bookishblond 's review for:

The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney

5.0

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A breathtaking, eye-opening account of the most powerful woman in the ancient world. Kara Cooney's feminist biography explores exactly why Hatshepsut is relatively unknown to modern readers, especially in comparison with Cleopatra, who lived thousands of years later. Cooney's book is also a wonderful introduction to Egyptology. She explains how the ancient Egyptians thought about their world and what they chose to document and what to leave out of their official record, and what we can learn from their emissions. I feel such a loss for all that we will never know about Hatshepsut, but commend Cooney for writing this magnificent tribute to a powerful woman who should never be forgotten.