1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Women's History

Rating:
Summary: a great primer on women in history
Review: 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Women in History is a great introdution to the importance women have played in history and the variety of their contributions.

The chapters of the book give you some idea of the richness of women's history, as women in education, science, medicine, religion, sports, entertainment and politics are discussed. It is very comprehensive, and looks at women across time and around the world. A fun - and fascinating - read.

Rating:
Summary: a reference of great breadth
Review: If it were not so unsparing, I would call this a really fun book. It covers the world and all of recorded history. There are many good books on US women's history but few that are willing to take on the world. Most of my favorite historic women are in here and many that I hadn't heard of before.

The 1,001 things are divided into 10 sections: government, law and politics; religion and humanitarianism; education and academia; science, medicine and technology; economics, work and business; daily life; literature and journalism; arts and entertainment; sports and adventure; and , wild women.

Most of the unsparing parts are in the section on daily life, including a subsection on violence against women. I don't recommend it for young people unless you're willing to discuss ...

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it for mature readers who would like a more global (or less ethno-centric) view of women's history. In addition to the names and achievements of many women, it has such things as a list of over 40 countries and the year that each extended the vote to women (no, the United States was far from the first) and a short list of women saints and what they were patrons of.