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mthereader's review
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.5
I had much higher hopes for this book than what it turned out to be. Like many other reviewers, I was put off by the tone of her writing and how she tried so hard to be conversational and fun and interesting but the way the facts of these women’s lives were written was actually quite boring. I kept skimming the stories and walked away from this book several times over the weeks that it took me to finish it.
I also can’t understand why the author glosses right over the fact that several of these women’s friendships were obviously more than platonic friendships. Anytime she comes close to referencing what may be perceived as a lesbian relationship, she says something like “gal pals, amirite?” From Sam Maggs’ Wikipedia page: “Maggs is openly lesbian and dedicates herself to including queer representation in her writing. Prior to 2022, Maggs was openly bisexual.” I didn’t get any kind of strong queer representation or celebration from this book, it felt more like she was dancing around all the queer relationships and purposely not saying it outright.
I also can’t understand why the author glosses right over the fact that several of these women’s friendships were obviously more than platonic friendships. Anytime she comes close to referencing what may be perceived as a lesbian relationship, she says something like “gal pals, amirite?” From Sam Maggs’ Wikipedia page: “Maggs is openly lesbian and dedicates herself to including queer representation in her writing. Prior to 2022, Maggs was openly bisexual.” I didn’t get any kind of strong queer representation or celebration from this book, it felt more like she was dancing around all the queer relationships and purposely not saying it outright.
the_jamae_way's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
louisejulig's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
An unabashed celebration of girl power that pushes back on the narrative that women must always be in competition with each other. For a pairing of this book with Women and Other Monsters, go to https://louisejulig.substack.com/p/when-you-cant-un-see-the-patterns
rachaelarsenault's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
This was an absolute delight to read. We don't learn nearly enough about women in history, and this book fills that void beautifully. But it's not just about women and their accomplishments - it's about their friendship, comradery, and bravery against the odds and within systems and communities that often pushed back hard against them.
I hope to see more books like this one in the future. The prose was witty and easy to follow, and each piece was just long enough to give you a clear understanding of who the women were, what they were about, and what they were achieved without getting tediously long or overstaying its welcome. Definitely highly recommended.
I hope to see more books like this one in the future. The prose was witty and easy to follow, and each piece was just long enough to give you a clear understanding of who the women were, what they were about, and what they were achieved without getting tediously long or overstaying its welcome. Definitely highly recommended.
aquahogcodes's review
5.0
Exceptionally amazing, witty and humorous and badass. The ode to womanhood that we deserve. Sam Maggs's words are quirky and insightful. I stan.
monetp's review
5.0
“People ask me sometimes, ‘When will there be enough women on the court?’ and my answer is, ‘When there are nine.’ ” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I'M SO ON BOARD WITH THIS BOOK. I loved learning about eco-feminism in Korea, the patriotic women's league of Iran, the ladies of the supreme court, real life Amazons and female pirates. These are just a few of the remarkable stories shared in this book. Even though many female friendships are featured, [a:Sam Maggs|8445946|Sam Maggs|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578516847p2/8445946.jpg] leaves enough room to describe in detail each woman's individual life. She throws in fun details as well as historically accurate information. My favorite was when she mentioned Elena Kagan's support of frozen yogurt machines in the Supreme Court cafeteria lol!
Maggs's informal commentary, usually written in parentheses, is delightful. She makes her opinions known and her jokes makes the tough subject matters more digestible. She always ends each chapter with a note of hopeful finality. Through Maggs's writing, the reader becomes hopeful that more women's stories will rise from the shadows and be shared. I need a Netflix documentary series based on all this book's chapters!!!!!!!! I recommend this book to every women and gender studies class.
I'M SO ON BOARD WITH THIS BOOK. I loved learning about eco-feminism in Korea, the patriotic women's league of Iran, the ladies of the supreme court, real life Amazons and female pirates. These are just a few of the remarkable stories shared in this book. Even though many female friendships are featured, [a:Sam Maggs|8445946|Sam Maggs|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578516847p2/8445946.jpg] leaves enough room to describe in detail each woman's individual life. She throws in fun details as well as historically accurate information. My favorite was when she mentioned Elena Kagan's support of frozen yogurt machines in the Supreme Court cafeteria lol!
Maggs's informal commentary, usually written in parentheses, is delightful. She makes her opinions known and her jokes makes the tough subject matters more digestible. She always ends each chapter with a note of hopeful finality. Through Maggs's writing, the reader becomes hopeful that more women's stories will rise from the shadows and be shared. I need a Netflix documentary series based on all this book's chapters!!!!!!!! I recommend this book to every women and gender studies class.
faerieontheshelf's review
4.0
This rolled up in the mail just as I finished The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy so I dropped right into it to continue my great adventure reading about badass women.
What’s super cool is that some of these stories tied back into The Lady’s Guide as Lee was inspired by some of the women featured here - the Edinburgh Seven, the female pirates, and so on.
A really solidly enjoyable read about badass women, most of whom I didn’t know about before (which is sad ngl). I felt sometimes it was really colloquial and slang-y for me, but the target audience is teens so that’s a deliberate choice.
What’s super cool is that some of these stories tied back into The Lady’s Guide as Lee was inspired by some of the women featured here - the Edinburgh Seven, the female pirates, and so on.
A really solidly enjoyable read about badass women, most of whom I didn’t know about before (which is sad ngl). I felt sometimes it was really colloquial and slang-y for me, but the target audience is teens so that’s a deliberate choice.