulun of Mongolia (born around 1260), who was even mentioned in the journals of Marco Polo? He was impressed with the way she would ride into battle with her father's troops and could capture an enemy "as deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird." She was also a champion wrestler and refused to marry anyone who could not defeat her. There are also tales of a female pirate who commanded an entire fleet, women who were directors and producers in the early days of Hollywood, and those who stood against the practices of lynching during Jim Crow.
Recommended for anyone with an interest in women's history or feminism. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
If stargazing isn't your style, perhaps you prefer the arts? Maria Tallchief and her brilliant performance as Ballanchine's Firebird may be more to your tastes. The first Native American prima ballerina explained her achievements by saying, "You do what you have to do, and when you must, then you do a little more." Or there is Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji around the year 1000, and it is considered the first modern novel. She "filled her novel with multifaceted female characters who provided a rare glimpse into how it felt to be a woman in her world."
After something more aggressive? What about Khutulun of Mongolia (born around 1260), who was even mentioned in the journals of Marco Polo? He was impressed with the way she would ride into battle with her father's troops and could capture an enemy "as deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird." She was also a champion wrestler and refused to marry anyone who could not defeat her. There are also tales of a female pirate who commanded an entire fleet, women who were directors and producers in the early days of Hollywood, and those who stood against the practices of lynching during Jim Crow.
Recommended for anyone with an interest in women's history or feminism. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
vintonole's review
3.0
An interesting cast of mostly unknown women through history. The book gets a bit preachy at times, mostly in the section introductions. The short chapters on each woman could be longer and more detailed, but often very little is known about these historically important women.