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A review by bookstorian
Sheilas: Badass Women of Australian History by Eliza Reilly
4.5
Let me start by saying, as Vanessa Amorosi would sing, I want to tell "absolutely everybody, everybody, everybody" about this book.
I honestly want to tell absolutely everybody about this book.
I'm not sure how this book first came to my attention but I am so glad that it did. 'Sheilas: Badass women of Australian History' affectionately and humorously details the lives of the brave, courageous and trail blazing females of history.
The most striking thing about this read for me was the relatable wit and modern language used as Eliza covers a scope of historical women from pilots, to spies, swimmers, mermaids and more. I appreciated the chronological structure, the short, sharp and straight to the point nature of the story as well as the 'fair dinkum' moments littered throughout. I think it also sometimes forgotten just how oppressed women were not that long ago. Less than 60 years ago women couldn't even sit in a public bar in my state. It also made me scrutinise the curriculum, how is it that so many women are still overlooked in our classrooms?
I did think the book ended rather abruptly. There was little contextualisation to pull everything together at the end as the book stopped at the 80s, I think there was a missed opportunity here for some final inspirational words to end on. In addition, I think the humour at sometimes was a little OTT for my tastes.
Hot tip - the audio book version was perfectly narrated by the author herself. If you're a lover of history podcasts, you will appreciate engaging with the book in this medium.
I honestly want to tell absolutely everybody about this book.
I'm not sure how this book first came to my attention but I am so glad that it did. 'Sheilas: Badass women of Australian History' affectionately and humorously details the lives of the brave, courageous and trail blazing females of history.
The most striking thing about this read for me was the relatable wit and modern language used as Eliza covers a scope of historical women from pilots, to spies, swimmers, mermaids and more. I appreciated the chronological structure, the short, sharp and straight to the point nature of the story as well as the 'fair dinkum' moments littered throughout. I think it also sometimes forgotten just how oppressed women were not that long ago. Less than 60 years ago women couldn't even sit in a public bar in my state. It also made me scrutinise the curriculum, how is it that so many women are still overlooked in our classrooms?
I did think the book ended rather abruptly. There was little contextualisation to pull everything together at the end as the book stopped at the 80s, I think there was a missed opportunity here for some final inspirational words to end on. In addition, I think the humour at sometimes was a little OTT for my tastes.
Hot tip - the audio book version was perfectly narrated by the author herself. If you're a lover of history podcasts, you will appreciate engaging with the book in this medium.