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11 reviews for:
World-Changing Women: 150 Women Who Rewrote the Histories of Ancient Egypt, Israel, Greece and Rome
Paul Chrystal
2.69 AVERAGE
11 reviews for:
World-Changing Women: 150 Women Who Rewrote the Histories of Ancient Egypt, Israel, Greece and Rome
Paul Chrystal
2.69 AVERAGE
I was really excited to read this, and when I was approved for it, I went to Goodreads to add it as started reading--and was immediately cautious when I saw that the author, Paul Chrystal, had written over 120 books since 2010 (something he mentions on his own website). He has written 18 (!) in the last year alone. While not impossible,it's extremely difficult, especially for historical work where you want to do a lot of in-depth research and cross-referencing, so I was alert to the possibility of either AI sourcing or poor research. I initially was leaning towards AI, because I saw other reviews mentioning really strange errors (such as calling Jocasta the mother of Odysseus, not Oedipus). I went in with an open mind nevertheless and I'm fairly confident it isn't AI, based on the writing style. The introduction especially feels as if it's in an authorial voice.
However, as I read on, I realized that, unfortunately, he essentially took wikipedia articles and changed a few words here or there. For example, here is Baranamtarra's wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baranamtarra. The first lines are:
"In 2384 BCE, Baranamtarra and her husband, Lugalanda, seized power in Lagash, one of the oldest cities in Sumer. They became the largest landholders in the city, and Baranamtarra presided over a temple and several estates herself. Queen Baranamtarra managed her own private estates and those of the temple of the goddess Bau. She bought and sold slaves and sent diplomatic missions to neighboring states."
His section on Baranamtarra opens with a general description of her wielding exceptional power and then adds:
"In 2384 bce during the first dynasty of Lagash (c. 2500-2300 bce) Baranamtarra and her husband, Lugalanda, seized power in a coup in Lagash, one of the oldest cities in Sumer. The couple became the largest landholders in the city, while Baranamtarra managed her own private estates and those of the temple of the goddess Bau. She bought and sold slaves and sent diplomatic missions to neighbouring states."
I don't want to excerpt too heavily and risk this review getting copyright struck myself, but the rest of her section also matches nearly identically to the wikipedia page but for a couple of words changed (the same way "they became" turned into "the couple became"), or occasionally swapping around parts of a sentence.
The next section doesn't seem to be from wikipedia (though he sources another author here at least), but the section after, Ku-baba is, though broken up a little better:
His: "A legendary Mesopotamian queen who, according to the Sumerian King list, ruled over Kish for a hundred years before the rise of the dynasty of Akshak. Being a woman, her inclusion is unusual: while some modern authors refer to her as a queen, the Sumerian title applied to her is lugal ('king'), which had no feminine equivalent."
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubaba - "Kubaba was a legendary Mesopotamian queen who according to the Sumerian King List ruled over Kish for a hundred years before the rise of the dynasty of Akshak. [...] Kubaba is mentioned in the Sumerian King List, though due to her gender her inclusion is considered unusual. While some modern authors refer to her as a queen, the Sumerian title applied to her is lugal ("king"), which had no feminine counterpart."
Ditto the one after, Enheduanna:
His: "We celebrate Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad founder of the Akkadian Empire, as the world's earliest known named author: a number of works in Sumerian literature, such as the Exaltation of Inanna, feature her as the firstperson narrator, and other works, like the Sumerian Temple Hymns, give her as their author although there is ongoing controversy over this."
Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enheduanna:): "Enheduanna has been celebrated as the earliest known named author in world history, as a number of works in Sumerian literature, such as the Exaltation of Inanna feature her as the first-person narrator, and other works, such as the Sumerian Temple Hymns may identify her as their author. However, there is considerable debate among modern Assyriologists based on linguistic and archaeological grounds as to whether or not she actually wrote or composed any of the rediscovered works that have been attributed to her. "
This books does a good job of rounding up a lot of information and is very readable. There's no category on wikipedia of "World-Changing Women", and he's added at least one who does not have their own pages on wikipedia, so he's done a good job rounding this up and summarizing this existing information. If this is something that would be useful to you, it's all here in one place. I personally will be DNFing this work, however.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Pen and Sword History for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
However, as I read on, I realized that, unfortunately, he essentially took wikipedia articles and changed a few words here or there. For example, here is Baranamtarra's wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baranamtarra. The first lines are:
"In 2384 BCE, Baranamtarra and her husband, Lugalanda, seized power in Lagash, one of the oldest cities in Sumer. They became the largest landholders in the city, and Baranamtarra presided over a temple and several estates herself. Queen Baranamtarra managed her own private estates and those of the temple of the goddess Bau. She bought and sold slaves and sent diplomatic missions to neighboring states."
His section on Baranamtarra opens with a general description of her wielding exceptional power and then adds:
"In 2384 bce during the first dynasty of Lagash (c. 2500-2300 bce) Baranamtarra and her husband, Lugalanda, seized power in a coup in Lagash, one of the oldest cities in Sumer. The couple became the largest landholders in the city, while Baranamtarra managed her own private estates and those of the temple of the goddess Bau. She bought and sold slaves and sent diplomatic missions to neighbouring states."
I don't want to excerpt too heavily and risk this review getting copyright struck myself, but the rest of her section also matches nearly identically to the wikipedia page but for a couple of words changed (the same way "they became" turned into "the couple became"), or occasionally swapping around parts of a sentence.
The next section doesn't seem to be from wikipedia (though he sources another author here at least), but the section after, Ku-baba is, though broken up a little better:
His: "A legendary Mesopotamian queen who, according to the Sumerian King list, ruled over Kish for a hundred years before the rise of the dynasty of Akshak. Being a woman, her inclusion is unusual: while some modern authors refer to her as a queen, the Sumerian title applied to her is lugal ('king'), which had no feminine equivalent."
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubaba - "Kubaba was a legendary Mesopotamian queen who according to the Sumerian King List ruled over Kish for a hundred years before the rise of the dynasty of Akshak. [...] Kubaba is mentioned in the Sumerian King List, though due to her gender her inclusion is considered unusual. While some modern authors refer to her as a queen, the Sumerian title applied to her is lugal ("king"), which had no feminine counterpart."
Ditto the one after, Enheduanna:
His: "We celebrate Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad founder of the Akkadian Empire, as the world's earliest known named author: a number of works in Sumerian literature, such as the Exaltation of Inanna, feature her as the firstperson narrator, and other works, like the Sumerian Temple Hymns, give her as their author although there is ongoing controversy over this."
Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enheduanna:): "Enheduanna has been celebrated as the earliest known named author in world history, as a number of works in Sumerian literature, such as the Exaltation of Inanna feature her as the first-person narrator, and other works, such as the Sumerian Temple Hymns may identify her as their author. However, there is considerable debate among modern Assyriologists based on linguistic and archaeological grounds as to whether or not she actually wrote or composed any of the rediscovered works that have been attributed to her. "
This books does a good job of rounding up a lot of information and is very readable. There's no category on wikipedia of "World-Changing Women", and he's added at least one who does not have their own pages on wikipedia, so he's done a good job rounding this up and summarizing this existing information. If this is something that would be useful to you, it's all here in one place. I personally will be DNFing this work, however.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Pen and Sword History for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book but as much as I liked this book I wanted to love it. The book is made up of summaries varying in length about women from ancient Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. I love learning history, especially about women throughout history, but the book lacked something for me. There’s plenty of great information but I found a lot of it surface level and lacking. The book left me wanting to learn more about the fascinating women featured. It felt the author barely touched the surface of the women he wrote about.
Another small critique for me is the placement of the pictures. While I loved the photos included at the back of the book, I wish they had been scattered throughout the book instead. I would help to have them alongside the relevant sections which would break up the writing and made it easier to remember the women being discussed. With all the images grouped at the end, it was harder to remember who each woman was, which is a shame as they all deserve to be remembered. That said, I enjoyed it overall but I wouldn’t recommend it unless someone is particularly interested in women in ancient history.
Another small critique for me is the placement of the pictures. While I loved the photos included at the back of the book, I wish they had been scattered throughout the book instead. I would help to have them alongside the relevant sections which would break up the writing and made it easier to remember the women being discussed. With all the images grouped at the end, it was harder to remember who each woman was, which is a shame as they all deserve to be remembered. That said, I enjoyed it overall but I wouldn’t recommend it unless someone is particularly interested in women in ancient history.
informative
medium-paced
Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the ARC.
Brief profiles of women from Ancient Rome back to Mesopotamian history, most having done enough to warrant a mention in records. Rewrote history may be a stretch for some of these. It's a start for more research, providing further reading recommendations for each woman, but I kinda wished for more out of this.
Brief profiles of women from Ancient Rome back to Mesopotamian history, most having done enough to warrant a mention in records. Rewrote history may be a stretch for some of these. It's a start for more research, providing further reading recommendations for each woman, but I kinda wished for more out of this.
informative
medium-paced
Publishing date: 30.11.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I wanted to read more nonfiction this year. Started off by learning a bit about women, but I think this was the wrong book to start with. Here are some off my problems:
- World changing is a very strong word to use, especially when most (if not all) the women in the book had extraordinary roles but could do next to nothing to actually change anything
- The entries feel like a wikipedia entry, and other reviews have mentioned that the contents seem to be rewrites of existing articles
- I wish the women were more connected, or that the author attempted to draw more lines between them instead of just "these women were from the same place/time"
- Even more diversity, more countries, more eons/centuries, would really add more flavour. I understand that a lot of well know women were from the places and times in the book, but diversity often adds that oomph
Even with these problems in mind, I did to some degree enjoy my time with the book. I learnt about women I didn't know existed, and about some roles I wouldn't think could be occupied by women at their times. Some information was gained, but my hunger was not sated.
An okay introduction into influential women, but for those who have a deeper hunger for info, this isn't the one to reach out for.
2 stars, okay read but left me wanting more.
TLDR: Easily "googleable" info and the women weren't that world-changing after all
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I wanted to read more nonfiction this year. Started off by learning a bit about women, but I think this was the wrong book to start with. Here are some off my problems:
- World changing is a very strong word to use, especially when most (if not all) the women in the book had extraordinary roles but could do next to nothing to actually change anything
- The entries feel like a wikipedia entry, and other reviews have mentioned that the contents seem to be rewrites of existing articles
- I wish the women were more connected, or that the author attempted to draw more lines between them instead of just "these women were from the same place/time"
- Even more diversity, more countries, more eons/centuries, would really add more flavour. I understand that a lot of well know women were from the places and times in the book, but diversity often adds that oomph
Even with these problems in mind, I did to some degree enjoy my time with the book. I learnt about women I didn't know existed, and about some roles I wouldn't think could be occupied by women at their times. Some information was gained, but my hunger was not sated.
An okay introduction into influential women, but for those who have a deeper hunger for info, this isn't the one to reach out for.
2 stars, okay read but left me wanting more.
TLDR: Easily "googleable" info and the women weren't that world-changing after all
informative
I enjoyed this work, it was well researched, formatted and interesting topics. I appreciated the use of sources.
I would however have liked more discussion in the work, since this book seemed more like a encyclopedia than a non fiction work.
Real rating 3,5
Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this book early.
I would however have liked more discussion in the work, since this book seemed more like a encyclopedia than a non fiction work.
Real rating 3,5
Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this book early.
informative
fast-paced
Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 11/30/2024. I have to admit that this book was both more and less of what I expected and hoped for. If you are looking for a breezily written collection of snippets about accomplished women that you can read in between errands or when you need a giggle, this is not it. It is closer to Sherlock Holmes' Who's Who Book - a very comprehensive list of women in ancient Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome - bare facts, not really any embellishment, just treating these extraordinary lives as simple reality. Which, to be fair, some of these little known ladies don't have extensive records but all deserve a nod and respect. There is no honest way to expand some of these entries without edging into fiction. Chrystal has compiled a very impressive list, kept to the known details, and provided a very thorough bibliography for further reading. It is quite a feat and interesting. However, it is not a chatty book and the only color is presented by the women themselves; Chrystal keeps it strictly to the straight-forward. Frankly, the cover is the most poetic thing about the book. That is not bad, of course. It is good to have such a list in one place and I learned about a lot of women who were new to me. I have new names to learn about! But this is definitely a dry read and more something to inspire forward rather than revel in on its own. I still suggest it if you're looking for a good place to start!
informative
slow-paced
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Julius Cesar, Alexandra The Great, Napoleon, Aristotle.... the list of so-called 'Great Men' of history seems never-ending but what about the great women? What about those - seemingly - nameless women who helped to create and change the world that we live in today? That list is equally long, but sadly, far from well known. Thankfully, the latest book from Paul Chrystal, "World Changing Women" aims to correct this error. In this short publication (and I do wish it was several hundred pages longer so I could read in greater depth of these incredible women), Chrystal provides a brief intro to the lives and achievements of 150 women. Many of them barely remembered now, yet they have shaped our world.
Chrystal recounts names dating from the 24th century (BC) such as Barabamtarra, responsible for trade with neighbouring states. The famous or infamous Medusa and unfortunate Mary Magdalen. There is a wonderful range of women, throughout the centuries. There impact on our world is undoubtable and should not be forgotten.
A fantastic read, I just wish it was longer.
Chrystal recounts names dating from the 24th century (BC) such as Barabamtarra, responsible for trade with neighbouring states. The famous or infamous Medusa and unfortunate Mary Magdalen. There is a wonderful range of women, throughout the centuries. There impact on our world is undoubtable and should not be forgotten.
A fantastic read, I just wish it was longer.
informative
medium-paced
Arc copy received through NetGalley
This was extremely boring. There is no narrative here and the structuring of the different entries felt wonky. Almost none of the women had a satisfying ending to their stories, they just ended whenever the most interesting part of their life ended. Also, sorry to some of the women included, some of them were certainly not 'world-changing' and the ones that actually changed the world had short entrees, as 'they are famous, no need for further information in this book'.
This was extremely boring. There is no narrative here and the structuring of the different entries felt wonky. Almost none of the women had a satisfying ending to their stories, they just ended whenever the most interesting part of their life ended. Also, sorry to some of the women included, some of them were certainly not 'world-changing' and the ones that actually changed the world had short entrees, as 'they are famous, no need for further information in this book'.