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50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About
This book celebrates the diverse accomplishments, struggles, and strengths of Swiss women. One-page biographies give readers a glimpse into the lives of fifty Swiss women - both historical and contemporary - who inspire and intrigue. Each biography is paired with a unique, color illustration by Swiss illustrator Mireille Lachausse. Spies, activists, entrepreneurs, entertainers, politicians, athletes, midwives, mothers... Swiss women are daring, ingenious, and brave. Though the country is small, the heroines are vast!
112 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2021
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 31, 2022
Ein gelungener Einblick in das Leben von 50 verschiedenen Frauen. Auch die Illustrationen waren sehr abwechslungsreich und schön. Ich habe einiges gelernt und werde diese sensationellen Frauen hoffentlich nicht zu schnell wieder vergessen.
February 19, 2025
Ein wundervolles Potpourri verschiedenster Frauen, manche noch am Leben, manche schon lange tot. Manche sehr bekannt, manche in Vergessenheit geraten. Sie alle haben gemein, dass sie sich niemals unterkriegen liessen. Auch wenn sie verspottet wurden, verklagt, verachtet - sie haben niemals sich selbst oder ihre Träume aufgegeben.
Diese Frauen machen Mut. Sie haben mich alle stark beeindruckt, auch wenn ihr ganzes Leben auf jeweils nur eine Seite passen musste. Dafür sind die Illustrationen selbst auch so ausdrucksstark, dass mir diese oft noch mehr in Erinnerung bleiben als die Texte.
Eine grossartige Sammlung, die Hoffnung macht, zum Staunen und Nachmachen anregt.
Diese Frauen machen Mut. Sie haben mich alle stark beeindruckt, auch wenn ihr ganzes Leben auf jeweils nur eine Seite passen musste. Dafür sind die Illustrationen selbst auch so ausdrucksstark, dass mir diese oft noch mehr in Erinnerung bleiben als die Texte.
Eine grossartige Sammlung, die Hoffnung macht, zum Staunen und Nachmachen anregt.
April 10, 2021
Read this in two sittings! Wow! Brilliant book. Love the stories and highlighted women!
June 4, 2021
Celebrating Swiss Women
The Buddha said his teaching was ‘beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle and beautiful at the end.’ This book evokes this quotation.
Beautiful in the beginning: it has a beautiful cover. Pictures of women make a patchwork of rectangles around a white cross – the white cross, which is in the middle of the Swiss flag, evokes Switzerland. Of course. Within the cross, in gold letters, the title, ’50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About. How right the subtitle is. We should all know these stories, and many more about amazing women, and from every country in the world.
The back cover is similarly beautiful with an encouraging message for all women: ‘Swiss women have been spies, entrepreneurs, artists … They have stood up to tyrants, they have dared to be different, they have demanded to be heard …’
Beautiful in the middle: Each woman has a page to describe her life’s work, and on the facing page an illustration. How is it possible to summarise a life’s work on one page? The five authors of this collection of articles managed to do this. I am in awe. Nothing superficial. Each short portrait begins with a scene that was essential to the life of the woman, and then there is brief backstory for context. So much information is somehow contained without effort or pedantry, that I could only read three pages at a time. There was always a lot to think about. Often I was moved to tears by the challenges the featured women had overcome. Chosen at random (or I’d include all):
Anna Weckerin (1535-1596) wrote a cookbook of medicinal recipes at a time when few women could even write. She was encouraged by her husband and after his death by other doctors. Yoopee. (Men need their own book to liberate them from the stereotypes they are constrained by.)
Abassia Rahmani (1992-) enjoyed sports. Then she caught meningitis and lost her legs below the knees. She learned how to run on blades and became a professional athlete.
Ruth Dreifuss (1940-) ‘The first woman and the first person of Jewish descent to become President of the Confederation.’
These three women, with the others in the book, show the diversity of Switzerland. A country with four languages and the tendency to divide itself up into small groups, and then even smaller groups on a personal level; a small country that is huge on the world stage, that created the Red Cross, and much more; a quiet country that never boasts and that has proportional representation and the truest and finest democracy on our planet, thanks to their amazing women.
At the end: There’s more to the end than the back covers. On the last page after the women’s stories is a blank page so that the reader can put themselves in.
This book is a masterpiece from its conception to its execution. It comes out fifty years after Swiss women obtained the right to vote in Federal elections. The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden was forced in 1991 to give their women the cantonal vote. Thus have women struggled in Switzerland and overcome discouragement and made inspiring achievements. Brava.
I long for a companion volume Amazing Swiss Men which would show the variety of successes among men in Switzerland in many professions besides the sometimes dubious one of banker.
I long for each country to have its own similar book
I long for a second volume.
And throughout the book, beginning middle and end, are the illustrations. They are magnificent: insightful, tender, perceptive, honest.
This is a fabulously encouraging book whether one is Swiss or not (I am not). I encourage you to read it, and then make sure one is written to celebrate the women who have open doors and led the way where you live.
The Buddha said his teaching was ‘beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle and beautiful at the end.’ This book evokes this quotation.
Beautiful in the beginning: it has a beautiful cover. Pictures of women make a patchwork of rectangles around a white cross – the white cross, which is in the middle of the Swiss flag, evokes Switzerland. Of course. Within the cross, in gold letters, the title, ’50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About. How right the subtitle is. We should all know these stories, and many more about amazing women, and from every country in the world.
The back cover is similarly beautiful with an encouraging message for all women: ‘Swiss women have been spies, entrepreneurs, artists … They have stood up to tyrants, they have dared to be different, they have demanded to be heard …’
Beautiful in the middle: Each woman has a page to describe her life’s work, and on the facing page an illustration. How is it possible to summarise a life’s work on one page? The five authors of this collection of articles managed to do this. I am in awe. Nothing superficial. Each short portrait begins with a scene that was essential to the life of the woman, and then there is brief backstory for context. So much information is somehow contained without effort or pedantry, that I could only read three pages at a time. There was always a lot to think about. Often I was moved to tears by the challenges the featured women had overcome. Chosen at random (or I’d include all):
Anna Weckerin (1535-1596) wrote a cookbook of medicinal recipes at a time when few women could even write. She was encouraged by her husband and after his death by other doctors. Yoopee. (Men need their own book to liberate them from the stereotypes they are constrained by.)
Abassia Rahmani (1992-) enjoyed sports. Then she caught meningitis and lost her legs below the knees. She learned how to run on blades and became a professional athlete.
Ruth Dreifuss (1940-) ‘The first woman and the first person of Jewish descent to become President of the Confederation.’
These three women, with the others in the book, show the diversity of Switzerland. A country with four languages and the tendency to divide itself up into small groups, and then even smaller groups on a personal level; a small country that is huge on the world stage, that created the Red Cross, and much more; a quiet country that never boasts and that has proportional representation and the truest and finest democracy on our planet, thanks to their amazing women.
At the end: There’s more to the end than the back covers. On the last page after the women’s stories is a blank page so that the reader can put themselves in.
This book is a masterpiece from its conception to its execution. It comes out fifty years after Swiss women obtained the right to vote in Federal elections. The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden was forced in 1991 to give their women the cantonal vote. Thus have women struggled in Switzerland and overcome discouragement and made inspiring achievements. Brava.
I long for a companion volume Amazing Swiss Men which would show the variety of successes among men in Switzerland in many professions besides the sometimes dubious one of banker.
I long for each country to have its own similar book
I long for a second volume.
And throughout the book, beginning middle and end, are the illustrations. They are magnificent: insightful, tender, perceptive, honest.
This is a fabulously encouraging book whether one is Swiss or not (I am not). I encourage you to read it, and then make sure one is written to celebrate the women who have open doors and led the way where you live.
May 6, 2021
This wonderful book will inspire children and adults alike. It's great to have it on the shelf, and makes a fantastic present, too. And the art - simply fabulous.
April 28, 2024
Mujeres lucharon por nuestros derechos a la igualdad, al trabajo, al voto, a la educacion. Honralas
November 29, 2021
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and highlight the fascinating stories of these truly amazing women. I bought a copy because I know some of the authors, but also because it's a perfect fit in my literacy classroom. Every week I find a reason to take it off the shelf and browse it with one of my students, whether to discuss what a good biography looks like or to learn about someone new and local.
Switzerland was long overdue for a book that celebrated the achievements of its own women, both within and outside the country. What better time to bring those stories to light in a single volume than the 50th anniversary of winning the right to vote? I see how excited my students get when they read about women making a difference, and I know this book will have an impact on young Swiss minds.
Switzerland was long overdue for a book that celebrated the achievements of its own women, both within and outside the country. What better time to bring those stories to light in a single volume than the 50th anniversary of winning the right to vote? I see how excited my students get when they read about women making a difference, and I know this book will have an impact on young Swiss minds.
February 27, 2021
Einfach ein hervorragendes Buch!
Ich bin geborene Schweizerin und war schon immer an Geschichte interessiert (jetzt nicht speziell die der Schweiz) und in diesem Buch finden sich so viele sensationelle Geschichten über Schweizer Frauen - seien es nun solche vom 18. Jahrhundert oder 2018 - welche von traumhaften Illustrationen begleitet die Geschichten einmal mehr zum Leben erwecken.
Es lernt uns auch einmal mehr, dass es nicht der Geburtsort ist, der eine Schweizerin macht!
Kann es nur empfehlen; einfach super!
Ich bin geborene Schweizerin und war schon immer an Geschichte interessiert (jetzt nicht speziell die der Schweiz) und in diesem Buch finden sich so viele sensationelle Geschichten über Schweizer Frauen - seien es nun solche vom 18. Jahrhundert oder 2018 - welche von traumhaften Illustrationen begleitet die Geschichten einmal mehr zum Leben erwecken.
Es lernt uns auch einmal mehr, dass es nicht der Geburtsort ist, der eine Schweizerin macht!
Kann es nur empfehlen; einfach super!
February 18, 2021
Die Idee ist super. Es wurden sehr unterschiedliche und nicht nur generell bekannte Frauen porträtiert. Als Inspiration für junge Frauen auf der Suche nach sich selbst grandios. Ich persönlich hätte mir mehr Tiefe zu den einzelnen Frauen gewünscht. Es ist mir klar, dass dies nicht bei Jeder umsetzbar ist und wie es hier vorliegt hat jede Frau gleich viel Gewicht erhalten. Falls es eine Fortsetzung mit weiteren Biographien gibt würde ich mir diese auch kaufen.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews