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Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World
Aphra Behn, first female professional writer. Sojourner Truth, activist and abolitionist. Ada Lovelace, first computer programmer. Marie Curie, first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Joan Jett, godmother of punk. The 100 revolutionary women highlighted in this gorgeously illustrated book were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for all who followed. From pirates to artists, warriors, daredevils, scientists, activists, and spies, the accomplishments of these incredible women vary as much as the eras and places in which they effected change. Featuring bold watercolor portraits and illuminating essays by Ann Shen, Bad Girls Throughout History is a distinctive, gift-worthy tribute.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2016
1494 people are currently reading
10074 people want to read
About the author
Ann Shen
11 books180 followersAnn Shen is an illustrator, letterer, and author based in Los Angeles. A graduate of UCSD and Art Center College of Design, Ann has created work or a number of publications, campaigns, products, and galleries for children of all ages. She lives with her husband and their small menagerie of animals.
She's written and illustrated four books, "Bad Girls Throughout History" (2016), "Legendary Ladies" (2018), "Nevertheless, She Wore It" (2020), and "Revolutionary Women" (2022), all published by Chronicle Books.
She's written and illustrated four books, "Bad Girls Throughout History" (2016), "Legendary Ladies" (2018), "Nevertheless, She Wore It" (2020), and "Revolutionary Women" (2022), all published by Chronicle Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 765 reviews
August 2, 2018
“Everything we’ve gained has been hard-won by a woman who was willing to be bad in the best sense of the word.”
This book is a noteworthy collection about 100 remarkable women who changed the world, featuring spectacular watercolours illustrations for each and everyone. I did go in a bit hesitant since I've tried my hand at similar collections to this one, such as Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath, but they untimely failed in capturing my interest because of the length of the essays that read like Wikipedia entries i.e. with little to no life sparkled throughout. Thankfully, though, that was not the case with Bad Girls Throughout History. This was exactly the kind of book I’ve been looking for: short and concise essays on each historical figure, along with splendidly eye-catching illustrations.
Presenting a broad world of women coming from all eras, countries, backgrounds, races, and ethnicities, this collection left me wanting to educate myself more and more on these spectacular women. Like the author said best, “The short essays are meant to whet your appetite for exploring more on your own.”
Plus, I not only got enlightened on so many topics, but I had a lot of fun while doing so--which isn't really a common feeling for me with these kind of collections. Needless to say, Bad Girls Throughout History captured a piece of my heart.
So I'd like to share next some of the badass ladies I loved to love:
Billie Holiday (1915–1959):
Edith Head (1897–1981):
Anna May Wong (1905–1961):
Coretta Scott King (1927–2006):
Maya Angelou (1928–2014):
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–):
Dolly Parton (1946–):
Oprah Winfrey (1954–):
Josephine Baker (1906–1975):
Baker's life from showgirl, activist, and spy to mother of twelve adopted children left my head spinning in amazement. And my heart swelling with gratitude.
Malala Yousafzai (1997–):
To conclude: If you're looking for a cohesive, impactful, and quick read about powerful women whose actions have “been both persecuted and celebrated,” I'd wholeheartedly recommend you give this collection a go.
Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Bad Girls Throughout History, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!
Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils
This book is a noteworthy collection about 100 remarkable women who changed the world, featuring spectacular watercolours illustrations for each and everyone. I did go in a bit hesitant since I've tried my hand at similar collections to this one, such as Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath, but they untimely failed in capturing my interest because of the length of the essays that read like Wikipedia entries i.e. with little to no life sparkled throughout. Thankfully, though, that was not the case with Bad Girls Throughout History. This was exactly the kind of book I’ve been looking for: short and concise essays on each historical figure, along with splendidly eye-catching illustrations.
Presenting a broad world of women coming from all eras, countries, backgrounds, races, and ethnicities, this collection left me wanting to educate myself more and more on these spectacular women. Like the author said best, “The short essays are meant to whet your appetite for exploring more on your own.”
Plus, I not only got enlightened on so many topics, but I had a lot of fun while doing so--which isn't really a common feeling for me with these kind of collections. Needless to say, Bad Girls Throughout History captured a piece of my heart.
So I'd like to share next some of the badass ladies I loved to love:
Billie Holiday (1915–1959):
Edith Head (1897–1981):
Anna May Wong (1905–1961):
Coretta Scott King (1927–2006):
Maya Angelou (1928–2014):
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–):
Dolly Parton (1946–):
Oprah Winfrey (1954–):
Josephine Baker (1906–1975):
Baker's life from showgirl, activist, and spy to mother of twelve adopted children left my head spinning in amazement. And my heart swelling with gratitude.
Malala Yousafzai (1997–):
To conclude: If you're looking for a cohesive, impactful, and quick read about powerful women whose actions have “been both persecuted and celebrated,” I'd wholeheartedly recommend you give this collection a go.
Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Bad Girls Throughout History, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!
Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils
November 28, 2016
Readable? Yes. Ground-breaking? No.
The title should really read something more like, Bad Girls Throughout History Mostly Since the 19th Century and Who Are Mostly White, and More Frequently American or Western European.
I liked the concept, but I found some of the information a little off. And as my alternate title suggests, this is by no means even close to a comprehensive or inclusive collective biography. About 80% of it covers the last 200-ish years.
And at first glance, Shen's artistic style is pleasing in that twee sort of way, but as the book progressed and I was seeing illustrations of women whose portraits I already knew, I found the style grating. Are we really helped by depicting strong women in a twee sort of way? Are women with harder brows, regular ol' eyelashes, or rounder faces more respectable if we lighten them up a bit?
I'm also reading this coming off the same weekend where I read Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History, which I think does a better job at what this book aims to do.
The title should really read something more like, Bad Girls Throughout History Mostly Since the 19th Century and Who Are Mostly White, and More Frequently American or Western European.
I liked the concept, but I found some of the information a little off. And as my alternate title suggests, this is by no means even close to a comprehensive or inclusive collective biography. About 80% of it covers the last 200-ish years.
And at first glance, Shen's artistic style is pleasing in that twee sort of way, but as the book progressed and I was seeing illustrations of women whose portraits I already knew, I found the style grating. Are we really helped by depicting strong women in a twee sort of way? Are women with harder brows, regular ol' eyelashes, or rounder faces more respectable if we lighten them up a bit?
I'm also reading this coming off the same weekend where I read Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History, which I think does a better job at what this book aims to do.
July 30, 2017
Nothing makes me happier than seeing more and more feminist books being released, books that have the purpose of educating ladies about our legacy, about the fact that we can too. I loved this book because it was powerful, I had these 100 indeed remarkable ladies who did great stuff, some of these women I've already known of, others were unknown to me. The illustrations were very beautiful and added a lot to this book. Why I gave it 3 stars considering all this praise? Because it's very short and the book tries to cover a lot in a small length, which makes the author only give brief summaries of the ladies' lives. In conclusion, I wanted more, but I'll make sure to do my own research and find out more about these women.
August 30, 2016
Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World is an absolute must-have in every home library, and not just those owned by girls. It’s an essential read that helps bring to light the incredible impact women have on humanity as a whole, as well as the innate strength and capacity for greatness each woman possesses.
Ann Shen is the writer and illustrator behind this interesting book. Each of the one hundred short articles is accompanied by watercolor illustrations, and each illustration by a brief, handwritten comment or quote. You can see some of them on the cover, but the true magic happens within. Each watercolor portrait is designed to emphasize the strengths of these women and each includes a small detail that helps us understand how they lived their lives.
From Lilith and Cleopatra to Oprah and Malala, the book features 100 truly extraordinary women. Some of them are already familiar, and some, like the surrealist fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, perhaps a bit less so. Each of these stories is worth reading, each of the women worth knowing about. The selection is, perhaps, a bit America-oriented, but each of the chosen women undeniably deserves to be included. I would only object to the absence of Ellen DeGeneres, when women like Nora Ephron, Oprah or Tina Fey were already included. Ellen has done so much for lesbians and LGBT community as a whole and her courage, as well as all it had cost her, earned her a place among these amazing individuals.
The book came with something called the Feminist Journal, a fabulous memo book (or well, a journal) filled with inspiring quotes about what it means to be a feminist, all from famous and extraordinary women. The book and the journal aren’t only things you yourself must have, it also makes an excellent gift for mothers, sisters and friends.
Ann Shen is the writer and illustrator behind this interesting book. Each of the one hundred short articles is accompanied by watercolor illustrations, and each illustration by a brief, handwritten comment or quote. You can see some of them on the cover, but the true magic happens within. Each watercolor portrait is designed to emphasize the strengths of these women and each includes a small detail that helps us understand how they lived their lives.
From Lilith and Cleopatra to Oprah and Malala, the book features 100 truly extraordinary women. Some of them are already familiar, and some, like the surrealist fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, perhaps a bit less so. Each of these stories is worth reading, each of the women worth knowing about. The selection is, perhaps, a bit America-oriented, but each of the chosen women undeniably deserves to be included. I would only object to the absence of Ellen DeGeneres, when women like Nora Ephron, Oprah or Tina Fey were already included. Ellen has done so much for lesbians and LGBT community as a whole and her courage, as well as all it had cost her, earned her a place among these amazing individuals.
The book came with something called the Feminist Journal, a fabulous memo book (or well, a journal) filled with inspiring quotes about what it means to be a feminist, all from famous and extraordinary women. The book and the journal aren’t only things you yourself must have, it also makes an excellent gift for mothers, sisters and friends.
July 11, 2023
i’m not sure why i expected this to not be a white feminist mess.
it just feels like all these women, and their histories, struggles, and especially their problematic actions or beliefs, are being romanticized for the sake of a quick, simplified aesthetic feminist book.
there are women included in this who are racists, anti-abortion, eugenicists, ableist, have problematic political views, are just horrible people, and have those erased or polished to make the controversy around them seem like it was actually because people just hate badass women, and not because people had every right to criticize their bullshit. some women have their true motives erased to make it seem like they did what they did to be feminists or “pave the way” for women.
this collection isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, i get that, but the women chosen are overwhelmingly white, american, western, abled, and non-queer. where are the native women? where are the indian women? why are there so many actresses? where are the queer women? there are two explicitly stated queer women in this; a trans woman who has outdated/problematic language used in their “essay” and an unlabeled queer women whose queerness is basically a footnote at the end. there are so many women better suited to be in a collection like this, and some i 100% expected to be in it and was like, “what???” when i realized they were excluded.
the idea of these being essays is ridiculous to me. some of them are merely a few sentences. the very short style of this book doesn’t leave room for depth or criticism or even historical accuracy in some cases. i think it would have been better as just a picture book, that way more women who should’ve been included could’ve been included, or with less women and more information about them. it’s also a little............telling that some of the sources listed in the bibliography are gossip magazine/pop culture sites. it’s like the author didn’t want to put wikipedia for each source, so they just put all the links wikipedia cites as sources.
disabled people are referred to as “people with disabilities” and “the disabled” a couple times, which actual disabled people don’t like.
a disabled woman is described as being “disabled, yet,” in the sense that she was disabled, yet still did great things. to think that disabled people are inherently excluded from greatness, that when talking about a disabled person who did great things, you have to frame it as being great because it was “in spite of her disability” is ableist as hell.
constant insistence that “women got the vote in 1920” which erases how it was white women, and women of color waited even longer to truly be able to vote. asian-american women couldn’t vote until 1952, native women in 1957, black women in 1965, and latinx women in 1975, disabled women in the 1984-1990. and there are still many barriers that prevent women who are not white and abled from voting. it’s especially frustrating and........iffy when “women got the vote in 1920” is first mentioned specifically in relation to the death of a historical black woman activist.
having “gave you choice” on the picture of an anti-abortion eugenicist is laughably - wait for it - bad.
i was initially thinking two stars for this, but after writing all that, i realize there isn’t anything i particularly like about this. it didn’t fill me with rage, so it’s not getting the “nope nope nope” tag, though.
it just feels like all these women, and their histories, struggles, and especially their problematic actions or beliefs, are being romanticized for the sake of a quick, simplified aesthetic feminist book.
there are women included in this who are racists, anti-abortion, eugenicists, ableist, have problematic political views, are just horrible people, and have those erased or polished to make the controversy around them seem like it was actually because people just hate badass women, and not because people had every right to criticize their bullshit. some women have their true motives erased to make it seem like they did what they did to be feminists or “pave the way” for women.
this collection isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, i get that, but the women chosen are overwhelmingly white, american, western, abled, and non-queer. where are the native women? where are the indian women? why are there so many actresses? where are the queer women? there are two explicitly stated queer women in this; a trans woman who has outdated/problematic language used in their “essay” and an unlabeled queer women whose queerness is basically a footnote at the end. there are so many women better suited to be in a collection like this, and some i 100% expected to be in it and was like, “what???” when i realized they were excluded.
the idea of these being essays is ridiculous to me. some of them are merely a few sentences. the very short style of this book doesn’t leave room for depth or criticism or even historical accuracy in some cases. i think it would have been better as just a picture book, that way more women who should’ve been included could’ve been included, or with less women and more information about them. it’s also a little............telling that some of the sources listed in the bibliography are gossip magazine/pop culture sites. it’s like the author didn’t want to put wikipedia for each source, so they just put all the links wikipedia cites as sources.
disabled people are referred to as “people with disabilities” and “the disabled” a couple times, which actual disabled people don’t like.
a disabled woman is described as being “disabled, yet,” in the sense that she was disabled, yet still did great things. to think that disabled people are inherently excluded from greatness, that when talking about a disabled person who did great things, you have to frame it as being great because it was “in spite of her disability” is ableist as hell.
constant insistence that “women got the vote in 1920” which erases how it was white women, and women of color waited even longer to truly be able to vote. asian-american women couldn’t vote until 1952, native women in 1957, black women in 1965, and latinx women in 1975, disabled women in the 1984-1990. and there are still many barriers that prevent women who are not white and abled from voting. it’s especially frustrating and........iffy when “women got the vote in 1920” is first mentioned specifically in relation to the death of a historical black woman activist.
having “gave you choice” on the picture of an anti-abortion eugenicist is laughably - wait for it - bad.
i was initially thinking two stars for this, but after writing all that, i realize there isn’t anything i particularly like about this. it didn’t fill me with rage, so it’s not getting the “nope nope nope” tag, though.
November 5, 2017
If you will read none of my other reviews, I beg you to read the entirety of this one. Read, comment, share, like, whatever. Just see this and take a moment to think about it. Thank you.
This book, while important in our world today, still leaves a lot to be desired. "Throughout History" should mean featuring women from all parts of the world and all walks of life, yet the overwhelming majority of the women featured here were white. European and American women dominated the scene, and POC were only featured occasionally and even then, decidedly not from all places and times available for the choosing. There was also a lack of women in LGBT history. Christine Jorgensen is the only LGBT woman featured in this book and I am really very disappointed. How about Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Laverne Cox, Frida Kahlo... I could go on. Even Ellen DeGeneres was missing from this book, which featured women like Oprah Winfrey and Tina Fey!
A personal complaint: I am getting really tired of the lack of Indian women, and just Indian people in general, in the media I consume. Especially in this book, which outwardly seems to provide a diverse acknowledgement of women's contributions to history, there are no Indian women. Where are the powerful girls like Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Savitribai Phule, Indira Gandhi, Captain Prem Mathur, Rani Lakshmibhai, Aruna Roy?????? Why aren't their stories being told and their victories acknowledged?
This book, while important in our world today, still leaves a lot to be desired. "Throughout History" should mean featuring women from all parts of the world and all walks of life, yet the overwhelming majority of the women featured here were white. European and American women dominated the scene, and POC were only featured occasionally and even then, decidedly not from all places and times available for the choosing. There was also a lack of women in LGBT history. Christine Jorgensen is the only LGBT woman featured in this book and I am really very disappointed. How about Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Laverne Cox, Frida Kahlo... I could go on. Even Ellen DeGeneres was missing from this book, which featured women like Oprah Winfrey and Tina Fey!
A personal complaint: I am getting really tired of the lack of Indian women, and just Indian people in general, in the media I consume. Especially in this book, which outwardly seems to provide a diverse acknowledgement of women's contributions to history, there are no Indian women. Where are the powerful girls like Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Savitribai Phule, Indira Gandhi, Captain Prem Mathur, Rani Lakshmibhai, Aruna Roy?????? Why aren't their stories being told and their victories acknowledged?
Read
May 3, 2024Ann Shen gives us a list of some of the most well-known women for the contributions they made to humanity, from their work on abolitionism to improvement in medicine, to ruling whole countries, to their advancement of the arts. Small snippets describing their lives accompanied by beautiful drawings of the characters, sort of a Rejected Princesses
for those with no internet.
The book is quite simplistic in its description, barely giving us any detailed information, which may be useful for people that have not heard of these people before. As someone that reads a lot of history books and sees many documentaries, most of what was narrated were things already known, so it seemed like repetition rather than anything new and innovative. But, to those that do not know of these women, and would love to get a small introduction to see if they are interested in learning more, it seems like a perfect option.
The art was quite beautiful. Shen used watercolours to draw each woman individually, having their hair and skin tone match their clothes in a beautiful manner. There were some instances where the appearance of some women was slightly odd, mostly in shading, but it was barely noticeable. The art looked like something I might want to post on my wall to give me inspiration. (Malala, Cleopatra, Ada Lovelace, Amelia Earhart, Joan of Arc)
Some of my favourite people shown in the book:
Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt (her son doesn't really count) whose intelligence knew no bounds; Boudica, who fought against the Romans that raped her daughters and tried to take over her people's land; Empress Wu Zetian, who led Chinese expansion and increase in education; Khutulun, who fought men that wanted to marry her and was her father's most trusted adviser and a brilliant soldier in her own right; Nellie Bly, who launched what came to be as "investigative journalism"; Joan of Arc, who fought for the French in the name of God during the Hundred Years' War; Queen Elizabeth I, who led one of the greatest victories of England; Catherine The Great, who led to improvement and expansion of all the Russias; Jane Austen, one of the greatest writers of all time; Ada Lovelace, the first programmer; Marie Currie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize; Hedy Lamarr, whose fantastic work led to Wi-Fi; Malala Yousafzai, who stood up for education rights for everyone and was shot by the Taliban, and then continued her work after her recovery; Tomyris, who fought against Cyrus the Great and might have been the one to kill him; Ching Shih, the only pirate known to retire; Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who has advocated for women's rights and who sits on the Supreme Court.
I did have some issues over who was in the book and who wasn't. Not only where there some women who were quite controversial (and yes, some I like too), from abusing power to keep their rule or that of the governing class, to advocating for certain people's rights and stepping over others, but many women were ignored over these counterparts. Now, I know the list was subjective and that there are differing opinions, however, I cannot simply let it slide that people like Tina Fey were added, while other women simply seemed the better choice. Women like Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Sonia Gandhi, Yoani Sanchez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Lisa Randall, and even Amy Poehler. All of which seem more influential than Fey. Yes, she has done great things for the advancement of women and will continue to lead us towards betterment, but it seemed out of place these other women were passed over, particularly when the book is mostly centered on the West.
Some of my favourite not included: Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Shajar al-Durr, Queen Seondeok of Silla, Margrethe I, Æthelflæd of Mercia, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Catherine de Medici, Mary Wollstonecraft, Anne Frank, Benazir Bhutto J.K. Rowling, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and many, many, more. I encourage you to look into all of the ones in the book and the ones I've mentioned below, and any others that Goggle can take you to. History can be interesting if you know where to look, hopefully, this book will guide you there.
for those with no internet.
The book is quite simplistic in its description, barely giving us any detailed information, which may be useful for people that have not heard of these people before. As someone that reads a lot of history books and sees many documentaries, most of what was narrated were things already known, so it seemed like repetition rather than anything new and innovative. But, to those that do not know of these women, and would love to get a small introduction to see if they are interested in learning more, it seems like a perfect option.
The art was quite beautiful. Shen used watercolours to draw each woman individually, having their hair and skin tone match their clothes in a beautiful manner. There were some instances where the appearance of some women was slightly odd, mostly in shading, but it was barely noticeable. The art looked like something I might want to post on my wall to give me inspiration. (Malala, Cleopatra, Ada Lovelace, Amelia Earhart, Joan of Arc)
Some of my favourite people shown in the book:
Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt (her son doesn't really count) whose intelligence knew no bounds; Boudica, who fought against the Romans that raped her daughters and tried to take over her people's land; Empress Wu Zetian, who led Chinese expansion and increase in education; Khutulun, who fought men that wanted to marry her and was her father's most trusted adviser and a brilliant soldier in her own right; Nellie Bly, who launched what came to be as "investigative journalism"; Joan of Arc, who fought for the French in the name of God during the Hundred Years' War; Queen Elizabeth I, who led one of the greatest victories of England; Catherine The Great, who led to improvement and expansion of all the Russias; Jane Austen, one of the greatest writers of all time; Ada Lovelace, the first programmer; Marie Currie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize; Hedy Lamarr, whose fantastic work led to Wi-Fi; Malala Yousafzai, who stood up for education rights for everyone and was shot by the Taliban, and then continued her work after her recovery; Tomyris, who fought against Cyrus the Great and might have been the one to kill him; Ching Shih, the only pirate known to retire; Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who has advocated for women's rights and who sits on the Supreme Court.
I did have some issues over who was in the book and who wasn't. Not only where there some women who were quite controversial (and yes, some I like too), from abusing power to keep their rule or that of the governing class, to advocating for certain people's rights and stepping over others, but many women were ignored over these counterparts. Now, I know the list was subjective and that there are differing opinions, however, I cannot simply let it slide that people like Tina Fey were added, while other women simply seemed the better choice. Women like Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Sonia Gandhi, Yoani Sanchez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Lisa Randall, and even Amy Poehler. All of which seem more influential than Fey. Yes, she has done great things for the advancement of women and will continue to lead us towards betterment, but it seemed out of place these other women were passed over, particularly when the book is mostly centered on the West.
Some of my favourite not included: Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Shajar al-Durr, Queen Seondeok of Silla, Margrethe I, Æthelflæd of Mercia, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Catherine de Medici, Mary Wollstonecraft, Anne Frank, Benazir Bhutto J.K. Rowling, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and many, many, more. I encourage you to look into all of the ones in the book and the ones I've mentioned below, and any others that Goggle can take you to. History can be interesting if you know where to look, hopefully, this book will guide you there.
June 6, 2021
This exceptional book is about 100 incredible women throughout the history who acted as a pathway for the female to gain their rights, live freely and boldly with pride.
Helen Gurley Brown said,
“the way to get what you want out of life is not through a man but through your career; set your mind to something, and work really hard to get it. Oh, and you should definitely have a lot of fun on the way up—and not wait for marriage to bring you that happy ending.”
I really hate when men pretend that they are stronger than women.A women goes throw the pain of breaking 260 bones while giving birth.And studies show that menstrual pain hurts as much as having a heart attack .This study was conducted by Professor John Guillebaud (UCL Institute for Women's Health).Strength,power,courage and endurance has nothing to do with sexuality.A person acquires them through mentality and work.Stop misogynism and sexism.
Marlene Sanders’s mom said,
“boys don’t like girls who are too smart”
Some will not agree with me but I have experienced it in my real life. I am not a feminist.I am more like an equalist.We are all human beings and men and women are the same.Then why some men suppress women?Men are called SIMPS and UNMANLY by his peer group when he treats a women the right way.Change your thinking because the mother who gave birth to you and raised you is also a female.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said,
“Better bitch than mouse”
I have been waiting for this book for a long time.The illustrations are gorgeous and the story of each Power Women is just fabulous.Loved this book💕
Helen Gurley Brown said,
“the way to get what you want out of life is not through a man but through your career; set your mind to something, and work really hard to get it. Oh, and you should definitely have a lot of fun on the way up—and not wait for marriage to bring you that happy ending.”
I really hate when men pretend that they are stronger than women.A women goes throw the pain of breaking 260 bones while giving birth.And studies show that menstrual pain hurts as much as having a heart attack .This study was conducted by Professor John Guillebaud (UCL Institute for Women's Health).Strength,power,courage and endurance has nothing to do with sexuality.A person acquires them through mentality and work.Stop misogynism and sexism.
Marlene Sanders’s mom said,
“boys don’t like girls who are too smart”
Some will not agree with me but I have experienced it in my real life. I am not a feminist.I am more like an equalist.We are all human beings and men and women are the same.Then why some men suppress women?Men are called SIMPS and UNMANLY by his peer group when he treats a women the right way.Change your thinking because the mother who gave birth to you and raised you is also a female.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said,
“Better bitch than mouse”
I have been waiting for this book for a long time.The illustrations are gorgeous and the story of each Power Women is just fabulous.Loved this book💕
March 14, 2017
A million stars and everyone should read this!! The illustrations are gorgeous and these women are soooo badass!!!
December 7, 2020
I was going back and forth on how I want to rate this one, but in the end decided on 3,5 stars… I liked how it introduced me to some very interesting women I’ve never heard before but I wished the entries were longer… I know it was the whole point to make them short but I felt it just didn’t gave us full pictures on who they were… even changing them to like 4-5 pages instead of the 1 maybe 2 we got would make a difference… cause I feel like a lot of different facets of each woman needed to be incredibly simplified to fit in such short descriptions…
XOXO
A
XOXO
A
April 22, 2018
A powerful book which sheds light on inspiring yet unknown women. Very worth reading, indeed.
December 19, 2017
This is a book about those who came before us, who knocked up against that glass ceiling and made a tiny fissure or a full-on crack.
This was a quick, inspiring read about women who accomplished great things in their lives and challenged societal norms through their success and/or actions. I knew a lot about several of them going in, like my favorite person Dolly Parton, and some I'd barely heard of before, like Aphra Behn, who I had just learned about in A Room of One's Own. Reading this made me want to learn more about some of these women, so much so that I just finished reading Mom & Me & Mom and am eyeing a book about Eleanor Roosevelt next.
This was a quick, inspiring read about women who accomplished great things in their lives and challenged societal norms through their success and/or actions. I knew a lot about several of them going in, like my favorite person Dolly Parton, and some I'd barely heard of before, like Aphra Behn, who I had just learned about in A Room of One's Own. Reading this made me want to learn more about some of these women, so much so that I just finished reading Mom & Me & Mom and am eyeing a book about Eleanor Roosevelt next.
January 10, 2017
I read this in a couple hours on my commute home. What a fun book!! Chapters are short, maybe one or two pages detailing the major accomplishments of 100 badass ladies throughout history. Each chapter is also followed by an illustration, some including an inspiring quote from the woman it depicts. This is an eye-opening, entertaining, and ultimately triumphant book for all women. I wish this had been around when I was a teenager.
November 6, 2018
Just lame. These were all copy and pasted from Wikipedia, and the women chosen are predominantly white, heterosexual, and cisgender. Only two women are listed as LGBT when there are countless others within the book that are documented as gay women, for example Eleanor Roosevelt and Josephine Baker. I learned more from googling the names of unfamiliar to me women than I did from this book.
January 26, 2019
mini review of “Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World” and “Legendary Ladies: 50 Goddesses to Empower and Inspire You” by Ann Shen.
.
Great, beautifully illustrated books celebrating some of the incredible women & goddesses. Definitely not an exhaustive list, but each book contains gorgeous illustrations & illuminating essays that’ll make a great gift. I don’t know if these books are for kids or adults, but I think it’s more geared towards adults because some of the essays contain adult content. I think it’s a great way to learn or re-learn some of the inspirational women we might’ve not known or forgotten about. I like the “Legendary Ladies” more because it features goddesses from all over the world, and I like mythology. Adults need picture books, too! As I get older, I don’t read much about mythology as I used to when I was in school, so it’s very refreshing. I want to know, do you have a favorite goddess? 🤓✌️📖
.
Great, beautifully illustrated books celebrating some of the incredible women & goddesses. Definitely not an exhaustive list, but each book contains gorgeous illustrations & illuminating essays that’ll make a great gift. I don’t know if these books are for kids or adults, but I think it’s more geared towards adults because some of the essays contain adult content. I think it’s a great way to learn or re-learn some of the inspirational women we might’ve not known or forgotten about. I like the “Legendary Ladies” more because it features goddesses from all over the world, and I like mythology. Adults need picture books, too! As I get older, I don’t read much about mythology as I used to when I was in school, so it’s very refreshing. I want to know, do you have a favorite goddess? 🤓✌️📖
April 8, 2020
These books are so important to young girls, if gives them the ability to see that they can accomplish great things and also shows the consequences of terrible choices. All, in all shows how fierce women can be.
In this book beautifully illustrated by Ann Shen (I'm telling you its gorgeous) it gives a brief synopsis/facts of people like Cleopatra, Mae West and etc., tells you what they accomplished and showcase their strength as women. It also tells you how each met there fate. Some were murdered, some had the credit for doing amazing things taken away from them. Then some led a quiet life after the initial in your face attitude. It's all uniquely different.
It's written in a way that it would make it easy for young children to understand. By doing this simplistic writing it stokes the fire of curiosity to further educate themselves (kids) about the Bad Girls Throughout History.
In this book beautifully illustrated by Ann Shen (I'm telling you its gorgeous) it gives a brief synopsis/facts of people like Cleopatra, Mae West and etc., tells you what they accomplished and showcase their strength as women. It also tells you how each met there fate. Some were murdered, some had the credit for doing amazing things taken away from them. Then some led a quiet life after the initial in your face attitude. It's all uniquely different.
It's written in a way that it would make it easy for young children to understand. By doing this simplistic writing it stokes the fire of curiosity to further educate themselves (kids) about the Bad Girls Throughout History.
January 10, 2019
I'll go three stars for this one only because I think the author accomplished what she set out to do - provide thumbnail sketches of important women. It's up to you the reader to dig deeper if any of these brief biographies catch your fancy. I really had no quibbles with the women chosen for the book except that there were a few too many movie stars, and that the author's "caricatures" were a little too pretty and unrealistic.
March 10, 2019
***Actually 3.5 Stars***
This book was good, but it felt a bit repetitive and the writing style was boring at times. I must say though that the art in the book was beautiful. One thing I do wish the author had included was more remarkable women from countries other than the United States. I also still don't know if this is a children's book or not, since, in my opinion, it reads more like a ya book. Someone, please let me know! But, overall this book was just okay.
This book was good, but it felt a bit repetitive and the writing style was boring at times. I must say though that the art in the book was beautiful. One thing I do wish the author had included was more remarkable women from countries other than the United States. I also still don't know if this is a children's book or not, since, in my opinion, it reads more like a ya book. Someone, please let me know! But, overall this book was just okay.
August 21, 2020
4.5
She have me Lady Godiva, Marie Antoinette, Annie Oakley, Josephine Baker, Gypsy Rose Lee, Hedy Lamar, Évita Peron OH AND MENTIONED CYANOBACTERIA?! Really, what more could I have asked for? 100 other fabulous women? Oh yeah she gave us that too.
200 pages of super smart & scandalous women all drawn in Shen’s delicate and pretty style! Love it
She have me Lady Godiva, Marie Antoinette, Annie Oakley, Josephine Baker, Gypsy Rose Lee, Hedy Lamar, Évita Peron OH AND MENTIONED CYANOBACTERIA?! Really, what more could I have asked for? 100 other fabulous women? Oh yeah she gave us that too.
200 pages of super smart & scandalous women all drawn in Shen’s delicate and pretty style! Love it
December 31, 2016
4.5 stars really - maybe 4.75.
I really, really did enjoy this book. I thought the women chosen were great, the summaries succinct and the illustrations so wonderful.
Being a stickler as I am though, I still wish there had been more lesser known, perhaps even more diverse, selections -- though all of these women are definitely bad girls. Plus there were some that I know the more troubling aspects of their history (I'm looking at you Susan B. Anthony) that were glossed over in the descriptions. But as the author indicated in her preface, those briefs are meant to make readers interested in learning more, thus reading for themselves more of the good, and the bad too. I hope there's a volume 2 someday! Such a unique approach to a book.
Last thing, my one really squinty eye moment: Coretta Scott King's description.
Having done extensive research on her, I think her description in the book is really lacking. Yes, she was Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife, but so much more!! I don't care that she rejected him initially because of his height; I care that after he died, she continued spreading his inclusive, important practices through her involvement with the women's rights movement; being a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights; her opposition to apartheid and the Iraq war; starting the King Center to further her and her husband's teachings, to help preserve his memory and legacy; and fighting tirelessly to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday. Those last two do involve her husband, but were rooted in her always-consistent beliefs and her relentless spirit. Basically, she's incredible and hers was the one description that really felt like it was lacking and off-center in that it focused too heavily on her husband and not her as an individual bad girl activist.
I really, really did enjoy this book. I thought the women chosen were great, the summaries succinct and the illustrations so wonderful.
Being a stickler as I am though, I still wish there had been more lesser known, perhaps even more diverse, selections -- though all of these women are definitely bad girls. Plus there were some that I know the more troubling aspects of their history (I'm looking at you Susan B. Anthony) that were glossed over in the descriptions. But as the author indicated in her preface, those briefs are meant to make readers interested in learning more, thus reading for themselves more of the good, and the bad too. I hope there's a volume 2 someday! Such a unique approach to a book.
Last thing, my one really squinty eye moment: Coretta Scott King's description.
Having done extensive research on her, I think her description in the book is really lacking. Yes, she was Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife, but so much more!! I don't care that she rejected him initially because of his height; I care that after he died, she continued spreading his inclusive, important practices through her involvement with the women's rights movement; being a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights; her opposition to apartheid and the Iraq war; starting the King Center to further her and her husband's teachings, to help preserve his memory and legacy; and fighting tirelessly to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday. Those last two do involve her husband, but were rooted in her always-consistent beliefs and her relentless spirit. Basically, she's incredible and hers was the one description that really felt like it was lacking and off-center in that it focused too heavily on her husband and not her as an individual bad girl activist.
January 24, 2019
Entertaining, quick and easy to read and with gorgeous illustrations, very recommendable! My only issue is that it's not very innovative in the sense that I already knew about 95% of the women included in this book, and most of the ones I didn't know about left me a bit cold. Also, a lot of the biographies were way too short to fully transmit the impact these very awesome ladies have had in our society.
March 31, 2022
The World. Present day. Ann Shen’s Bad Girls Throughout History 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World presents 100 women who had “a ton of fear and personal flaws and faced insurmountable obstacles but did amazing things anyway.” The author, an illustrator and graphic designer, has her illustration on either the left or right page, and on the other page is a prose ‘snapshot’ of whichever woman she is presenting. These women are in order according to the era in which they lived. One of the first women discuss is Tomyris (sixth century B.C.E.), a “fearless warrior queen of the Massagetae” who were a nomadic tribe in what is named Iran today, faced Cyrus the Great’s Persian Empire. First Cyrus offered marriage to Tomyris, but she turned him down as she knew it was an attempted ‘land grab’. Final result was Cyrus’ decapitation with Tomyris and her warrior tribe victorious. He should listened to her. Then Empress Wu Zetian (624-705), the only Empress of China, to Joan of Arc (1412-1432), to Abigail Adams (1744-1818), wife to the second president of the US and a “devout feminist” before the word was coined, to Harriet Tubman (1822-1933) of the Underground Railroad, to Eva Peron (1919-1952) First Lady of Argentina, to Oprah (1954- ), to Selena ()1971-1995) a Tejano femaile vocalist, and many other fascinating women who fought the system and won, if even for a short while. A quick and positive read. 5 stars.
May 16, 2018
This is a great little collection of short, one- or two-page bios of "bad girls," women who did what they needed to do rather than what they were expected to do. There are warrior queens and pirate queens, actors and writers, inventors, actors who became inventors, politicians, doctors, nurses, notorious criminals, and spies. It's light, lively, with fun, colorful art showing the women described.
It is, sadly, quite oversimplified, probably inevitable given the limited space. We don't know if the story of Cleopatra and the asp is true. Major events in Eva Peron's career are dropped out entirely. And in some places, it's just completely, inexcusably, unnecessarily wrong. The Constitution under which George Washington and then John Adams became President was not even adopted until years after the Revolution. So, no, while John and Abigail Adams were the first Presidential couple to live in the Presidential Mansion in Washington, they didn't live there during the Revolution. Exactly zero thought had been given to a possible future capital for the new United States of America during the war, when the working capital was Philadelphia. Now, Abigail was John's full partner and a vital part of his career, but muddling the history like that just subtracts from the whole. There are other factual errors like that, and you will likely have your own "favorites."
That said, though, this is interesting, entertaining, and really doesn't pretend to be anything other than a brief introduction to the women. They're all potentially fascinating, and this is a great starting point if you're looking for a direction to go off in for further reading about trouble-making women in history.
I got this from Kindle Unlimited.
It is, sadly, quite oversimplified, probably inevitable given the limited space. We don't know if the story of Cleopatra and the asp is true. Major events in Eva Peron's career are dropped out entirely. And in some places, it's just completely, inexcusably, unnecessarily wrong. The Constitution under which George Washington and then John Adams became President was not even adopted until years after the Revolution. So, no, while John and Abigail Adams were the first Presidential couple to live in the Presidential Mansion in Washington, they didn't live there during the Revolution. Exactly zero thought had been given to a possible future capital for the new United States of America during the war, when the working capital was Philadelphia. Now, Abigail was John's full partner and a vital part of his career, but muddling the history like that just subtracts from the whole. There are other factual errors like that, and you will likely have your own "favorites."
That said, though, this is interesting, entertaining, and really doesn't pretend to be anything other than a brief introduction to the women. They're all potentially fascinating, and this is a great starting point if you're looking for a direction to go off in for further reading about trouble-making women in history.
I got this from Kindle Unlimited.
February 14, 2017
A quick read of 100 not so much 'bad' girls, more like women who dared to be different and changed the world in their way.
The list works it's way chronologically from women like Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Bonnie Parker, Oprah, Joan Jett and Tina Fey.
There are also nice illustrations for each woman.
An interesting look at 100 interesting women.
The list works it's way chronologically from women like Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Bonnie Parker, Oprah, Joan Jett and Tina Fey.
There are also nice illustrations for each woman.
An interesting look at 100 interesting women.
July 23, 2019
this was such a fun, cute feminist read featuring a ton of kick-ass ladies with a gorgeous art style.
if you are a history buff or enjoy history but find it dry, this is the book for you.
it includes short biographies of so many women that made my heart happy.
I do wish there were more non-western ladies in here but that does not diminish the accomplishments of those highlighted in this book.
if you are a history buff or enjoy history but find it dry, this is the book for you.
it includes short biographies of so many women that made my heart happy.
I do wish there were more non-western ladies in here but that does not diminish the accomplishments of those highlighted in this book.
May 10, 2021
Book 148 of 2021
I love reading books like this one 😍
I love reading books like this one 😍
June 30, 2018
From actresses and artists to aviators, and strippers to scientists, there is truly a little taste of everything in here. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and even though it included some (perhaps) questionable entries, I still enjoyed reading through the "Bad Girls" in History, and found it funny to see which women were included.
This book follows a format of an entry for each of the 100 women which includes a few paragraphs about the lives of these women and why they were included here. It also includes a beautiful portrait of the women done by the author with either a quote or a few words about who the woman is/was.
Many famous women you might expect are in here: Anaïs Nin and Madonna to name a few, but the author has picked women from just about everywhere, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about some women I've never heard of before, but am now ready to learn even more about. Special mentions to my joy in the inclusions of Tina Fey, Billie Holiday, and Selena.
I'm not sure exactly which age this is targeted for. It's honestly and, in my opinion, simply written, but there are mentions to things like rape, masturbation, and sex/sexuality that might make this book, at least to some parents or related people caring for/about younger girls hesitate to gift this book to them. So there's a note on that.
I treated this as basically an annotated bibliography for all the biographies I hope to now read.
Now for my Tennessee Girl rant about Dolly Parton's entry, which is almost a crime to me, and disappointed me greatly (basically, THIS IS A BIASED RANT):
I was SO EXCITED to see my QUEEN Dolly Parton included in this book, because her story is honestly incredible, as I think many people are learning. But I spent my most formative years half an hour from her hometown and in the mountains she loves and talks about frequently. I was disappointed to see that she had one of the shortest entries of all the women in this book. It mentions an offer Dolly turned down, though it might've made her rich, because it wasn't what she wanted for herself...which is great! Sounds good! But it's even more impressive when you realize that Dolly grew up very poor in rural Appalachia in a one-room cabin with ten siblings. This book did talk about other women and their poor starts in life (like Oprah, for example), so I wouldn't have found it out of place to just MENTION that in passing when they talk about Dolly building her own empire, or whatever. It's infinitely more than just some "larger than life" "bad girl" with a "theme park named after her" and I'm more upset about this than I thought I would be.
I've decided to be an adult and not knock a star off for this. (LOL)
This book follows a format of an entry for each of the 100 women which includes a few paragraphs about the lives of these women and why they were included here. It also includes a beautiful portrait of the women done by the author with either a quote or a few words about who the woman is/was.
Many famous women you might expect are in here: Anaïs Nin and Madonna to name a few, but the author has picked women from just about everywhere, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about some women I've never heard of before, but am now ready to learn even more about. Special mentions to my joy in the inclusions of Tina Fey, Billie Holiday, and Selena.
I'm not sure exactly which age this is targeted for. It's honestly and, in my opinion, simply written, but there are mentions to things like rape, masturbation, and sex/sexuality that might make this book, at least to some parents or related people caring for/about younger girls hesitate to gift this book to them. So there's a note on that.
I treated this as basically an annotated bibliography for all the biographies I hope to now read.
Now for my Tennessee Girl rant about Dolly Parton's entry, which is almost a crime to me, and disappointed me greatly (basically, THIS IS A BIASED RANT):
I was SO EXCITED to see my QUEEN Dolly Parton included in this book, because her story is honestly incredible, as I think many people are learning. But I spent my most formative years half an hour from her hometown and in the mountains she loves and talks about frequently. I was disappointed to see that she had one of the shortest entries of all the women in this book. It mentions an offer Dolly turned down, though it might've made her rich, because it wasn't what she wanted for herself...which is great! Sounds good! But it's even more impressive when you realize that Dolly grew up very poor in rural Appalachia in a one-room cabin with ten siblings. This book did talk about other women and their poor starts in life (like Oprah, for example), so I wouldn't have found it out of place to just MENTION that in passing when they talk about Dolly building her own empire, or whatever. It's infinitely more than just some "larger than life" "bad girl" with a "theme park named after her" and I'm more upset about this than I thought I would be.
I've decided to be an adult and not knock a star off for this. (LOL)
May 1, 2026
”Everything we’ve gained has been hard-won by a woman who was willing to be bad in the best sense of the world.”
Who runs the world? Girls.
I will never get tired of nonfiction books celebrating the badass women of this world. It’s become a trend in the last few years, and I’m just living it and hoping that it never goes out of style. The trailblazers, the ceiling smashers, the quiet ones, the loud ones, the readers, writers, historians, queens, scientists, explorers, and overall powerful women that have shaped history in their own unique way. Men have been hogging the historical spotlight for too long. Their time is up and we’re here to take over, and these women highlighted in Ann Shen’s book show that we’ve been in very capable hands.
However, since books about historical women have been such a trend, one has to weed out the bad ones from good. Trust me, even in an area such as this, there are bad apples in the bunch (I’m looking at YOU, Icons: 50 Heroines Who Shaped Contemporary Culture). Then you have the ones that are absolutely spectacular (Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics, you deserve ALL the flower). As for where Bad Girls Throughout History falls into this very niche realm, it was decidedly… average.
Before going into this book, I think it’s important to note that this book is not a comprehensive account of these ladies. It doesn’t include every detail about them. Ann Shen makes that known in her introduction.
However, as a history lover, this book made me want more. A lot more. The biographies of these extraordinary women were very surface level. It basically read like the top summary part of a Wikipedia article. It was just the basics without a lot more depth to them. Further, there were some women who seemed to have gotten shorter biographies than others, with some ladies having their stories told down to the bottom of the page while others didn’t even take a quarter page space. There were several key points left about some of these women’s lives that I was quite shocked didn’t get put in there. There were also some historical inaccuracies that ruffled my history-loving feathers a little bit (For instance, Cleopatra was not actually known for her beauty. In fact, a lot of historical records describe her as pretty average looking. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous; her mind was more memorable than her looks.)
A curious thing I noticed is that about halfway through the book, it started to become more about the 100 Bad Girls in the Entertainment Industry than a celebration of women in all fields. The arts field seemed to be where the author focused her attention on towards the latter half of the book. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something I did find curious. Women in the entertainment industry should be celebrated too. I just seemed that women working outside of those fields seemed to not be mentioned as much, especially women in STEM.
I also wish there was more representation in this book. For a book proclaiming to be diverse and show women throughout all walks of life, this book focused on primarily white women. There were some women of color that were highlighted, but I wish there were more. More representation for women of color, different religions, occupations… you get the point. I do, indeed, wish there were more of that. And yet excluding these women from the narrative of this book wouldn’t probably be right, either.
I won’t ever complain about there being yet another book about badass historical women. You can never have too many of them. However, this felt more like a muted party than an actual full-on celebration. Think of it as being more of an appetizer leading to the main course. While I appreciate the artwork and the inclusion of women even I hadn’t heard about, I felt like there could have been more diverse women included (both in regards to their occupational background and their race, ethnicity, and religion), and there were several key events left out of these women’s biographies that left me scratching my head as to why. However, this is a good introductory book into the world of badass historical women, even though I felt that the information was skimmed and the author kind of sugarcoated some information about them. It was an overall solid effort, though.
Long Live the Ladies!
If you’re looking for a slightly more mature, in depth, and diverse book about badass historical ladies, might I suggest Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath. It’s a rollicking celebration of all the ladies who came before us. If this book was the appetizer, Porath’s book is the main entrée.
P.S.: In case wondering minds become even more curious if there are any other badass ladies out there, might I suggest reading up more on these equally bad girls throughout history? This is just some, but I tried to list some ladies from different occupational backgrounds and more diverse ladies all around 😊
Mary Shelley: Considered the mother of science fiction, she wrote Frankenstein at the age of 18 based on a challenge of who could write the scariest ghost story. Crushed it.
Jane Goodall: English primatologist, anthropologist, and passionate environmentalist. She revolutionized how society sees chimpanzees and proved we are more alike than we thought.
Mary Anning: British paleontologist and fossil collector, she discovered her first fossil at age 12.
Mary Leakey: British paleontologist who helped reshape how we think of human evolution.
Dian Fossey: An American primatologist and conservationist world-renowned for her research on mountain gorillas.
Hatshepsut: Before Cleopatra, there was Hatshepsut, the second woman to ever rule Egypt by herself.
Nzinga: Queen of what is now Angola, she was renowned for her intelligence, diplomacy, and military tactics.
Claudette Colvin: Before Rosa, there was Claudette, a 15-year-old girl who refused to give up her seat on the bus.
Murusaki Shikibu: Japanese author who wrote what is widely considered to be the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji.
Maria Tallchief: America’s first Native American prima ballerina.
Ann Lee: Founder of the Shaker religion, responsible for such inventions like the waterwheel, automatic spring, and were among the first to package and sell gardening seeds.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Widely considered to be the inventor and godmother of Rock’n’roll.
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner: Invented the sanitary belt, the precursor to sanitary pads. Praise this woman.
Who runs the world? Girls.
I will never get tired of nonfiction books celebrating the badass women of this world. It’s become a trend in the last few years, and I’m just living it and hoping that it never goes out of style. The trailblazers, the ceiling smashers, the quiet ones, the loud ones, the readers, writers, historians, queens, scientists, explorers, and overall powerful women that have shaped history in their own unique way. Men have been hogging the historical spotlight for too long. Their time is up and we’re here to take over, and these women highlighted in Ann Shen’s book show that we’ve been in very capable hands.
However, since books about historical women have been such a trend, one has to weed out the bad ones from good. Trust me, even in an area such as this, there are bad apples in the bunch (I’m looking at YOU, Icons: 50 Heroines Who Shaped Contemporary Culture). Then you have the ones that are absolutely spectacular (Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics, you deserve ALL the flower). As for where Bad Girls Throughout History falls into this very niche realm, it was decidedly… average.
Before going into this book, I think it’s important to note that this book is not a comprehensive account of these ladies. It doesn’t include every detail about them. Ann Shen makes that known in her introduction.
”This is by no means a definitive list of the one hundred bad girls in history, nor an exhaustive detail of their personal stories.”This works this book’s advantage but also to its detriment. It does, indeed, whet your appetite to go and find out more about the women mentioned here. There’s a bibliography in the back with such books that would help you learn more about them. The lovely water-color illustrations add another delightful element. I know some readers thought they were too abstract, but I personally loved the pretty watercolors.
However, as a history lover, this book made me want more. A lot more. The biographies of these extraordinary women were very surface level. It basically read like the top summary part of a Wikipedia article. It was just the basics without a lot more depth to them. Further, there were some women who seemed to have gotten shorter biographies than others, with some ladies having their stories told down to the bottom of the page while others didn’t even take a quarter page space. There were several key points left about some of these women’s lives that I was quite shocked didn’t get put in there. There were also some historical inaccuracies that ruffled my history-loving feathers a little bit (For instance, Cleopatra was not actually known for her beauty. In fact, a lot of historical records describe her as pretty average looking. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous; her mind was more memorable than her looks.)
A curious thing I noticed is that about halfway through the book, it started to become more about the 100 Bad Girls in the Entertainment Industry than a celebration of women in all fields. The arts field seemed to be where the author focused her attention on towards the latter half of the book. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something I did find curious. Women in the entertainment industry should be celebrated too. I just seemed that women working outside of those fields seemed to not be mentioned as much, especially women in STEM.
I also wish there was more representation in this book. For a book proclaiming to be diverse and show women throughout all walks of life, this book focused on primarily white women. There were some women of color that were highlighted, but I wish there were more. More representation for women of color, different religions, occupations… you get the point. I do, indeed, wish there were more of that. And yet excluding these women from the narrative of this book wouldn’t probably be right, either.
I won’t ever complain about there being yet another book about badass historical women. You can never have too many of them. However, this felt more like a muted party than an actual full-on celebration. Think of it as being more of an appetizer leading to the main course. While I appreciate the artwork and the inclusion of women even I hadn’t heard about, I felt like there could have been more diverse women included (both in regards to their occupational background and their race, ethnicity, and religion), and there were several key events left out of these women’s biographies that left me scratching my head as to why. However, this is a good introductory book into the world of badass historical women, even though I felt that the information was skimmed and the author kind of sugarcoated some information about them. It was an overall solid effort, though.
Long Live the Ladies!
If you’re looking for a slightly more mature, in depth, and diverse book about badass historical ladies, might I suggest Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath. It’s a rollicking celebration of all the ladies who came before us. If this book was the appetizer, Porath’s book is the main entrée.
P.S.: In case wondering minds become even more curious if there are any other badass ladies out there, might I suggest reading up more on these equally bad girls throughout history? This is just some, but I tried to list some ladies from different occupational backgrounds and more diverse ladies all around 😊
Mary Shelley: Considered the mother of science fiction, she wrote Frankenstein at the age of 18 based on a challenge of who could write the scariest ghost story. Crushed it.
Jane Goodall: English primatologist, anthropologist, and passionate environmentalist. She revolutionized how society sees chimpanzees and proved we are more alike than we thought.
Mary Anning: British paleontologist and fossil collector, she discovered her first fossil at age 12.
Mary Leakey: British paleontologist who helped reshape how we think of human evolution.
Dian Fossey: An American primatologist and conservationist world-renowned for her research on mountain gorillas.
Hatshepsut: Before Cleopatra, there was Hatshepsut, the second woman to ever rule Egypt by herself.
Nzinga: Queen of what is now Angola, she was renowned for her intelligence, diplomacy, and military tactics.
Claudette Colvin: Before Rosa, there was Claudette, a 15-year-old girl who refused to give up her seat on the bus.
Murusaki Shikibu: Japanese author who wrote what is widely considered to be the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji.
Maria Tallchief: America’s first Native American prima ballerina.
Ann Lee: Founder of the Shaker religion, responsible for such inventions like the waterwheel, automatic spring, and were among the first to package and sell gardening seeds.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Widely considered to be the inventor and godmother of Rock’n’roll.
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner: Invented the sanitary belt, the precursor to sanitary pads. Praise this woman.
May 30, 2023
Well this book started off on the wrong foot. The very first woman is fictional but presented as real, Lilith. She is a myth that is mentioned in a satirical text, Alphabet of Sirach (c. 700–1000 AD) yet her existence is presented as fact, "she is never mentioned in the Bible. It doesn't get more badass than getting rejected by the Bible, does it?"
So right away I was annoyed and questioning not only the criteria used for deciding who would be included in this book, but also the facts presented about each person.
I was hoping for more lesser known women as well as a more even distribution. Most of the women are from the 19th & 20th century and their contributions to "changing the world" are questionable.
Warning, there are no actual essays contained in this book. The information provided is shallow and not well researched.
So right away I was annoyed and questioning not only the criteria used for deciding who would be included in this book, but also the facts presented about each person.
I was hoping for more lesser known women as well as a more even distribution. Most of the women are from the 19th & 20th century and their contributions to "changing the world" are questionable.
Warning, there are no actual essays contained in this book. The information provided is shallow and not well researched.
January 7, 2022
I consider myself a feminist and was a bit embarrassed that there were a lot of women in here that I knew nothing about. I think this book would be a great gift for curious young adults, and it whet my appetite to learn more.
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