About the book
(blurb from Pan MacMillan SA)
My hope is that this book will inspire as I have been inspired. It’s a love letter to the importance of history and about how, without knowing where we come from – truthfully and entirely – we cannot know who we are.”
Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries is a celebration of unheard and under-heard women’s history. Within these pages you’ll meet nearly 1000 women whose names deserve to be better known: from the Mothers of Invention and the trailblazing women at the Bar; warrior queens and pirate commanders; the women who dedicated their lives to the natural world or to medicine; those women of courage who resisted and fought for what they believed; to the unsung heroes of stage, screen and stadium.
It is global, travelling the world and spanning all periods of time. It is also an intensely moving detective story of the author’s own family history as Kate Mosse pieces together the forgotten life of her great-grandmother, Lily Watson, a famous and highly successful novelist in her day who has all but disappeared from the record . . .
Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries is accessible, ambitious in its scope and fascinating in its detail. A beautifully illustrated dictionary of women, it is a love letter to family history and a personal memoir about the nature of women’s struggles to be heard and their achievements acknowledged. Joyous, celebratory and engaging, it is a book for everyone who has ever wondered how history is made.
My thoughts:
My thoughts:During Lockdown, at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Kate Mosse was motivated to undertake this passion project. Being known as a historical fiction author of note, she decided to put her investigative and research skills to use to find out more about her great-grandmother, Lily Watson.
Although Lily was a well-known novelist, Kate realised that she could find little or no information or references about Lily’s life and published work. Why would that be? She uncovered the trend that some of the most prolific women in history seem to have been erased from the archives. Why would that be? Who decides what we record in history?
Watch here: Kate Mosse: Writing Women Back into History – YouTube
That realisation triggered Kate’s #WomenInHistory project, reaching out to her followers on social media, asking them which females they think don’t always get the recognition and acknowledgment for their contribution in history. Within days, she was swarmed with literally thousands of requests and nominations. Highlighting “How Women (Also) Built the World” in a world that is dominated by male voices and the patriarchy.
*The author is also clear in stating that it is not about nullifying the contributions of men, but to rather fill in the full picture, to show that both men and women fought side by side to make a difference.
*She describes “Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries” as a “Love letter to History”, with aiming to emphasise the notable difference women made to build the world we live it.
This book features more than one thousand different women, and the information isn’t presented in chronological order, but rather by sections such featuring writers, scientists, teachers, philanthropists, etc. There are a wealth of notable quotes, as well as a mini bio for each of these inspirational women. Granted, there is a lot of information to share, so I can imagine that it was quite a task to ensure that everyone gets the mention they deserve! And the fact that quite a few South Africans feature as well, made me extremely proud!
There were quite a few of the featured females that I would love to investigate a bit further, to try to get more information about – would you believe me if I say that roughly 90% of them, I haven’t heard about before? And I think that is how this book should be seen, a valuable reference of inspiration and history, to trigger you to ask the questions and pique your interest! So, from this you can also gather that this book should ideally not be read like a novel, from front to back, but to be dipped into and indulged in in bite-sized segments.
The encyclopedic style sections are mixed with chapters about the “Lily” chapters, which provides a more personal story and insight. It was fascinating following Kate’s journey to piece together her great grandmother’s life story. Then, a cousin of hers discover an entire trunk containing more than five hundred letters, family records and more. The timing was thrilling, as she got this a mere two weeks before the book was due at the publishers! How to sort through that wealth of information in such a short period of time? And then, a family secret is revealed – which I will not spoil.
“Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries” is informative, inspiring, and reflective. It is a diverse and inclusive celebration of women, often forgotten or simply not being recognised for their contribution to make the world a better place, and even more so, often saving lives.
Calling everyone worldwide who took part in our #womaninhistory. Today, the book inspired by that campaign comes out. Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries is a celebration of nearly 1000 women who made history. Let me know your woman from history using hashtag #warriorqueens pic.twitter.com/374k9EFbxD
— Kate Mosse (@katemosse) October 13, 2022
*Reference: History Extra Podcast, Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries: Forgotten Women in History.
With thanks to Pan MacMillan SA for the opportunity to read this book
RRR (Roelia Reads Rating) 7/10
The Details
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Publishing Date: 13 October 2022
Format: Paperback
