Sarah

“The title of this book — Femina — was the label scribbled alongside texts known to be written by a woman, so less worthy of preservation.”
― Janina Ramírez, Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of it

“She listens at doors and around corners. She has always had this habit. A child in danger must learn to pay more attention to the adults than a child loved and cherished.”
― Naomi Alderman, The Power

“In times of colonial expansion, when support for the slave trade was required, the historian fed readers tales of explorers and conquerors. When soldiers were needed, ready to die for king and country, the historian gave them heroes and warriors. When society favored male dominance and female subservience, the historian provided male oriented history

What about writing history now, at a time when so many are striving for greater equality? Can looking backward impact how we look forward? Finding empowered women with agency from the medieval period is my way of shifting gear, providing new narratives for readers today.”
― Janina Ramírez, Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of it

“He wished he could rescue her, that it was within his power to rescue her and make her life less hard. But it was only love which could accomplish the miracle of making a life bearable -- only love, and love itself mostly failed; and he had never loved her. He had used her to find out something about himself. And even this was not true. He had used her in the hope of avoiding a confrontation with himself which he had, nevertheless, and with a vengeance, been forced to endure.”
― James Baldwin, Another Country