A History of the World in 80 Lost Women

by Dr Katie Nelson

Genres: Feminism

304 pages, Paperback

Published March 13, 2025

Reviews

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll probably forget everything I read but what an interesting, inspiring and humorous book.

[Lore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally like books that offer small chapters on different people or elements of history. Some tend to pique my curiosity which causes me to research them more on my own. I already knew of some of the women in this book (imho not all 80 of them I would consider 'lost') but there was also tons of new information for me.

Like some others, I also do have a bit of an issue with the tone of the book. It tries its hardest to be witty. Sometimes it tries a little too hard and it becomes annoying to read. I would have liked to read some more factoids about some of the women instead of some not-so-funny remarks. I also feel as if the tone wasn't the same throughout to whole book. Maybe it's just me, but I felt as if most of the wittiness and jokes were in the first half of the book. The second half felt a lot more serious, but that also led to an imbalance. Some of the women in this part of the book also felt more like mentions, with lots of text trying to tie them into the narrative, but without much relevant information on them and their actions.

All in all, for a book with this concept, I enjoyed it and I think it could be an eye-opener for some men and women alike.

[Ida · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Let me preface this by saying that I very much liked the idea behind this book. I think it is immensely important to learn the erased history of women. I did like that the chapters were split into small subgroups talking about different women in different countries. However, I would be much more inclined to like this book if it was more academic. The authors wanted to be witty and sarcastic and at times it was really unnecessary and extra and I found this book to be really tiring to read because of that. When I picked up this book I had hoped to read an information-heavy, intellectual book, but I was - sadly - disappointed. Also, the irony of writing a book about the history of lost women, and then mentioning Maria Skłodowska-Curie only by her French husband’s last name wasn’t lost on me 🙃

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has made me discover my new favourite podcast. So I'm VERY grateful.
That being said: I enjoyed myself while reading this book. I did know about a couple of these women (though, admittedly very few). I liked getting a glimpse into their lives and I particularly enjoyed the funny little quizzes in the style of "pick your politics" ... fun! Okay, perhaps a little tragic, but what a fun and memorable way to summarise opposing views.
The only reason I can't give this 5 stars is that sometimes the stories seemed tragically short to me. And I know the podcast gives much more detailed stories of these women, but it felt sad to mention them, only to have their lives resumed to a mere couple pages.
What a book, though. Full-heartedly recommend it to everyone, really.

[Sally Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give it 3.5. I love the sarcastic comments. I wonder how accurate they are. I haven’t found any one else to say Genghis Khans daughter ruled areas of his kingdom. But I enjoyed getting a better idea of “dynasties “. Women in effective rolls.

[Andru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Mardi.graf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the local train station and assumed it would be a book that I would never get through. So wrong! It was entertaining, informative, and well-written.