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jennms_qkw's review against another edition
This was inspiring and fun with 20 chapters in 5? sections and a bibliography for this. Sports, war, music, etc.
tiffmas's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
theverbalthing's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advanced egalley of Girl Squads through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can read that review in full on my blog, or read an excerpt below.
***
Give me a book that explores historical figures in short, illustrated essay format, and I’m so there. There are a number of books that do this really poorly, it’s true, but the ones that get it right get it really, really right. Luckily, Sam Maggs’ new book, Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History, illustrated by the incomparable Jenn Woodall, is one of the latter.
As someone who isn’t a particularly dedicated student of history, I enjoy books like Girl Squads because they present historical figures in a digestible way that holds my interest. In this case, Girl Squads starts with “Athlete Squads”, a section I didn’t expect to love nearly as much as I did (because Sports are generally Not My Thing), then jumped into “Political & Activist Squads,” followed by “Warrior Squads, then “Scientist Squads,” then my personal favorite, “Artist Squads.” Each section features essays written in Maggs’ informative-but-approachable style, showcasing the contributions of various women in history—and their teammates, siblings, friends, or any combination thereof—to their various areas of expertise.
...
I most enjoyed the essays about individual friendships, I think, but the historical research in this book has sparked my interest in a big way. I love how Maggs explores the connection between women who were actively friends and women who teamed up to fight for a common cause, even if their individual relationships weren’t necessarily publicized or well-known. The balance of these different stories is great, and it makes the book flow really well.
The pacing of this book is absolutely fabulous; Maggs writes as if she’s telling you a really interesting story at a party. I didn’t want to put this book down and neither, I think, will you. Whether you’re interested in history or just stories about badass women, check out Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History. I think you’ll enjoy the read.
***
Give me a book that explores historical figures in short, illustrated essay format, and I’m so there. There are a number of books that do this really poorly, it’s true, but the ones that get it right get it really, really right. Luckily, Sam Maggs’ new book, Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History, illustrated by the incomparable Jenn Woodall, is one of the latter.
As someone who isn’t a particularly dedicated student of history, I enjoy books like Girl Squads because they present historical figures in a digestible way that holds my interest. In this case, Girl Squads starts with “Athlete Squads”, a section I didn’t expect to love nearly as much as I did (because Sports are generally Not My Thing), then jumped into “Political & Activist Squads,” followed by “Warrior Squads, then “Scientist Squads,” then my personal favorite, “Artist Squads.” Each section features essays written in Maggs’ informative-but-approachable style, showcasing the contributions of various women in history—and their teammates, siblings, friends, or any combination thereof—to their various areas of expertise.
...
I most enjoyed the essays about individual friendships, I think, but the historical research in this book has sparked my interest in a big way. I love how Maggs explores the connection between women who were actively friends and women who teamed up to fight for a common cause, even if their individual relationships weren’t necessarily publicized or well-known. The balance of these different stories is great, and it makes the book flow really well.
The pacing of this book is absolutely fabulous; Maggs writes as if she’s telling you a really interesting story at a party. I didn’t want to put this book down and neither, I think, will you. Whether you’re interested in history or just stories about badass women, check out Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History. I think you’ll enjoy the read.
paperbackd's review against another edition
5.0
In her follow up to the brilliant Wonder Women Sam Maggs introduces readers to 20 girl squads that redefined art, science, sports, war and politics throughout history.
Written in a colloquial, accessible tone, each chapter of Girl Squads tells a familiar story - one of women fighting to be recognised in their field (whether that’s piracy or tennis) and supporting each other through thick and thin. One thing I loved about Girl Squads was the emphasis on how revolutionary and enduring female friendships can be. The media may like to perpetuate the idea that all women are secretly catty and jealous of each others’ success, but history tells a different story.
The best part about Girl Squads is that each story can be read in whatever order you chose. I started off reading about the Haenyeo (fearless free-diving women from Korea) then skipped to the chapter on the Edinburgh Seven, then flipped back again to learn about the Patriotic Women’s League of Iran. I pride myself on my knowledge of history, but the majority of the women mentioned in this book were people I’d never heard of, and discovering them for the first time in a book that prioritised their achievements (rather than just mentioned them in passing while focusing on their male colleagues) was a blessing.
With such a diverse range of stories packed into one book, you’d be forgiven for thinking that some of these ladies had absolutely nothing in common with each other; it was lovely to see that despite their different cultures, beliefs and strengths the same themes of justice, talent and women lifting each other up kept cropping up over and over again.
Many thanks to Quirk Books for providing a copy of Girl Squads. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publisher: Quirk Books
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★ ★★
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd Reviews
Written in a colloquial, accessible tone, each chapter of Girl Squads tells a familiar story - one of women fighting to be recognised in their field (whether that’s piracy or tennis) and supporting each other through thick and thin. One thing I loved about Girl Squads was the emphasis on how revolutionary and enduring female friendships can be. The media may like to perpetuate the idea that all women are secretly catty and jealous of each others’ success, but history tells a different story.
The best part about Girl Squads is that each story can be read in whatever order you chose. I started off reading about the Haenyeo (fearless free-diving women from Korea) then skipped to the chapter on the Edinburgh Seven, then flipped back again to learn about the Patriotic Women’s League of Iran. I pride myself on my knowledge of history, but the majority of the women mentioned in this book were people I’d never heard of, and discovering them for the first time in a book that prioritised their achievements (rather than just mentioned them in passing while focusing on their male colleagues) was a blessing.
With such a diverse range of stories packed into one book, you’d be forgiven for thinking that some of these ladies had absolutely nothing in common with each other; it was lovely to see that despite their different cultures, beliefs and strengths the same themes of justice, talent and women lifting each other up kept cropping up over and over again.
Many thanks to Quirk Books for providing a copy of Girl Squads. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publisher: Quirk Books
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★ ★★
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd Reviews
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
DNF. The language here is too cutesy. Evidently this is written for preteens. Not for me.
beatrizmallow's review against another edition
4.0
There's plenty of books about the forgotten women of history that are being published lately and this book is a part of that movement. It tells the stories of fantastic and heroic pioneer women in many fields: sports, science, arts...The main difference between this book and all other is that this doesn't focus on individual women but in what we would now call "squads", groups of women being awesome, breaking boundaries and helping each other. That was probably my favourite part of it was, in a world that keeps telling stories about women hating women it was a nice refreshment to see all those women lifting each other up. The book is written in an easy and fun tone and the reading experience is fun while formative. The illustrations are really great and fit the style of the book perfectly.
I received a fee ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I received a fee ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
kerrithebookbelle's review against another edition
5.0
I’m obsessed with these stories, this writing and this book in general 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
flaviathebibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
We all know that over the ages, a lot of focus has been placed on men when it comes to history. I mean, the word itself “history” is a combination of the words “his” and “story.” So, it’s very refreshing to me when I come across books that focus on women as well, or even solely on women. I think that women of all ages (whether they be five or fifty-five) can benefit from reading about strong females! Powerful female historical figures have been suppressed for far too long, and it’s great that we can now see them emerge.
Sam Maggs and Jenn Woodall’s Girl Squads takes us all around the world (as the book’s cover so nicely depicts) and tells us the stories of not only strong women, but also strong female friendships and loyalty. This book tells us about athletic women (such as the Haenyeo of Korea), political and activist squads (such as The Patreotic Women’s League of Iran), warrior women, scientist women, and artistic women! I love that this book, while being quite compact, contains a lot of information which is presented concisely. I also love that this book comes in hardcover, so that it can last longer than a paperback would. There is also a surprise beneath the dust cover that I quite enjoyed! Overall, this is a must-have for those interested in history, feminism, and female friendship.
Sam Maggs and Jenn Woodall’s Girl Squads takes us all around the world (as the book’s cover so nicely depicts) and tells us the stories of not only strong women, but also strong female friendships and loyalty. This book tells us about athletic women (such as the Haenyeo of Korea), political and activist squads (such as The Patreotic Women’s League of Iran), warrior women, scientist women, and artistic women! I love that this book, while being quite compact, contains a lot of information which is presented concisely. I also love that this book comes in hardcover, so that it can last longer than a paperback would. There is also a surprise beneath the dust cover that I quite enjoyed! Overall, this is a must-have for those interested in history, feminism, and female friendship.