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Women: Our Story
Reexamining history from a female perspective, this book celebrates the pivotal but less well-known roles women have played in culture and society.
Packed full of evocative images, this gloriously illustrated book reveals the key events in women's history--from early matriarchal societies through women's suffrage, the Suffragette movement, 20th-century feminism, and gender politics, to recent movements such as #MeToo and International Women's Day--and the key role women have had in shaping our past.
Learn about the everyday lives of women through the ages as well as the big names of women's history--powerful, inspirational, and trailblazing women such as Cleopatra, Florence Nightingale, Emmeline Pankhurst, Eva Peron, and Rosa Parks--and discover the unsung contributions of lesser-known women who have changed the world, and the "forgotten" events of women's history.
Placing women firmly center stage, Women: An Illustrated History shows women where they came from, and in celebrating the achievements of women of the past, offers positive role models for women of today.
Packed full of evocative images, this gloriously illustrated book reveals the key events in women's history--from early matriarchal societies through women's suffrage, the Suffragette movement, 20th-century feminism, and gender politics, to recent movements such as #MeToo and International Women's Day--and the key role women have had in shaping our past.
Learn about the everyday lives of women through the ages as well as the big names of women's history--powerful, inspirational, and trailblazing women such as Cleopatra, Florence Nightingale, Emmeline Pankhurst, Eva Peron, and Rosa Parks--and discover the unsung contributions of lesser-known women who have changed the world, and the "forgotten" events of women's history.
Placing women firmly center stage, Women: An Illustrated History shows women where they came from, and in celebrating the achievements of women of the past, offers positive role models for women of today.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published February 5, 2019
63 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,126 books2,069 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 6, 2025
I'm frustrated. I picked up this book because I like the concept; I do not think it lives up to its promise that it covers women of all races and ethnicities fairly. Plainly put, it's Euro-centric, just as most history books are, with a nominal respect to Africa and Asia. It also largely ignores LGBTQ people throughout the history--and this is a problem if we are serious about discussing patriarchy. Patriarchy is a system that authorizes men, and specifically cis-hetero men, to be in power, so in order to have a proper perspective over it, sectionalizing women and implying they are the sole victims is no good.
Regarding the selection and description of women featured: let's take, as an example, Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China. Needless to say, this is huge. But her description is misleading: yes, she was the concubine of Emperor Taizong, but her access to power was made more by her remarriage--to her stepson (who was the next emperor). I wonder why this book ignores this dirty but important part of history?
To be fair, let's take a look of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The book says her first marriage was annulled in 1152 and she remarried two years later--to the best of my knowledge, this is wrong. She remarried very quickly, so hastily without the proper pomp that is appropriate for her, eight weeks after her annulment. Two years later, she became the queen of England because that's when Henry became the king.
When even the part about European history has errors, I guess it's too much to expect accuracy about non-European parts.
I like that this book's focus is the more recent history, although I only skimmed through the majority of the book. (I just don't have the time to double check the accuracy of every information.) I also enjoyed the many beautiful pictures.
Regarding the selection and description of women featured: let's take, as an example, Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China. Needless to say, this is huge. But her description is misleading: yes, she was the concubine of Emperor Taizong, but her access to power was made more by her remarriage--to her stepson (who was the next emperor). I wonder why this book ignores this dirty but important part of history?
To be fair, let's take a look of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The book says her first marriage was annulled in 1152 and she remarried two years later--to the best of my knowledge, this is wrong. She remarried very quickly, so hastily without the proper pomp that is appropriate for her, eight weeks after her annulment. Two years later, she became the queen of England because that's when Henry became the king.
When even the part about European history has errors, I guess it's too much to expect accuracy about non-European parts.
I like that this book's focus is the more recent history, although I only skimmed through the majority of the book. (I just don't have the time to double check the accuracy of every information.) I also enjoyed the many beautiful pictures.
July 9, 2020
This book could have been so much more. It seems to be basically a list of women and events that had an affect on women's roles changing through the centuries. Maybe if I had the hard copy and was able to see the pictures, but, I doubt it.
June 25, 2019
Beautiful pictures and quick blurbs of women in history. This would be a nice gift for teen or young woman. The information given would probably spur a reader to do more research into women they found interesting.
March 26, 2019
Excellent. Really appreciated the visuals of the book as well: the art, photographs, and graphic design.
July 3, 2019
As a historian who has studied women's lives and the development of feminism for decades now, I was hoping for a much better book for the average person but this is an engaging start if someone wants to learn more about women's roles on this planet. By colorful, I'm talking about the fact that every single page has color photos and drawings as well as interesting notes on a wide variety of subjects.
In terms of the content, things have great breadth but not much depth. A lot of cultures are covered from pre-history to today but often they are covered in 1-2 pages. Some cultures are specific, Vikings and Ancient Greece for example, but others are lumped together in terms of geographic area like Africa and Mesoamerica. Beyond the sections for specific or general regions, there is a ton of thematic topics in each of the six "parts" of the book.
The majority of the facts are correct but some are utterly wrong and that is a huge problem. Later in the book when Feminism is tackled, there is an attempt to show the various types of the movement that have developed however, Radical Feminism is missed by over a decade and a half and really looks more like Cultural Feminism that developed in the 1980s and has turned into Trans Exclusionary Feminism today. This is just one example of a misinterpretation that kept popping up in the final part of the book when the evidence should make it more accurate not less.
All of my criticisms aside, the packaging of the information is sure to appeal to teens and adults so this book work would as a good introduction to the subject of women's roles in the history of our species. I recommend teachers not use it as a textbook.
In terms of the content, things have great breadth but not much depth. A lot of cultures are covered from pre-history to today but often they are covered in 1-2 pages. Some cultures are specific, Vikings and Ancient Greece for example, but others are lumped together in terms of geographic area like Africa and Mesoamerica. Beyond the sections for specific or general regions, there is a ton of thematic topics in each of the six "parts" of the book.
The majority of the facts are correct but some are utterly wrong and that is a huge problem. Later in the book when Feminism is tackled, there is an attempt to show the various types of the movement that have developed however, Radical Feminism is missed by over a decade and a half and really looks more like Cultural Feminism that developed in the 1980s and has turned into Trans Exclusionary Feminism today. This is just one example of a misinterpretation that kept popping up in the final part of the book when the evidence should make it more accurate not less.
All of my criticisms aside, the packaging of the information is sure to appeal to teens and adults so this book work would as a good introduction to the subject of women's roles in the history of our species. I recommend teachers not use it as a textbook.
July 11, 2019
This was an intensely interesting read, with a lot of historical detail and good illustrations. The author sounds young to me, and passionate and sincere. She rails about the 'patriarchy' and puts her own political views as general knowledge - her views of transgender politics, abortions etc. being as much a part of the feminist canon as equal pay for equal work - and that is what makes her sound young. But I recommend this book for its history, and you can take the ideology with however many grains of salt you choose (none, of course, if so indicated). I have to add that the placing of the abortion issue into the women's rights arena (i.e. a woman's body is hers and she can do what she likes with it and whatever hapless passengers she may have) and out of the human rights arena (i.e. the human right not to be slaughtered in the womb before ever drawing a breath) is a triumph of Satan. He has us all, but women especially, arguing abortion as an individual woman's choice rather than as murder which is exactly what it is. This shows the problem with writing history as a personal polemic. My book of "Women: Our Story" would include abortion with the other methods of infanticide practiced throughout history whereas hers includes abortion with votes for women and the discarding of the corset. Obviously I am right, but that still would not excuse my publishing this hypothetical book as objective history rather than rants. A rant by any other name and even including bibliography and cited references is still a rant. (even if you call it a book review for Goodreads).
June 1, 2019
*This review is part of the Amazon Vine program
Looking for a decent coffee table book? One that has short blurbs you can read but also sit down and read in one sitting? This may be the ticket for you. Highly illustrated with lots of blurbs, it's perfect coffee table reading.
Ranging the gamut from early history to the present, this book is sectioned by time, rather than subject. And I honestly think that might have been to its downfall. I would have rather seen this book grouped by topic and then chronological within those chapters. A chapter on war, rights, art, etc. I'm not saying it's bad the way it is, but it could be better.
Because it is in short blurb format, the pictures are the real star of this book. With your snippets of information you get fully detailed, rich, colorful pictures. And many per page. Even if you weren't a reader there is plenty to look through in this book as a result. And a lot of it was from museums, so it's like getting to travel without actually going anywhere.
A lovely book, and on a subject near and dear to me, women. I greatly enjoyed reading this even if I did have some contention with the order it was presented in.
Review by M. Reynard 2019
Looking for a decent coffee table book? One that has short blurbs you can read but also sit down and read in one sitting? This may be the ticket for you. Highly illustrated with lots of blurbs, it's perfect coffee table reading.
Ranging the gamut from early history to the present, this book is sectioned by time, rather than subject. And I honestly think that might have been to its downfall. I would have rather seen this book grouped by topic and then chronological within those chapters. A chapter on war, rights, art, etc. I'm not saying it's bad the way it is, but it could be better.
Because it is in short blurb format, the pictures are the real star of this book. With your snippets of information you get fully detailed, rich, colorful pictures. And many per page. Even if you weren't a reader there is plenty to look through in this book as a result. And a lot of it was from museums, so it's like getting to travel without actually going anywhere.
A lovely book, and on a subject near and dear to me, women. I greatly enjoyed reading this even if I did have some contention with the order it was presented in.
Review by M. Reynard 2019
December 15, 2019
This hefty tome offers a fantastic overview of women's issues from prehistory to the present. I have never seen a book like this before, and it's about time someone paid attention to women's issues. I've read reviews in which some complained about inaccuracies or omissions in the book. They may be right. But this book doesn't intend to delve into any one issue in great detail. If you'd like to know more, you may research your favorite topic in more detail. The strength of this book lies in its ambitiously encyclopedic approach to all things impacting women, from the Bronze Age to the Third Wave of feminism. I was amazed to read all the stories about powerful and interesting women in this book. The main takeaways for me were that (unsurprisingly) women have almost always gotten the short end of the stick and have been abused and maligned throughout history, and that (surprisingly) there have nonetheless been examples of women leaders, scholars, soldiers, artists, scientists, athletes, writers, and merchants who have broken societal molds to leave their marks on society. In DK style, the book is attractively designed and features interesting photos on every page.
June 10, 2020
Covers a lot of history, but all short intros to every subject. If you want in depth info, you need to look further. I read this as an intro to many pieces of women's history. Many, many differing subjects, all interesting. Even though I knew some of the more recent history, this went further back, trying to date the first time the issue was first documented, some even BCE. Also insightful was the info from many other countries. Women have been fighting, marching, pressing for change for centuries from all over the world.
Really liked this volume; some subjects I wished covered more info. But now I have clues for looking up more information.
Really liked this volume; some subjects I wished covered more info. But now I have clues for looking up more information.
January 31, 2024
This book introduces a wide range of women's movements, from the ancient idea of the Patriarchy to the feminist movement and modern women.
The world population's male to female ratio is almost 50:50, so women are not a minority.
However, business, politics, and economics are overwhelmingly dominated by men.
Women have the power to bear children, breastfeed babies, and create.
That's why women are good at business ideas that make everyday life more comfortable.
Women are always looking to the future and have the power to create rather than destroy.
That's what I thought after reading this book.
The world population's male to female ratio is almost 50:50, so women are not a minority.
However, business, politics, and economics are overwhelmingly dominated by men.
Women have the power to bear children, breastfeed babies, and create.
That's why women are good at business ideas that make everyday life more comfortable.
Women are always looking to the future and have the power to create rather than destroy.
That's what I thought after reading this book.
April 15, 2025
"Women: Our Story", from DK Publishing (lots of authors contributed) is one part coffee table book and one part textbook. Art, photographs, and other visuals beautify nearly every page, and the text organizes itself in small sections that run from 2-4 pages. The sections are about all kinds of topics: women in business, women in cinema, Women's Suffrage, women in Mughal India, Third-Wave Feminism, etc.
Since this book attempts to cover so much, it often reads a bit shallow, like a textbook. Regardless, for people interested in world history from a woman's perspective, this is a serviceable book to have and the visuals at minimum are excellent.
Since this book attempts to cover so much, it often reads a bit shallow, like a textbook. Regardless, for people interested in world history from a woman's perspective, this is a serviceable book to have and the visuals at minimum are excellent.
March 6, 2019
Honestly I thought this book was going to be different. I thought it would be more of a celebration of women. Instead I found it to be very depressing. Basically is a rallying book on how women were abused, used & mistreated throughout the years, which I don’t turn a blind eye to. Those things did & do happen for sure. I was hoping it would be about the accomplishment of women & would be uplifting for the next generation of readers. I feel it fell short of my expectations on reading a book to celebrate women during this Women’s Celebration month.
February 11, 2025
This book provides a generalized history of the role of women throughout the centuries, and spotlights both the famous and the lesser-known. All parts of the world are covered, and this book does not shy away from highlighting how women can also perpetuate cruelty. Some women appeared to get nicer coverage than deserved, such as Mother Theresa. Because of the expanse of information, one will need to do their own research for details and context. This book is more caption than long text. Nonetheless, it was nice to be introduced to the female sex and her contributions to the world.
June 30, 2022
Loved this book. It is easy to read with great pictures. Stories of women's subjugation from the beginning of time and how we have come to where we are now and so much more to do to have the equality that God gave us as human beings. When men start owning the equality of women we can change the world!
March 2, 2021
When I requested this from the library, I had no idea that it was roughly the size of your average coffee table book. Nevertheless, I toted it around for a few days while I brushed up on quick snippets of women's history. Overall, it was worth the ridiculous stares from my peers.
June 8, 2021
Enjoyed this adult picture book, but realize women still have a long way to go!
August 15, 2021
I learned so much from this book. It teaches you different moments in time and from all the world. A must read for all the people. It is time for women to be remembered.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews