A Pirate's Life for She: Swashbuckling Women Through the Ages

by Laura Sook Duncombe

Pirates are an enduring popular subject, depicted often in songs, stories, and Halloween costumes. Yet the truth about pirate women—who they were, why they went to sea, and what their lives were really like—is seldom a part of the conversation. In this Seven Seas history of the world’s female buccaneers, A Pirate's Life for She  tells the story of 16 women who through the ages who sailed alongside—and sometimes in command of—their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in a desire for freedom.

History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O’Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of 1,400 ships off China in the early 19th century.

Author Laura Sook Duncombe takes an honest look at these women, acknowledging that they are not easy they are lawbreakers. A Pirate's Life for She  tells their full stories, focusing on the reasons they became pirates. It is possible to admire the courage, determination, and skills these women possessed without endorsing her actions. These are the remarkable stories of women who took control of their own destinies in a world where the odds were against them, empowering young women to reach for their own dreams.

Genres: Nonfiction, Pirates, History, Feminism, Middle Grade, Nautical, Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for women's history and the history of pirates/piracy. I loved it. If you think that this is too "woke" you might just be too/comfortably asleep. If you think this is "woke" it probably wasn't made for you anyway.

[Rhiannon White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, fun read about the most famous women pirates in history. No mention of the likely queerness of some of the women which was disappointing.

[Melissa Vinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little book of short stories about women pirates through the ages, some well known and others not so much. For the most part, I found all the bits and pieces of these women’s lives fascinating. My only concern is the fact that this book is written for a young adult audience, and the author writes about these women as if they were heroes (or heroines, rather) and goes on to say that young girls can look to these examples to see that they don’t have to be defined by what men think or say that they have to be, they can be whoever or whatever they want to be. I’m all for girls breaking out of the mold and being all they can or want to be, but let’s not look to pirates for an example to follow. I mean, pirate stories are fun to read about, but let’s not forget that they are essentially criminals, not heroes. 😅 Still, I found this to be a quick, fun read all in all.

[Jo Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, a cool fusion of history and feminism aimed at young adult readers.

Some parts were a little on the nose, i.e. "The church during this era was incredibly powerful and exercised control over all aspects of life... women were supposed to take care of things inside the home... if women ran off and became pirates, who would wash the dishes and make sure that children were educated to become faithful churchgoers?"

But overall I admire her attempt, and am glad for more material out there helping young women and girls to reimagine their future place in society.

"The world needs female pirate stories. Hopefully this book has convinced you that history is not an immovable concept, it can change based on who is writing it down."

[Nicole (bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't noticed when I picked up this book that it was a YA nonfiction but it was very quickly obvious that it's aimed at a younger audience than me. A lot of history or nautical data that I'm familiar with (and which most authors will assume adults either already know or will look up on their own) was included here in sidebar-style sections. However, the additional info didn't bother me once I was prepared for it.

One thing I particularly liked about the book was how it was separated out by "reason for turning pirate." That made a lot of sense to me. I also particularly appreciated how the women pirates were from many different nationalities and backgrounds.

This was a more simplistic book than I was expecting (not realizing when I checked it out from my library that it was a YA nonfiction) but there were lots of other reference books listed to provide more depth for readers who are looking for extra details. It was a fast read, anyway, and a great overview on the subject of women pirates.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA non-fiction - Interesting topic presented in a young adult friendly way. It didn’t flow from one woman to the next very well. The inset historical footnotes were distracting and not overly helpful for the woman pirate stories. Just okay, wouldn’t really recommend it to most readers.

Work bookclub (my suggestion - facepalm)

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not realize this was a YA book until I began reading. Fun and informative, comprised of bite-sized bios of female pirates.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐The Good

*Amazingly well researched, and properly cited!!!!

*The author made a note in the prologue that she doesn't condone violence, rather she understands where these women come from, and I think this is an important distinction to make.

*Prose is generally well thought out.

*The selected stories are sequenced in a good order.

📝What Lacked

*I honestly wish some of the stories could be longer (though I understand why they can't be) because some details left me feeling teased.

*Sometimes I grieve when feminist writers lack a distinct voice. I believe feminist philosophy isn't often well received because feminist authors tend to sound homogenous. When I opened to the prologue, it felt immediately tense. Sometimes accusations and assumptions are seemingly made toward the general historical ether, as though we have one specific white man to blame.

This doesn't mean I disagree with the philosophy, rather I worry about how it's presented. I think a professional voice should trump an angry one, because people will respond to it better, and egalitarian thoughts becomes part of the general social consciousness.

I completely agree with the author that no one should be threatened when we ADD unsung voices to history. The success of a woman is not a threat to a man, and it's the same with women's stories. History is an interpretation of the past. And yes, misogyny prevails in those interpretations. One could argue that no historian has been objective. Perhaps we should continue to strive for it, though. We shouldn't have female counterparts to historians, we should simply have historians.

✍️In Summary

*Overall, this book is a triumph. We have room for books like this, and we need stories such as these to become part of the mainstream historical narrative. When history is presented in a thoughtful, engaging way, it is more likely to make a splash.

[Kate Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two quotes from this book I absolutely loved:
"History must be taken as it found, not as historians wish it were found."

The one that made me tear up .2 seconds after starting this book:
"Men's stories occupy a well-estabilished place in our imaginations and on our bookshelves. These histories are not being erased; they are simply being asked to make room for others' experiences. When men cannot or will not share their space, women must demand it, or take it. The pirates in this book have a lot to teach women today about taking things that other people say they cannot have. The truth is that women pirates have existed, do exist, and will continue to eist as long as there is a sea to sail upon"

Dang it, I just love stories of strong women, and this was a great collection for middle grade.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Edelweiss for the review copy in exchange for a review.

This anthology of tales of real life female pirates was a blast to read. I loved learning about their lives and what happened to them, the little fact boxes were incredibly interesting and fun to read. Popular pirates like Grace O'Malley and Mary Reed, were included in as much detail as possible and many interesting new female pirates in this delightful book. I loved the history and the fact behind the book.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss.

Enjoyable collection of biographies across history and around the world. Written so it would be suitable for a teenage audience as well as an adult one, and full of extra bits of contextual history that I ended up learning a lot from. A interesting read about women who rebelled against the constraints of their time.

[Savanna Finley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great compilation of some of the coolest female pirates of all time! It definitely puts me in a pirate mood and makes me want to dive deeper in these women’s lives!

[Adysnewbox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a neat little book, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. I loved the concept (women pirates are DEFINITELY worthy of more historical study & research), but I thought the narrative of the whole book was a bit too pandering for my tastes. I realized pretty early on that "A Pirate's Life for She" was intended for teen readers, and so the "messaging" in the book was about as subtle as a brick to the head. This is definitely 21st-century feminist writing, and I unfortunately don't mean that as a good thing. The author is DEFINITELY on the "women good, men bad" bandwagon, and doesn't hesitate to rail against mysogynistic historians throughout the ages for minimalizing women pirates. She ALSO claims to be opposed to violence and crime--and then proceeds to lionize a series of violent women pirates, many of whom were just as immoral and bloodthirsty as their male counterparts. I suspect the author wants it both ways. While a lot of these women's stories are undoubtedly fascinating, they are not exactly people to look up to. But the clunky narration sometimes seems to get its ethical compass mixed up. I really liked the line, "History must be taken as it found, not as historians wish it were found." But it sometimes feel as if the author doesn't take her own advice with her speculations and reasoning about some of the women she researched. Imagine the further irony of reading many reviews of this book (by lots more uber-feminists) who are disappointed that the author DOESN'T talk about how GAY these women pirates MUST HAVE BEEN AND WHY AREN'T WE TALKING ABOUT THAT MORE?

Viewing history (and demanding we interpret it) through a modern lens is missing the point: There are a lot of stories in this volume that are pretty awesome on their own merits, without forcing them to conform to modern sensibilities. A lot of these women were fearsome and lawless, yes...but they were also brave, strong, crafty, passionate, ground-breaking, and trail-blazing. I appreciate the author's research into a variety of pirates from around the globe and during different eras of history; each of these women had their own special story to tell, and a lot of their adventures truly amazed me! This book MAY be a little over-simplified and the writing may be a little clunky and agenda-driven, but it can still be a good time! I learned some interesting things reading "A Pirate's Life for She," and now I am driven to find more books like it. On that front, it is a success!

[Kimberlee (reading.wanderwoman) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

It was a book of short stories about 16 different female pirates. Many I have read about before and some that were new to me. Every time I get new tidbits about these women it leaves me wanting more, but in typical pirate life and especially for women pirates. Those stories are hard to come by. And only they, who lived in that time, will truly know the whole story. Which also brings me to the Epilogue. I think it was my favorite part of the book. So I've put most of it here.

"What is said about a person is controlled by the person telling the story. When only white men are allowed to write about women, women are not portrayed as fully as they could be. this is even more true when the women are women of color or part of other minority groups. After all, how can you really explain what it is like to live someone's life unless you have walked a mile in their shoes."

"There has never been a better time in history to be a woman than right now. Women all over the world are seizing their power, raising their voices, and refusing to back down. They are forcing world to take notice of them and to work with them for a kinder, more just world. For tolerance and equality to continue to grow, stories must be told by the people the stories are about. This will not happen unless women and other groups that have long been silenced are allowed to tell their stories in their own way."

"This will not be easy -- support and inspiration will be needed to change the system. Who better to inspire these system-changers than pirate women? there are no strangers to breaking the rules and going after what they deserve, no matter what anyone else says. The pirate women in this book sailed fearlessly where no woman had ever been before. May we all be empowered to do the same."

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars rounded down.

I really enjoyed reading this very light, breezy and enlightening collection of female pirate stories. It genuinely did introduce me to pirates I’d never heard of before, and spans from as early as Ancient Greece to 1920s New York. Jeanne de-Clisson, Rachel Wall and Sadie Frost were particularly enormous fun, and I always enjoy reading about my faves Anne Bonny and Cheng I Sao.

That being said, the details really are very fleeting and the prose is overly simplistic. I didn’t realise this was a YA non-fiction book when it was gifted to me, but it definitely skews very young. I also thought the decision to frame all these women as role models was very odd. Female pirates definitely need their stories to be told and they are every bit as important to pirate/naval/military/economic history as their male counterparts… but at the end of the day, most of them were still violent criminals who terrorised, tortured and killed people.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this. I would definitely have liked more detail, but that’s because I love reading about pirates and can’t get enough of them. This isn’t meant to be an in depth pirate history, and there’s a large bibliography to encourage further reading. I appreciate it for what it is and love that I have it in my collection.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of 16 profiles, each only 10-11 pages, of women pirates, or women who took to the seas to get what they wanted, with various motivations.

It does a great job of not romanticizing what it must've been like for those women in time periods when women were generally not welcome on ships at all, or minimizing the death and destruction they caused at the helms. Some of what they accomplished, beyond piratical murder and mayhem, will impress.

It ends with some of the strongest women pirates who were standout leaders of their epochs precisely because they were women in societies dominated by men.

Featured profiles of women pirates include:

Sayyida al-Hurra
Jeanne de Clisson
Lagertha
Alfhild
Margaret Jordan
Charlotte Badger
Mary Read
Artemisia
Teuta
Rachel Wall
Sadie Farrell
Anne Bonny
Lady Mary Killigrew
Maria Cobham
Grace O'Malley
Cheng I Sao

Examples are drawn from all over the seas, not just the European ones, and it's a great, swift read for Women's History Month. It's a great, quick read!

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Reina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is poorly written but the real issue for me is that it glosses over all the important context. There is no nuanced understanding of feminism or misogyny. Just a bland message of women’s empowerment that reeks of toxic positivity. The author states in the epilogue that there’s “never been a better time to be a woman” (which, frankly, is probably true but also sad because it’s still not easy). She consistently talks about the women pirates as heroines for their daring and willingness to subvert gender roles but, at the same time, glosses over the true realities of why they were in the position to become pirates in the first place. For these pirate women, unlike pirate men, it was often due to being enslaved, unfairly imprisoned, sex trafficked, child abuse and neglect, poverty, and on and on. It wasn’t cunning or daring. It was survival for most of them. To gloss over rape and slavery the way this author does is quite dated. I felt like I was reading a book from 1985. That being said, some of the stories are interesting and she clearly did much research so I gave two stars for that.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-researched and unapologetic book about the adventurous *women* who sailed the Seven Seas. Although I am not a historian, I spent several years doing parallel research in the early and mid-nineties when I was an active historic re-enactor. In addition to giving praise to some pretty gutsy women, Laura Duncombe does her due diligence digging up the known history of some under-celebrated women. I also respect her ability to admit where there are conflicting stories or stories where the end of life chapter of a female corsair are unknown. Ms. Duncombe does more than suggest that these stories may have been suppressed by male historians not wishing to spread stories that would contradict their accepted gender norms. If only I'd had her for my own high school history teacher! Although the book is somewhat Eurocentric, I have to give proper respect to the inclusion in this selection of adventuress Cheng I Sao, the famous Chinese pirate and Sayyida al-Hurra, scion of a powerful Spanish Muslim family.

[Erin Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I will definitely be picking up the other title by this other "Pirate Women". The layout and design of the book was particularly pleasing, with beautifully illustrated chapter dividers and sub sections written in different font to provide context and additional information. I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but I enjoyed the book anyways so I think I can comment on its nautical asthetic also!

I especially loved learning about the women from my homeland of Ireland, such as Grainne "Grace" O'Malley and Anne Bonney. It's fulfilling to read about historical figures hailing from your own culture who you'd never have known about before. If this was the sort of stuff taught in History I may have thought twice about not pursuing it into GCSE level 🤣

[John Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection of short biographies of famous women pirates throughout history. As a great fan of pirate stories, this was super interesting to me. It was really cool how these women from all walks of life and varied cultures from all over world history ended up as pirates.

The individual chapters are pretty short and sometimes light on detail, but that's because A) the book is intended to be short, easily digestible, and accessible to young readers, and B) for many of these women there aren't a lot of historical records remaining so there isn't always a lot to tell. Still, many of them would make interesting subjects for longer works, both biographical and fictional.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

There may come a day when I stop reading collective biographies of women, but it is not this day. Unfortunately, I found this one a little disappointing. This is an extremely glowing history, which means glossing over the fact that almost all of these women were terrible people. They don't have to be role models to be interesting, but Duncombe certainly leans towards sanitizing and glossing over the awful things they did. There's little in the way of criticism, which means both presenting mass murderers as girl bosses and buying into mythology as fact. I also wish there had been more than one BIPOC pirate featured.

[Malinda Fugate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter is fun and this is a light, enjoyable read! I appreciate that the author wants to stay as factual as possible, which is a challenge given the limited source material and female pirates. The book overlaps with the author's first project, "Pirate Women", and there's only a little new information. Part of me wishes she elaborated more in a story-telling style, but the book is a solid collection of factual information. If you're interested in pirate history, it's a good introduction to some intriguing women!

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read, I'd never heard of some of these women. The author does bring in a lot of modern interpretations. She also does not do her research in some areas. For example, she talks about one pirate forgoing the white fluffy dress. No one could afford such a dress at the time and only when Queen Victory wore White at her wedding did it become popular to have a white dress. Otherwise, you wore your best dress, the one you were likely to be buried in and it was probably black or a dark color. Aside from that, I loved the theme.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good YA women pirate book.
Well researched though could have used additional details about various identities, specifically LGBTQ. Also wish there were pictures to go along with the descriptions.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick chapters about different female parents who made their way in a world that wanted to control them. Women across time and country. I like the stories, but sometimes the sidebars were distracting in trying to read the chapter.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short chapters about female pirates: the information is interesting, but it’s definitely written for a young adult audience so the tone was not to my reading taste. The information is quite accessible though.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked this up to read I didn't realise that it was for younger readers. It didn't matter as it was a quick read that listed some interesting women that I had not read about prior to this. It will no doubt lead me onto some further reading in the future.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Pirates captivate readers despite their bad behavior.”
This is a short book but it took me a while to get through it. It reads a lot like a history book

[Susan Strayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical non-fiction read! And I'm anti pirate (why do we glorify murderers and rapists).

[Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very compelling read about the too often overlooked female pirates. My favorite ones to read about were Sadie Farrell and Margaret Jordan.