Wives, Mistresses and Matriarchs: Asian Women Today

by Louise Williams

In this rich and perceptive book, veteran journalist Louise Williams shatters the myth of the submissive Asian woman of Western lore with her vivid portraits of politicians, callgirls and mistresses, revolutionary heroines, laborers, and business magnates.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Pakistan, Gender, Womens

Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Arjan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What do nations like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines have in common? They all had a female president, because their husbands were murdered while being the (former) president themselves. You can add Birma to the list, albeit that here it is the father, and he wasn't president but 'Father of the Nation'. This, and that Sri Lanka therefore also became the first nation with a female leader, is the most interesting fact I learned from this book.
Which is disappointing, because you would expect more from somebody who interviewed all these four women, not to mention the other powerful Asian business woman she also met.
I still finished the book, however, partly because I don't like leaving a book unfinished, but also because the lives of the women she interviews are interesting enough, to hear about their life struggles as women in Asia.

[Erin Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was thought provoking and interesting but was not well written. It jumped around quite a bit and seemed like the author didn't want to delve to deeply into the changes that were occurring for women during the time in question. It would have been more interesting had she focused more on her interviews and gave them more space as opposed to her meandering thoughts and ideas that filled the pages. Though it was an interesting read on some levels, this isn't a book I'd recommend to many.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its kind of poorly written but the stories were very interesting.