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A History of the World in 21 Women
Jenni Murray gives the lie to Thomas Carlyle’s infamous declaration that ‘the history of the world is but the biography of great men.’ Women have played just as great a role in the story of humankind, only for their own tales to be marginalised, censored and forgotten. Their names should be shouted from the rooftops.
Marie Curie discovered radium and revolutionised medical science. Empress Cixi transformed China. Frida Kahlo turned an unflinching eye on life and death. In A History of the World in 21 Women, Jenni Murray celebrates the lives, struggles and achievements of some of the most extraordinary people to have ever walked the Earth. They ruled empires, they led nations. They were pioneers in the arts and geniuses of science. They led while others followed, spoke truth to power and fought for change. All left behind an indelible mark.
Marie Curie discovered radium and revolutionised medical science. Empress Cixi transformed China. Frida Kahlo turned an unflinching eye on life and death. In A History of the World in 21 Women, Jenni Murray celebrates the lives, struggles and achievements of some of the most extraordinary people to have ever walked the Earth. They ruled empires, they led nations. They were pioneers in the arts and geniuses of science. They led while others followed, spoke truth to power and fought for change. All left behind an indelible mark.
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Published September 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews
April 18, 2019
The idea behind this book is great- write a book about 21 women who impacted the world on their time. And I did enjoy reading about these women- some whom I had never heard of and some whose stories I already knew. But I wanted this to be so much better than it was. It read like a blog entry at times, it missed bits and added bits of the author’s own stories that I felt didn’t need to be there. Overall interesting to read about such strong women, but I wanted much more out of it.
July 25, 2023
After reading the amazing stories of these remarkable women, I just wanna say:
May we know them.
May we be them.
May we raise them.
May we know them.
May we be them.
May we raise them.
September 16, 2018
Disclaimer: ARC via Librarything
We love lists. We make shopping lists, reading lists, to read lists, movie lists, and on and on. Any book or article that publishes a list is going to get called on that list. So, let’s get that bit out of the way.
Murray’s list of 21 women starts in Ancient Egypt and goes to Cathy Freeman. There is a total of eight women of color, three from the US, and two from France and Russia. Every continent is represented, except South America, which is a bit annoying. Bonus points for having Australia represented by an Aboriginal woman. There is a nice mixture of women in the arts, politics, and sciences. It’s true that a reader does wonder why some lesser known women aren’t mentioned, why, in some cases, the standard women are trotted out. And couldn’t a woman from South America make the list? But all the women either were or are highly influential, usually in more than one field.
But quite frankly, it was so wonderful to see Toni Morrison here, and she isn’t the only artist.
Jenni Murray, host of BBC’s Women Hour, details 21 women using an amazing personal voice as well as with a good critical eye. At times her personal admiration really does shine though. Honesty, Merkel, c’mon, let Murray talk to you, basically so she can ask you if you really did read Playboy to understand Trump.
Murray also does not whitewash the flaws in the women. In fact, at times, she notes her own conflicts with some of the actions the women take – for instance Queen Isabella’s prosecutions of Jews. She handles Bhutto’s political history deftly. The tone of the writing is totally engaging, and the book is quite easy to dip in and out of. It is as if you are listening to Murray present on the radio.
The portraits of each woman are incredibly lovely.
We love lists. We make shopping lists, reading lists, to read lists, movie lists, and on and on. Any book or article that publishes a list is going to get called on that list. So, let’s get that bit out of the way.
Murray’s list of 21 women starts in Ancient Egypt and goes to Cathy Freeman. There is a total of eight women of color, three from the US, and two from France and Russia. Every continent is represented, except South America, which is a bit annoying. Bonus points for having Australia represented by an Aboriginal woman. There is a nice mixture of women in the arts, politics, and sciences. It’s true that a reader does wonder why some lesser known women aren’t mentioned, why, in some cases, the standard women are trotted out. And couldn’t a woman from South America make the list? But all the women either were or are highly influential, usually in more than one field.
But quite frankly, it was so wonderful to see Toni Morrison here, and she isn’t the only artist.
Jenni Murray, host of BBC’s Women Hour, details 21 women using an amazing personal voice as well as with a good critical eye. At times her personal admiration really does shine though. Honesty, Merkel, c’mon, let Murray talk to you, basically so she can ask you if you really did read Playboy to understand Trump.
Murray also does not whitewash the flaws in the women. In fact, at times, she notes her own conflicts with some of the actions the women take – for instance Queen Isabella’s prosecutions of Jews. She handles Bhutto’s political history deftly. The tone of the writing is totally engaging, and the book is quite easy to dip in and out of. It is as if you are listening to Murray present on the radio.
The portraits of each woman are incredibly lovely.
August 18, 2022
within the first couple chapters she fat shames a pharaoh, doesn’t really address the nazi shaped elephant in the room during her chapter on coco chanel and don’t get me started on the chapter on golda meir. it’s a shame because the concept of this book is excellent but the execution is not there. it would have been a lot more powerful if there was some critical analysis on the women she chose to discuss
December 21, 2018
Jenni Murray gives a personal selection of 21 women from history and the present.
The opening pushes feminist ideology, perhaps assuming that all readers will be a feminist? And then there then goes on to describe intersectionality. I’m here for history, not ideology.
The part where the author talks about her visit to Egypt in 1998 was unnecessary. But the book gets better once it gets to the actual history.
The author describes and then debunks the myths surrounding Joan of Arc, although she doesn’t emphasise that was the Burgundians and not the English who killed her. She has since been a martyr for French propaganda.
She says that Isabella of Castile was an “Islamophobe”, (which she admits is anachronistic) a loaded term that reeks of presentism. I can only see its use here as virtue signalling. In the context of the times, the Reconquista was justified after centuries of Muslim occupation of Spain.
When Cixi rebuilt the Summer Palace, that author doesn’t mention that the funds for that had been meant to develop China’s navy.
The chapter on Marie Curie was my favourite.
The ideology is also pushed on the chapter on Margaret Atwood.
The chapter on Hillary Clinton is the worst one, it was so awful that I removed 2 stars. It is deeply sanitized, and the focus is on the author’s interview with Clinton. But there is no mention of her corruption, the Benghazi attack or numerous over scandals. She talks about Clinton tackling women’s issues in Saudi Arabia, but makes no mention of the money she made from the Saudis. It is hard to believe Clinton is sincerely committed to addressing those issues when the system of oppression in Saudi Arabia is one that Clinton has directly benefited from. This is who she describes as ‘an important advocate and role model for women’. She finds it ‘thoroughly depressing’ that there are women who choose to vote against Clinton. But given Clinton’s record, it is easy to see why anyone would vote against that.
The author is a journalist and must be aware of the unsavory aspects of Clinton's career. Not to mention them shows a lack of journalistic integrity. It also doesn’t bode well for her belief that women in this book are to be celebrated and emulated (with the exception of Isabella of Castile). With so many scandals and shady dealings behind her, Clinton is not one to be emulated and a terrible option for breaking the ‘glass ceiling’.
The chapter on Angela Merkel whitewashes her failures over migration and is more concerned with the rise of the populist right.
The book ends with the author returning to feminism and lauding the #metoo movement. But that comes off as hubristic, given that the movement has backfired. . Bill Clinton was lucky not to have been president during #metoo.
Since this is a personal selection, I thought about who I would have included if had made the choices. Forgoing for obvious choice of Cleopatra, there is Sappho, Livia, the Trung Sisters, Theodora, Empress Wu, Murasaki Shikibu, Empress Irene, Anna Komnene, Caterina Sforza, Catherine de Medici, Marie Antoinette, Harriet Tubman, George Eliot, Amelia Earhart, Hannah Arendt, Margaret Sanger, Ayn Rand, Phyllis Schlafly, Corazon Aquino, Aung San Suu Kyi and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Emma Goldman and Rosa Luxembourg wouldn’t make the cut in my selection).
Now I want to know, who would you have picked?
The opening pushes feminist ideology, perhaps assuming that all readers will be a feminist? And then there then goes on to describe intersectionality. I’m here for history, not ideology.
The part where the author talks about her visit to Egypt in 1998 was unnecessary. But the book gets better once it gets to the actual history.
The author describes and then debunks the myths surrounding Joan of Arc, although she doesn’t emphasise that was the Burgundians and not the English who killed her. She has since been a martyr for French propaganda.
She says that Isabella of Castile was an “Islamophobe”, (which she admits is anachronistic) a loaded term that reeks of presentism. I can only see its use here as virtue signalling. In the context of the times, the Reconquista was justified after centuries of Muslim occupation of Spain.
When Cixi rebuilt the Summer Palace, that author doesn’t mention that the funds for that had been meant to develop China’s navy.
The chapter on Marie Curie was my favourite.
The ideology is also pushed on the chapter on Margaret Atwood.
The chapter on Hillary Clinton is the worst one, it was so awful that I removed 2 stars. It is deeply sanitized, and the focus is on the author’s interview with Clinton. But there is no mention of her corruption, the Benghazi attack or numerous over scandals. She talks about Clinton tackling women’s issues in Saudi Arabia, but makes no mention of the money she made from the Saudis. It is hard to believe Clinton is sincerely committed to addressing those issues when the system of oppression in Saudi Arabia is one that Clinton has directly benefited from. This is who she describes as ‘an important advocate and role model for women’. She finds it ‘thoroughly depressing’ that there are women who choose to vote against Clinton. But given Clinton’s record, it is easy to see why anyone would vote against that.
The author is a journalist and must be aware of the unsavory aspects of Clinton's career. Not to mention them shows a lack of journalistic integrity. It also doesn’t bode well for her belief that women in this book are to be celebrated and emulated (with the exception of Isabella of Castile). With so many scandals and shady dealings behind her, Clinton is not one to be emulated and a terrible option for breaking the ‘glass ceiling’.
The chapter on Angela Merkel whitewashes her failures over migration and is more concerned with the rise of the populist right.
The book ends with the author returning to feminism and lauding the #metoo movement. But that comes off as hubristic, given that the movement has backfired. . Bill Clinton was lucky not to have been president during #metoo.
Since this is a personal selection, I thought about who I would have included if had made the choices. Forgoing for obvious choice of Cleopatra, there is Sappho, Livia, the Trung Sisters, Theodora, Empress Wu, Murasaki Shikibu, Empress Irene, Anna Komnene, Caterina Sforza, Catherine de Medici, Marie Antoinette, Harriet Tubman, George Eliot, Amelia Earhart, Hannah Arendt, Margaret Sanger, Ayn Rand, Phyllis Schlafly, Corazon Aquino, Aung San Suu Kyi and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Emma Goldman and Rosa Luxembourg wouldn’t make the cut in my selection).
Now I want to know, who would you have picked?
February 14, 2020
This is a strong historical collection of 21 women, all from the Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Marie Curie and Madonna just to name a few. It is a slow-moving read, however, very knowledgable and learnt lots of interesting details along the way!
January 22, 2021
I hadn't heard of Jenni Murray - presumably because I don't read the Daily Fail or watch Loose Women. If I had, I probably would have made a note of the women mentioned in this book, put this book back on the shelf, and then made my own efforts to do research using more reliable sources.
Jenni Murray is a terf. And it really shows. She lures you into a false sense of security by blithering about the importance of intersectionality, and then totally ignoring it in favour of powerful cisgender, mostly heterosexual women, the men they were married to and the children they had.
The Frida Kahlo chapter was, frankly, an embarrassment, as Murray wittered on about the terrible tragedy of Kahlo never having children, and how the paintings of her dogs were a clear sign of her desperation to be a mother (something Murray reckons all women feel!). Congratulations you just reduced one of the most interesting women in history to her uterus. She also describes her as having "lesbian relationships and heterosexual relationships". If ONLY there was a word that described that very phenomena! I wonder if JM hangs out with Julie Bindel...
And once you've lost faith in your author it makes the rest of the book almost unreadable. She fat shames Hatshepsut (!) and takes time out to mention that Benazir Bhutto would have been beautiful apart from her nose but not to worry there was an excellent plastic surgeon on standby to fix that.
Jenni Murray assures us there's absolutely no evidence at all that Coco Chanel was a nazi collaborator, and absolves Golda Meir with a simple "she bears no responsibility for the current battles over illegal settlements [in Palestine]" (but concedes that Zionism is "deeply controversial today" what an understatement).
This should be an interesting book. These women have lived extraordinary lives and done amazing, uncomfortable, and in some cases dreadful things (looking at you Isabella of Castille). Instead you get personal anecdotes about gap years, an uncomfortable obsession with childbearing, and a general sense that women deserve better.
Jenni Murray is a terf. And it really shows. She lures you into a false sense of security by blithering about the importance of intersectionality, and then totally ignoring it in favour of powerful cisgender, mostly heterosexual women, the men they were married to and the children they had.
The Frida Kahlo chapter was, frankly, an embarrassment, as Murray wittered on about the terrible tragedy of Kahlo never having children, and how the paintings of her dogs were a clear sign of her desperation to be a mother (something Murray reckons all women feel!). Congratulations you just reduced one of the most interesting women in history to her uterus. She also describes her as having "lesbian relationships and heterosexual relationships". If ONLY there was a word that described that very phenomena! I wonder if JM hangs out with Julie Bindel...
And once you've lost faith in your author it makes the rest of the book almost unreadable. She fat shames Hatshepsut (!) and takes time out to mention that Benazir Bhutto would have been beautiful apart from her nose but not to worry there was an excellent plastic surgeon on standby to fix that.
Jenni Murray assures us there's absolutely no evidence at all that Coco Chanel was a nazi collaborator, and absolves Golda Meir with a simple "she bears no responsibility for the current battles over illegal settlements [in Palestine]" (but concedes that Zionism is "deeply controversial today" what an understatement).
This should be an interesting book. These women have lived extraordinary lives and done amazing, uncomfortable, and in some cases dreadful things (looking at you Isabella of Castille). Instead you get personal anecdotes about gap years, an uncomfortable obsession with childbearing, and a general sense that women deserve better.
May 6, 2020
This book had been sat on my shelf unread for over a year before I finally picked it up and I was entirely surprised by how interesting, accessible and enjoyable the book was. Jenni Murray is a journalist who has picked 21 women that she admires or thinks were/are interesting from around the world and throughout history. She makes very clear that this is her own personal selection based on her own experiences which I think is important and relevant. This book therefore isn't intending to be a pinnacle text on women of the world or a full biography of these women. However, I think Murray does a good job of selecting a range of women from different fields, backgrounds, periods and experiences to showcase women's role and lives throughout history.
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Murray's selection of women is diverse and interesting and some of my personal favourites were her biographies of Frida Kahlo, Coco Channel, Hatshepshut, Benazir Bhutto and Hillary Clinton. She offered an interesting introduction into the lives of these women and sought to channel stereotypes that have been associated with them. The book also covered chapters on Joan of Arc, Artemisia Gentileschi, Angela Merkel, Empress Dowager Cixi, Catherine the Great, Clara Schumann, Wangari Maathai, Golda Meir, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Isabella of Castille, Cathy Freeman, Madonna, Anna Politkovskaya, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Marie Curie. All of them were fascinating and interesting explorations of these women.
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This book reminded me of why I love history and made me buy books on Benazir Bhutto and Frida Khalo to learn more about their lives. I think this is an enjoyable look into the lives of women throughout history. I would only say there are a couple of trigger warning/explicit sections where she talks about a rape that happened to one of the women that could be uncomfortable for readers and unsuitable for younger readers. Besides this I thought the book was really well written and I want to learn more about all of the fascinating women in this book.
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Murray's selection of women is diverse and interesting and some of my personal favourites were her biographies of Frida Kahlo, Coco Channel, Hatshepshut, Benazir Bhutto and Hillary Clinton. She offered an interesting introduction into the lives of these women and sought to channel stereotypes that have been associated with them. The book also covered chapters on Joan of Arc, Artemisia Gentileschi, Angela Merkel, Empress Dowager Cixi, Catherine the Great, Clara Schumann, Wangari Maathai, Golda Meir, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Isabella of Castille, Cathy Freeman, Madonna, Anna Politkovskaya, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Marie Curie. All of them were fascinating and interesting explorations of these women.
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This book reminded me of why I love history and made me buy books on Benazir Bhutto and Frida Khalo to learn more about their lives. I think this is an enjoyable look into the lives of women throughout history. I would only say there are a couple of trigger warning/explicit sections where she talks about a rape that happened to one of the women that could be uncomfortable for readers and unsuitable for younger readers. Besides this I thought the book was really well written and I want to learn more about all of the fascinating women in this book.
December 5, 2019
I was excited to learn something about the women in this book (and I did), though actually I felt that it came up short in a number of ways. The overall tone of the book is somehow condescending and there are several comments throughout that are actually quite sexist. A lot of these world-changing women are described first in terms of classical beauty standards (including fat shaming a pharaoh!!), and as usual a significant part of their ‘story’ is to talk about husbands and children, even when these are actually irrelevant to their achievements in life. Murray also states in her conclusion that a requirement for female success is to have a supportive father (no comment on the mother). Overall a nice idea but disappointing in its execution.
August 9, 2022
Every word wasted on her own opinion could've been used to develop a critical analysis of these amazing women.
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August 30, 2020i bought this book because it was part of the audible birthday sale. i wish i’d saved the £3.
it screams token feminism which i thought as i was listening to certain chapters and was massively compounded when i found out, upon finishing the book, that jenni murray is a transphobe. how dare this woman write this book and present women’s hour when she holds such horrendous views.
the conclusion states (in response to women now being the ‘weaker sex’ and how we are too afraid and timid to ask for promotions etc) that “your sex has nothing to do with it”. women face oppression and prejudice in the workplace and everyday life purely because they are women. it doesn’t take a genius to see this and to add a throwaway line as if we should just step up and take control, we won’t be shut down, fired, or even killed is a ridiculous notion.
she also concludes “a woman who has passion and education... can achieve what she think is right” even though throughout this book she highlights the amount of women who achieved great things without (or in spite of) having no education. education for all women isn’t the done thing across many countries and at no point does she address this in her conclusion. it’s as if she thinks that these issues will be solved by women and girls just turning up for an education that has been denied to them for so long.
as well as this, she lauds an islamic prime minister despite the atrocities they put upon palestine which angered me to the point of skipping that chapter.
it sounds like a good book, she writes well and that is why many people seem to be praising it but this book has absolutely no relevance to the women of today and the injustices we face. i’m writing this as a white woman with absolutely no experience of the injustices faced by many other women across the world and that i am fighting tirelessly to understand on a greater level.
we should celebrate women. we should celebrate our achievements. we shouldn’t diminish our gender to that as being equal to anyone else when we aren’t equal and we shouldn’t stop fighting until we are. no more beatitudes from privileged white women should be put forth until they have something meaningful to say for us.
it screams token feminism which i thought as i was listening to certain chapters and was massively compounded when i found out, upon finishing the book, that jenni murray is a transphobe. how dare this woman write this book and present women’s hour when she holds such horrendous views.
the conclusion states (in response to women now being the ‘weaker sex’ and how we are too afraid and timid to ask for promotions etc) that “your sex has nothing to do with it”. women face oppression and prejudice in the workplace and everyday life purely because they are women. it doesn’t take a genius to see this and to add a throwaway line as if we should just step up and take control, we won’t be shut down, fired, or even killed is a ridiculous notion.
she also concludes “a woman who has passion and education... can achieve what she think is right” even though throughout this book she highlights the amount of women who achieved great things without (or in spite of) having no education. education for all women isn’t the done thing across many countries and at no point does she address this in her conclusion. it’s as if she thinks that these issues will be solved by women and girls just turning up for an education that has been denied to them for so long.
as well as this, she lauds an islamic prime minister despite the atrocities they put upon palestine which angered me to the point of skipping that chapter.
it sounds like a good book, she writes well and that is why many people seem to be praising it but this book has absolutely no relevance to the women of today and the injustices we face. i’m writing this as a white woman with absolutely no experience of the injustices faced by many other women across the world and that i am fighting tirelessly to understand on a greater level.
we should celebrate women. we should celebrate our achievements. we shouldn’t diminish our gender to that as being equal to anyone else when we aren’t equal and we shouldn’t stop fighting until we are. no more beatitudes from privileged white women should be put forth until they have something meaningful to say for us.
December 4, 2025
'A History of the World in 21 Women' (2018) by journalist and stalwart presenter of BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour for a hugely impressive 23 years until her departure in 2020.
To select the 21 women on which to base her book is of course a nigh on impossible task in itself, however the key here is in the second part of the books title 'A Personal Selection'. Whilst the 21 women selected by Murray range from antiquity (in the case of Hatshepsut) through to Madonna, many of the more contemporary of her choices, were interviewed by Murray in her capacity as BBC Radio broadcaster and provide her with a personal connection.
Nevertheless, the premise of the book is a bold one, in which Murray writes of how strong women can and have changed the world and the course of history, quite often against all odds and by incredible bravery and determination. To argue for and against the women included or excluded from Murray's list is a futile endeavour given the endless list of historically important women that there is to choose from. Murray has come up with a great and varied list.
'21 Women' is a very well written book, I freely admit to not having heard of a number of the women selected and what Murray's book does very well, whilst summarising the key achievements of those selected, is to leave the reader wanting to know more about her subjects.
'21 Women' was published in 2018 and sadly, the fight for women's rights and for true equality of opportunity goes on, against a seemingly rising tide of misogyny. Since 2018, women's rights are being further and fundamentally eroded in Trump's America, whilst at the same to time as being entirely crushed by the patriarchal boot of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Yet somehow, there is still hope and the fight continues.
To select the 21 women on which to base her book is of course a nigh on impossible task in itself, however the key here is in the second part of the books title 'A Personal Selection'. Whilst the 21 women selected by Murray range from antiquity (in the case of Hatshepsut) through to Madonna, many of the more contemporary of her choices, were interviewed by Murray in her capacity as BBC Radio broadcaster and provide her with a personal connection.
Nevertheless, the premise of the book is a bold one, in which Murray writes of how strong women can and have changed the world and the course of history, quite often against all odds and by incredible bravery and determination. To argue for and against the women included or excluded from Murray's list is a futile endeavour given the endless list of historically important women that there is to choose from. Murray has come up with a great and varied list.
'21 Women' is a very well written book, I freely admit to not having heard of a number of the women selected and what Murray's book does very well, whilst summarising the key achievements of those selected, is to leave the reader wanting to know more about her subjects.
'21 Women' was published in 2018 and sadly, the fight for women's rights and for true equality of opportunity goes on, against a seemingly rising tide of misogyny. Since 2018, women's rights are being further and fundamentally eroded in Trump's America, whilst at the same to time as being entirely crushed by the patriarchal boot of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Yet somehow, there is still hope and the fight continues.
September 17, 2020
An eloquent and masterly exploration of a selection of powerful and courageous women who dared to create change.
With a stronger focus upon present day women, there are fewer historical figures than “A History of Britain in 21 Women” (which was slightly disappointing) but this did not diminish the brilliance of this book.
With a stronger focus upon present day women, there are fewer historical figures than “A History of Britain in 21 Women” (which was slightly disappointing) but this did not diminish the brilliance of this book.
May 4, 2022
3.5 - would have loved a bit more in some chapters but definitely whet the appetite to discover more about some of these women in history.
October 30, 2018
There are two books: history of BRITAIN in 21 women, which is the description here, and history of the WORLD in 21 women, which is a different playlist entirely. I read/listened to WORLD, and I'm still trying to decide if I should round 2.5 stars up to 3 or down to 2. In a book covering what its title proclaims there isn't space for cozy little paragraphs about the author's Chihuahuas and while I realise this is necessarily a highly subjective choice of subject(s) the girlish asides set my teeth on edge. She also leaves out the most extraordinary things, in a book on women being successful despite the world they live in, for example how they raise their children and what happened to those children--Marie Curie had a father in law who was willing to baby-sit, but compliant relatives are unusual. What about Artemisia's children, for example? Unless my audible download missed a paragraph they just disappear. And speaking of audible, Murray herself reads, and her overuse of significant pauses in totally inappropriate places started making me crazy by about halfway through. I'm not going to engage with her choices: they're an interesting if eccentric bunch and I certainly learned about women I had either never or barely heard of, and want to read up on some of them. But I'm now a confirmed non-fan of Murray and I'll probably give BRITAIN a miss.
July 25, 2021
I enjoyed the concept of this book but the irony of the author insisting that intersectionality is important, in the same breath as making derogatory comments about fat and mentally ill women, as well as women with "imperfect" noses is striking. It's also deeply ironic that Murray stresses that not all the women in this book are good people, but then sanitises things such as Coco Chanel's Nazi ties and Hilary Clinton's past political stances. Women have been left out of history for so long, and I can't argue that the women in this book didn't make history, but I feel at points that Murray falls into uncritical praise of these people who are admittedly fascinating individuals. I consider myself to be a feminist, but I feel that Murray praises "western feminism" an uncomfortable amount, particularly when discussing Asian political leaders. I found this a really promising read, which is why I kept going to the end, but overall I was disappointed. One last note for Murray - trans women are real women.
November 5, 2019
A great comprehensive List of 21 of the most influential women from across the world. Each woman has her own chapter and the author eloquently describes the achievements of each woman ranging from science to art to politics. Personally I have not heard of a lot of these women so I was very intrigued to read mini biographies on each one.
This would be an excellent book for young women looking for inspiration in strong-powerful female role models.
This would be an excellent book for young women looking for inspiration in strong-powerful female role models.
October 9, 2020
In theory, this book has many of the elements that would guarantee it being a new favorite for me, especially now that I’m going through a bit of a history spree. Going through the history of the world as seen and shaped by 21 women of various backgrounds, who left their mark in as many areas? Yes please.
Sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Perhaps audio wasn’t the right format, since I sometimes couldn’t understand who said what or to whom, and perhaps there were one too many personal notes from the author. I’m sure Jenni Murray's quirky stories can be quite fun in her radio show but, in a short book that aims to cover the history of the world in 21 women, there’s not really enough room for the names of her dogs or that time a friend of hers drank some tea that knocked her out or whatever.
That being said, I do appreciate having heard of these 21 remarkable women Murray chose to present. Of course, I have my preferences (Marie Curie and Toni Morrison, for example) and wouldn’t have minded losing a couple from this selection to make room for others who I would have preferred learning more from but, as a whole, I enjoyed getting to know these women - some better, some for the very first time. Yet, I wish there had been more about them, although you could really hear Murray’s admiration for each of them in her voice and I’m sure there was so much more about their lives and legacy that she would have liked to share. I do not think this was solely an issue of “too much to say, too few pages”, though. Rather, I believe Murray could have done a better job at filtering what to say about each of the women.
Murray doesn’t only deliver praise and flowers, though. She doesn’t shy away from pointing out some of the many flaws, the bad decisions and even unethical actions of some of the women in her selection. There was often a nice balance between admiration and criticism, and it was interesting to listen to her as she reconciled both the bad and the good in each woman.
My biggest complaint, however, is that in a list of 21 women, Murray sadly couldn’t make room to mention one single woman from South America. And hardly because of lack of options. The closest she got was Frida Kahlo, who conveniently gave Murray the chance to mention one of her dogs (she mentioned the other one later on, too.)
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It is my passionate desire that others - male or female, young or old - should learn of the determination and courage of so many women throughout the history of the world. They should be known, remembered, cheered and emulated by we who follow them.
Sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Perhaps audio wasn’t the right format, since I sometimes couldn’t understand who said what or to whom, and perhaps there were one too many personal notes from the author. I’m sure Jenni Murray's quirky stories can be quite fun in her radio show but, in a short book that aims to cover the history of the world in 21 women, there’s not really enough room for the names of her dogs or that time a friend of hers drank some tea that knocked her out or whatever.
That being said, I do appreciate having heard of these 21 remarkable women Murray chose to present. Of course, I have my preferences (Marie Curie and Toni Morrison, for example) and wouldn’t have minded losing a couple from this selection to make room for others who I would have preferred learning more from but, as a whole, I enjoyed getting to know these women - some better, some for the very first time. Yet, I wish there had been more about them, although you could really hear Murray’s admiration for each of them in her voice and I’m sure there was so much more about their lives and legacy that she would have liked to share. I do not think this was solely an issue of “too much to say, too few pages”, though. Rather, I believe Murray could have done a better job at filtering what to say about each of the women.
Murray doesn’t only deliver praise and flowers, though. She doesn’t shy away from pointing out some of the many flaws, the bad decisions and even unethical actions of some of the women in her selection. There was often a nice balance between admiration and criticism, and it was interesting to listen to her as she reconciled both the bad and the good in each woman.
My biggest complaint, however, is that in a list of 21 women, Murray sadly couldn’t make room to mention one single woman from South America. And hardly because of lack of options. The closest she got was Frida Kahlo, who conveniently gave Murray the chance to mention one of her dogs (she mentioned the other one later on, too.)
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February 20, 2025
Enjoyed the UK version and learning about historically important women, but this one had a different structure. I liked that in the first book, each chapter started off with quotes from the lady the chapter was about. This one felt like it had more information on how the author learnt about said lady, not as much detail about their lives. For example in the chapter about Hatshepsut, there were bits about her holiday in Egypt and I didn’t really care lol. More opinion focused. I get that they were trying to make it more personal than the first book but I preferred the factual unbiased accounts.
My favourites to learn about were Artemisia Gentileschi (although this one was very tragic) Frida Kahlo, I adore her paintings but never knew about her difficulties. Her early life with polio, a bus accident and addiction😟 I have a strong belief the best art comes from anguish. And of course Madonna❤️ her music impacted me a lot growing up. The iconic “Like a prayer” music video. And I still want to this day the red dress she wears in the music video for “La isla bonita”
My favourites to learn about were Artemisia Gentileschi (although this one was very tragic) Frida Kahlo, I adore her paintings but never knew about her difficulties. Her early life with polio, a bus accident and addiction😟 I have a strong belief the best art comes from anguish. And of course Madonna❤️ her music impacted me a lot growing up. The iconic “Like a prayer” music video. And I still want to this day the red dress she wears in the music video for “La isla bonita”
June 11, 2023
Very educational. Prepare to be annoyed with the vast amount of misogyny these women suffered. Shame I didn't read the reviews as I didn't know this author was problematic.
April 26, 2022
A great book, which highlights 21 diverse, but all worthy, women. You may know of all of these women, but that doesn't mean you won't learn more about them. There are mixed results from authors narrating their own work, but Jenni Murray performs brilliantly.
May 4, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. Written like a blog by Jenni it was fascinating to hear so many amazing stories about so many incredible women. I’ve heard of some but not all the women and was amazed. I was particularly fond of the Margaret Atwood and Angela Murkle chapters.
Feminism is about being equal. Not hating men. Totally worth a read.
Feminism is about being equal. Not hating men. Totally worth a read.
April 26, 2022
Een gemakkelijk te lezen boekje, nieuwe vrouwen leren kennen en nieuwe weetjes geleerd over vrouwen die ik dacht te kennen
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November 20, 2020Not that I ever intend to be objective on here but I’m not putting a rating on this... My Mum got me this for Christmas which is the only reason I read a book by a terf. It starts with a description of an encounter with Kimberlé Crenshaw which made me feel deeply embarrassed, as though Murray had forgotten to turn off her webcam when nipping to the loo during a Zoom call, and couldn’t go downhill from there only because there was no more downhill to go.
Alternative titles could be:
A history of Jenni Murray in 21 women
A handful of 10-page descriptions of men who some famous women married
Alternative titles could be:
A history of Jenni Murray in 21 women
A handful of 10-page descriptions of men who some famous women married
February 17, 2022
Many other reviewers have criticised this for having too many anecdotes or being too broad in scope so as to not focus properly on the nuances of each woman’s impact on the world around her.
I found both of these aspects to be winning details of the book.
I’ve described it as a sort of “biography taster” to friends - where you can sample the lives of many different figures to see what you might want to delve into further. I especially liked Murray’s personal touches - whilst I am not familar with her work on the BBC, the fact that she had personal relationships with many of these women made it all the more engaging.
In a similar “summarising” style, after each chapter I wrote a single sentence about what I gleaned.
Hatshepsut
* The glass cliff of being a female pharoah might have a lovely soft landing at the bottom in the form of peace, architecture and trade routes.
Isabella of Castile
* A glaring reminder that intersectional feminism should probably acknowledge the role of antisemitic and anti-Islam rhetoric.
Joan of Arc
* Claiming divine hotlines or presuming above your rank won’t ruffle so many feathers as wearing a man’s uniform.
Artemisia Gentileschi
* There is so much more to a woman than her trauma - but the role of art in providing solace and regaining empowerment cannot be forgotten.
Catherine the Great
* The original "not like other girls" girl was so chaotic she gave thrones to her side pieces and blew up ships in the harbour to give inspiration to her favourite artists.
Clara Schumann
* I want to give this woman everything and more but I also can’t ignore the fact that HER DAD WROTE HER DIARY FOR HER.
Empress Dowager Cixi
* If in doubt, kill them all (fuck foot binding though).
Marie Curie
* Pillars of successful women today are seen in the story of Curie: the role supportive men play, adequate childcare and the importance of sisterhood.
Coco Chanel
* I will be reluctantly indebted to the serial heartbreaker and Nazi sympathiser Coco Chanel for transforming women's fashion - we have her to thank for comfortable fabrics, for simple black silhouettes, and the wearing of pants by women.
Golda Meir
* A chain smoking political tour de force well into her septuagenarian years, Golda was not immune to the weird compliments given to impressive women (e.g. "the only man in government") nor the slavery to their own bodies in the need for an illegal abortion.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
* Brave women stepping into glass cliff roles can create dynasties for their daughters.
Benazir Bhutto
* Talk about a trial by fire into politics - but a pioneer for women's rights in a Muslim majority country.
Angela Merkel
* God I love her.
Wangari Maathai
* Friendly reminder that women getting educated can literally save the planet.
Hillary Clinton
* Rodham cut an impressive figure way before her candidacy in 2016 and may be part of the reason so many young girls believe they too can run for leader of the free world.
Toni Morrison
* A trailblazer of black literature and racial politics, and a reminder of the impact of generational trauma.
Frida Kahlo
* For me, art was an outlet for injury recovery and for Kahlo, painting incarnations of yourself as you are/wish to be heals the mind.
Cathy Freeman
* The fact that this book ended on an Indigenous woman and mentioned the Stolen Generations and the Aboriginal culture was a really wonderful denouement.
Madonna
* Free spirited and sexually liberated ICON.
Margaret Atwood
* A quiet paragon of feminist theory and climate action - everything she says scares me though.
Anna Politokovskaya
* Speaking truth to power in an autocracy is an incredibly brave and admirable thing to do and we are lucky every day for the sacrifice Anna made to uncover the truth.
I found both of these aspects to be winning details of the book.
I’ve described it as a sort of “biography taster” to friends - where you can sample the lives of many different figures to see what you might want to delve into further. I especially liked Murray’s personal touches - whilst I am not familar with her work on the BBC, the fact that she had personal relationships with many of these women made it all the more engaging.
In a similar “summarising” style, after each chapter I wrote a single sentence about what I gleaned.
Hatshepsut
* The glass cliff of being a female pharoah might have a lovely soft landing at the bottom in the form of peace, architecture and trade routes.
Isabella of Castile
* A glaring reminder that intersectional feminism should probably acknowledge the role of antisemitic and anti-Islam rhetoric.
Joan of Arc
* Claiming divine hotlines or presuming above your rank won’t ruffle so many feathers as wearing a man’s uniform.
Artemisia Gentileschi
* There is so much more to a woman than her trauma - but the role of art in providing solace and regaining empowerment cannot be forgotten.
Catherine the Great
* The original "not like other girls" girl was so chaotic she gave thrones to her side pieces and blew up ships in the harbour to give inspiration to her favourite artists.
Clara Schumann
* I want to give this woman everything and more but I also can’t ignore the fact that HER DAD WROTE HER DIARY FOR HER.
Empress Dowager Cixi
* If in doubt, kill them all (fuck foot binding though).
Marie Curie
* Pillars of successful women today are seen in the story of Curie: the role supportive men play, adequate childcare and the importance of sisterhood.
Coco Chanel
* I will be reluctantly indebted to the serial heartbreaker and Nazi sympathiser Coco Chanel for transforming women's fashion - we have her to thank for comfortable fabrics, for simple black silhouettes, and the wearing of pants by women.
Golda Meir
* A chain smoking political tour de force well into her septuagenarian years, Golda was not immune to the weird compliments given to impressive women (e.g. "the only man in government") nor the slavery to their own bodies in the need for an illegal abortion.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
* Brave women stepping into glass cliff roles can create dynasties for their daughters.
Benazir Bhutto
* Talk about a trial by fire into politics - but a pioneer for women's rights in a Muslim majority country.
Angela Merkel
* God I love her.
Wangari Maathai
* Friendly reminder that women getting educated can literally save the planet.
Hillary Clinton
* Rodham cut an impressive figure way before her candidacy in 2016 and may be part of the reason so many young girls believe they too can run for leader of the free world.
Toni Morrison
* A trailblazer of black literature and racial politics, and a reminder of the impact of generational trauma.
Frida Kahlo
* For me, art was an outlet for injury recovery and for Kahlo, painting incarnations of yourself as you are/wish to be heals the mind.
Cathy Freeman
* The fact that this book ended on an Indigenous woman and mentioned the Stolen Generations and the Aboriginal culture was a really wonderful denouement.
Madonna
* Free spirited and sexually liberated ICON.
Margaret Atwood
* A quiet paragon of feminist theory and climate action - everything she says scares me though.
Anna Politokovskaya
* Speaking truth to power in an autocracy is an incredibly brave and admirable thing to do and we are lucky every day for the sacrifice Anna made to uncover the truth.
September 12, 2019
I was very kindly sent a review copy of this title from the publisher, but all opinions are my own.
Now when i was at school my History lessons were not something i look back and think fondly about at all! and that is not because i don't have an interest or love of History, it's down to the teachers i had and the topics we covered (mostly Tudors, and....oh the Tudors), if we had had much more variation then it probably would have been one of my favourite subjects. Since leaving school many years ago, i have really enjoyed picking up books that enable me to learn about historic events that took place that interest me , and also historical figures who did amazing and brave acts, so better late than never i guess!
Now that's out the way, i can talk about the brilliance that is this book. it is so well put together and written, that i feel anyone would enjoy picking it up and having a read. This book covers 21 women throughout History that have made an impact by standing up for what they believe in and care about, most aren't even well known names so it was great to learn about them and what they did. But equally it was really great to read and learn about the one's i had heard of too, and find out the full picture more in depth.
I think this would be great for schools! such a great book that i think would go down well, and be such a good teaching aid. Equally i would recommend this to anyone with any interest in History, specifically women through history and their stories.
Overall it's an interesting , educational and empowering read. Very easily accessible down to the great writing and knowledge, and i loved the added touch of having the women's illustrated portraits at the end of their sections too!
Now when i was at school my History lessons were not something i look back and think fondly about at all! and that is not because i don't have an interest or love of History, it's down to the teachers i had and the topics we covered (mostly Tudors, and....oh the Tudors), if we had had much more variation then it probably would have been one of my favourite subjects. Since leaving school many years ago, i have really enjoyed picking up books that enable me to learn about historic events that took place that interest me , and also historical figures who did amazing and brave acts, so better late than never i guess!
Now that's out the way, i can talk about the brilliance that is this book. it is so well put together and written, that i feel anyone would enjoy picking it up and having a read. This book covers 21 women throughout History that have made an impact by standing up for what they believe in and care about, most aren't even well known names so it was great to learn about them and what they did. But equally it was really great to read and learn about the one's i had heard of too, and find out the full picture more in depth.
I think this would be great for schools! such a great book that i think would go down well, and be such a good teaching aid. Equally i would recommend this to anyone with any interest in History, specifically women through history and their stories.
Overall it's an interesting , educational and empowering read. Very easily accessible down to the great writing and knowledge, and i loved the added touch of having the women's illustrated portraits at the end of their sections too!
March 22, 2021
Interesting read about some inspiring women from different points in history with many different backgrounds. Good overall story of each woman although I was hungry for more detail for some of them. It wasn't a full deep dive though I did learn something new about several of the more well known figures and discovered some women that I'd like to read more about. I love any chance to look at history through a female lense and this certainly did that.
February 6, 2020
I really enjoyed this. An unusual but excellent selection of women, their stories elegantly and intelligently told by the fabulous Jenni Murray.
August 3, 2024
3.5 stars. Nuanced and global view but wished for a larger amount of women hailing from the pre-modern era.
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