Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought)

Rating:
Summary: Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels
Review: "Well-behaved women rarely make history," a quote by Laural Thatcher Ulrich, American Historian, are the first words of this book. That may very well be, but I don't think we have to try so hard to show children just how shocking some of our famous women were! Lives of Extraordinary Women is a compilation of twenty short biographies of important women in the world's history: such well-known names as Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette, and Harriet Tubman, as well as lesser-known individuals such as Nzingha, Gertrude Bell, and Aung San Suu Kyi. Although it looks like biographies, there is really little intellectual value to the book. It is merely a hodgepodge of trivia and unrelated gossip. The first chapter is called "Cleopatra: Life at the Library." Now, you would think that this would explore her love of reading and dertmination to build a world-famous library in Alexandria. Instead, it is all about her numerous love-affairs, particularly the one with herself, experimenting with hairstyles, make-up, and perfume. The author tells us, "...she coped with the required marriage to her ten year-old brother. He turned up drowned, and another one was poisoned." There is a chapter on Nzingha - a West African queen. Some important aspects of her life we just must know are: "Rumor had her also murdering her nephew - and eating his heart," and "...she kept fifty young men as bodyguards...she made her favorites wear women's clothes." It gets even better! We simply can't live without knowing that Catherine the Great's husband, Peter, "heaped abuse on her, tortured their dogs...and brought his toy soldiers to bed, forcing her to participate in mock military maneuvers." If the purpose of this book is to sensationalize the names of women in history, then it has met it's mark. I'm not against books that attempt to amuse kids with humorous or unbelievable-but-true anecdotes. I think the problem with this, however, is that today's educators are grabbing quickly for resources about women. After ceturies of learning about history through the eyes of men, society is realizing that a big piece has been missing. As educators, we are making a conscious effort to locate and use resources about women in history. Because of this book's striking cover, catchy title, boldly illustrated caricatures, and interesting table of contents, we might be fooled into thinking this is a good book for our classrooms. A careful reading of the pages will tell you a different story. In the introduction, the author says, "Here are twenty women who wielded significant political power. Each of these extraordinary women triumphed over attitudes and conditions that couldn't have been more adverse." These statements make us think that they are women to look up to. And, although she also says, "Not all of these women are role models," in the next sentence she says, "Their stories are offered here to inspire awe at the power of women throughout history - and ever after." If these behaviors are the best we have to inspire awe at the power of women, our role in history is doomed for another twenty centuries! A fun book of trivia, perhaps. A book to enlighten and impart knowledge, I guess not.

Rating:
Summary: Love it
Review: A friend brought LIVES OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN to a huge Thanksgiving feast; the book was never put down, it was constantly being read by one or another parent, teenager, or was being read to a younger daughter. I was surprised by the vehemently negative review posted here, and it made me delay my order by one day. But in the end, I ordered it -- actually, I ordered two. I find this book to be a good starting-point, the bios are 2-3 pages and well-written, and the drawings are engaging. It's a good overview book to get girls interested in these women, and they can go from there if they want more information. I don't think the author intended it to be a comprehensive encyclopedia, so judging it by that standard is unfair. I bought the book for my daughter, 9, and a niece, 6. It's perfectly written for that sort of age range. I hope the author writes more of these books -- this one only includes women who became rulers of their country (queens, presidents, prime ministers, etc. -- the majority seem to be from Britain, but also extending to Israel, China, Africa). I'd love more books of this kind that focus on women writers, women artists, and other extraordinary women.

Rating:
Summary: Author does what she criticizes
Review: Criticizing the treatment women usually get from authors, Krull writes, "Traditionally, historians have talked most often about what powerful women looked like." Unfortunately, she then proceeds to share with us that Cleopatra wore pastel robes of filmy silk, Isabella took only two baths in her life, Elizabeth was a flirt, Catherine the Great rubbed her face with an ice cube, Marie Antoinette was passionate about feathered headdresses... Each chapter, about one woman of significance in history, is broken into the main section that gives very little insight into the woman's character or why the author considers her significant; the meatiest information is in smaller type at the end of a chapter, whimsically titled "Ever After." The author does take care to present women from more cultures than most authors do. But overall, I was disappointed in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, engaging, wonderfully illustrated throughout!
Review: In Lives Of Extraordinary Women, Kathleen Krull focuses on twenty women down through history who have held political power and influence. These biographical pieces showcase queens, warriors, prime ministers, first ladies, and revolutionary leaders. Some are notorious, others revered, and all were noteworthy women who succeeded in making their way through a male dominated. Enthusiastically recommended for school and community library collections, Lives Of Extraordinary Women's informative and engaging text is wonderfully illustrated throughout with the artistic talents of Kathryn Hewitt.

Rating:
Summary: Fun caricatures and other colorful illustrations.
Review: Not just for girls, this oversize readable volume presents an overview of the biographies of 20 remarkable women throughout history, from Cleopatra to women still living today. Listed for "ages 8-12," it's up to you whether you want your 8-year-old reading the one or two questionable -- and reallay unnecessary -- passages I found referring to their more intimate proclivities. But this is an important book for kids who need to find heroes (and who doesn't) and go on to read more about them. The reading list in the back is disappointingly short -- but hey! Thank goodness for amazon.com and its incredible "search" program! I must admit, there were a couple of women here I knew nothing or next to nothing about. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn about them. Therefore, it's not just for kids.

Rating:
Summary: Fun caricatures and other colorful illustrations.
Review: Not just for girls, this oversize readable volume presents an overview of the biographies of 20 remarkable women throughout history, from Cleopatra to women still living today. Listed for "ages 8-12," it's up to you whether you want your 8-year-old reading the one or two questionable -- and reallay unnecessary -- passages I found referring to their more intimate proclivities. But this is an important book for kids who need to find heroes (and who doesn't) and go on to read more about them. The reading list in the back is disappointingly short -- but hey! Thank goodness for amazon.com and its incredible "search" program! I must admit, there were a couple of women here I knew nothing or next to nothing about. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn about them. Therefore, it's not just for kids.