The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

Amazon.com

The Woman Warrior is a pungent, bitter, but beautifully written memoir of growing up Chinese American in Stockton, California. Maxine Hong Kingston (China Men) distills the dire lessons of her mother's mesmerizing "talk-story" tales of a China where girls are worthless, tradition is exalted and only a strong, wily woman can scratch her way upward. The author's America is a landscape of confounding white "ghosts"--the policeman ghost, the social worker ghost--with equally rigid, but very different rules. Like the woman warrior of the title, Kingston carries the crimes against her family carved into her back by her parents in testimony to and defiance of the pain.

Book Description

A Chinese American woman tells of the Chinese myths, family stories and events of her California childhood that have shaped her identity.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant!.......2007-08-25

An excellent book, funny, insightful, poignant. Ms. Kingston brilliantly conveys how cultures can clash within the minds of those who straddle them. After reading this book I bought half a dozen copies to give to close friends.

Prepare for the unexpected........2007-03-22

This is a tremendous novel. The author threads the stories her mother told her when she was a child, through the retelling of her own life, using them to draw you into her own imagination. As she grows up, living half immersed in traditional myth and half in gritty reality, where mothers and daughters are only human, the reader grows up with her. The first person telling of her childhhood stories puts the reader directly in the shoes of a child/young adult working through the stories she has been told, using them to form her hopes and dreams and her understanding of the world.

(N.B. You may not think that your childhood stories influenced the way you live, but if you think for a minute, I am certain some will come back to you and you'll realize that just the other day you did something based on or combatting that belief. Maybe you even still wish on stars?)

Interesting motive, fails to deliver.......2007-01-12

While the perspective and ideas of this novel are ones rarely seen in modern day literature, Maxine Hong Kingston fails to captivate a reader in a way that one would expect from a novel dealing with the difficulties of not only being a minority in the U.S., but for simply being female.

The story starts off with the tale of Kingston's deceased aunt, who brought shame to the family and was unmentionable due to the fact that she bore an illegitimate child. As she gets into the tale and finds a parallel between herself and her aunt, both not wanting to conform to societal expectations, the story quickly changes to a story of a legendary girl trained by two old people to battle evil. The narration is filled with melodramatic elements and disorganized and often random occurences that make no sense at all, thereby losing the reader's interest early on in the book. The story then changes a few more times to different events in her family occuring in different eras, making it hard to grasp the relationship between themand her purpose for doing so. As you can see, the organization in this novel seems to be its biggest flaw. Instead of focusing on one tale and going in depth about it, the fact that Kingston changes stories so frequently and often before they are fully developed is annoying and seems to be pointless. While the stories she includes share a common theme of decpicting independent and strong women, her melodramatic and ineffective ways of narrating not only loses the reader's interest but in the process, I think even Kingston got confused about what she was trying to say!

Interesting Perspective Rarely Seen.......2007-01-12

Kingston combines the use of allegory, fantasy, and real life elements of her childhood to explore the social status of Chinese American women from the 1940s to the present in The Woman Warrior. While at first all of her stories may seem random, they all connect to Kingston's point of view as to how not just being a minority but also being a female made life difficult for her in both cultures. Her interwoven stories were so fascinating, as she brilliantly compares what she truly wants and what society is willing to allow her to do. It is crucial that the reader pay close attention to when her stories shift. My one problem with her plot organization is that she focuses on one story, and then suddenly shifts to another story. I couldn't understand until I was at the middle of the plot to comprehend each story's purpose in the bigger picture. But once the reader succeeds in getting over that one flaw, the rest is amazing. Kingston develops a unique style all on her own as she somehow connects the fantastical parts of her dreams to what she is forced to experience in everyday reality. In the backdrop of her personal experience, Kingston describes America's problems with racism and sexism different women in her lives are hurt by this. Kingston needed to maintain her flow; but the intriguing connections involving fantasy and reality work effectively to enhance her purpose.

who's talking now.......2007-01-11

This book tries to do too much! and doesn't succeed.

Even though this book had a good story over all, the confusing narration completely distracts from the intended message.

The entire story is in first person, no matter who is talking. This gets very confusing when the story suddenly shifts to another woman's story and you still think you are reading about the previous person. Suddenly you are reading and you think that the same character has somehow appeared on the other side of the world having no idea how she got there.

You will end up spending the whole book just trying to figure out who is speaking that you will miss most of what the book tries to say.

This is supposed to show the reality of what it is like to be a chinese woman but this is too hard to see when everything else is in the way.

This book does do some things well like its clever incorporation of irony in the narrator's retelling of a story that she has been forbidden to tell. It also incorporates superstitious elements such as her mother's battle with ghosts while at college and the enticing tale of the woman warrior. There is more irony seen here when most women in the story are seen as being weak, yet the woman warrior is strong and represents all the women with its title.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Book
A sumptuous tale with few stops for breath
I loved it! Suspenseful, passionate, breathtaking imagery
A Book to Savor
A Really Bad Soap Opera

The Light Bearer
Donna Gillespie
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425143686

Amazon.com

Quo Vadis for our times! Well, not exactly. It's been awhile since anyone tackled the Roman Empire as entertainingly as Gillespie has done in this book, a nearly-straight historical novel which should please readers of fantasy, too. Germanic Auriane is a combination of the noble, natural savage, and the heroine marked from birth for great deeds. Roman Marcus Julianus is the personification of the highest civilized, republican Roman values. Both are typical and atypical of their societies, fighting for what each believes to be just. Their individual struggles with the clashing Roman and Teutonic cultures are carried out in the Northern forests and in the salons and arena of Rome. Strongly- drawn characters, a setting both familiar and exotic (we all know something of imperial Rome, but very few of us are well-informed about it), a whiff of New-Age ancient mysticism, and a subdued but important romance subplot drive the sweeping novel of Auriane's growth and maturity and Rome's decadence.

Book Description

On the day of her birth, Auriane received a mysterious amulet from a priestess-and a doubleedged prophecy of doom and glory. The daughter of a Germanic tribal chieftain, Auriane witnessed unspeakable horrors committed against her people by ruthless invaders. And when tragedy tore her family apart, she took the oath of a warrior, and vowed revenge. Tales of her brilliant swath of conquest carried as far as Rome, to the renowned statesman Marcus Julianus-who felt his destiny intertwined with Auriane's, and wore about his neck an identical amulet

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Book.......2007-10-04

This is a big book by any standards, 800 pages and is the result of years of research and study by the author into the culture, and history of Rome and the Germanic tribes. I found it fascinating, exciting and thought provoking. In fact everything that a good book should be.

The year is AD 83 and the Emperor Domitian has crossed the Rhine with four legions, approximately 24,000 men and they have not marched that far for the exercise. The German tribes have tried to maintain their independence for as long as they can, but against such might their resistance is futile. Thus begins this mammoth book that takes us from the heartlands of the Rhine back to the decadence and temptations of ancient Rome.

A young woman Auriane, daughter of a chieftain who was to become the most revered prophetess of the tribes is captured and taken to Rome as a slave. There her life is changed completely and everything that she stands for is brushed away like so much rubbish. But having known her destiny from being a child Auriane is not about to bow to the yoke of Rome without a fight . . .

A sumptuous tale with few stops for breath.......2007-09-12

There is much I could say about "The Light Bearer" which has already been said, but as I don't review all the books in McCullough's Masters of Rome series (of which I've ready each book), I don't feel I can properly do justice to the greatness of this sweeping epic, which unlike McCullough's work, spans not just from Rome, but from a not well known Germanic tribe called the Chattians.

Gillespie does an amazing job of keeping Rome and Germania separate in writing details, with an inevitable connection between the two. Much is equally known about both the Chattians and the Romans as if written by two authors with the same writing style.

Some high points I point out are the very subtle rise of Domitianus's deranged paranoia and Caligulan/Neronian style reign, though the foreshadowing was a bit too obvious for my tastes.

Other interesting bits are the use and apparent source of commonly known modern things among the Chattians, such as the Goddess of the underworld, Hel, and the Eastre celebration, involving children dressed as rabbits and the hiding of colored eggs.

Because the flaws are so few and insignificant in the face of the greater elements, I think it's easier to point them out:

The writing is very sumptuous, but often at times it can get too dense and bogged down in details. This occurs mostly the first time Auriane enters the Colisseum.

Also, the sex. I've become used to ancient historical novels writing sex scenes very metaphorically and obtusely, without using direct wording. Gillespie appears to take it to such an extreme, with the vividly flowery writing between Marcus and Auriane's lovemaking that it becomes like a dense poem jackknifing from the wonders of nature and life and the gods in an obtuse manner, you nearly forget that the two characters are having sex. So over the top is the writing, that the way Gillespie describes it, you'd think Auriane was having blinding orgasms at just Marcus's touch on her arm or chest.

With the state of Rome at this point, and the main character being a foreigner and enemy to Rome, it's inevitable that a bias against Rome would be drawn, but the male character of Marcus Arrius Julianus is so much the outcast that there is little distinction between how Auriane and Marcus view the Roman world despite their differences. Auriane views Rome as savage and barbaric, and a plague on Fria's realm, whereas Marcus views it in somewhat the same fashion, but figures it's all he has, so he may as well love it.

Aside from Julianus and some of the senators friendly to him, you'd think Rome was a festering pot of corruption, barbarity, and bloodlust the epitome of the Roman view of the barbarians, while the Chattians are viewed as pure, natural, children of the earth that can do no wrong and are victimized by everyone from Rome to their neighboring tribes. Any opposition to Baldemar, Auriane's father and chieftain of the Chattians, is viewed as petty greed and personal problems on the part of the dissenter.

Some forgiveable offenses include loose ends, which may be tied up in the sequel "Lady of the Light", or the as of yet unnamed second sequel, including both Marcus and Auriane having amulets of earth from their childhood, duplicates of one another, and Auriane's seeming mystical foresight.

All these flaws are minimal, in my view, and not much to drag the otherwise epic tale down a full star in rating.

There is one issue with both Auriane and Marcus Julianus which may detract some readers, though is apparently done in such a way that broad interpretation can explain it away as easily as it couldn't: Gillespie may be guilty of "Mary-Sue"ing with Auriane and Marcus Julianus. Both seem to be greater than their surroundings, meant for greater things not yet known to either, and with little to no flaws beyond what their separate societies have naturally imbued in them (stubborn traditionalism in Auriane, cynic realism in Marcus), and beautiful physiques. From a certain point of view, many of their actions or words appear to be Mary Sue-ish reflections of the author's own point of view (determined by the narrative) or of a sense of moral or social well-being beyond that of someone from ancient times.

Or this could simply be the tired ramblings of a fussy reader.

Either way, the over 1000 page epic was a great read, and a highly insightful view into how the Germanic tribes of the early Roman Empire, and the early Roman Empire itself may have been.

I loved it! Suspenseful, passionate, breathtaking imagery.......2007-05-18

The Lightbearer is truly an amazing read. Once I began it, I couldn't pull myself away from the spell of Auriane, woman warrior, fighting for the survival of her embattled Germanic tribe against the all powerful Roman army. The characters are so richly drawn, I had an immediate sense of our shared humanity, despite the remoteness of their times. I was captivated by the vivid descriptions of these two worlds, sometimes hauntingly beautiful, sometimes disturbingly barbarous, always artfully rendered through Gillespie's exquisite prose. This is definitely a page turner filled with passion, struggle, heroism, and intriguing myth. With this carefully crafted tale Gillespie enters the arena of master storyteller.

A Book to Savor.......2007-05-18

Every possible element of good writing comes alive in this book. Gillespie recreates a lost time with such powerful detail we can feel we're living there with her characters. Those characters are larger than life, just as they should be in an historical novel of epic scope. Who would want to read about Robin Hood if he couldn't shoot an arrow straight?
But best of all is the plot. I don't *think* I read books for plot, but without a plot, no book really succeeds. It's like the skeleton of a human. You don't want to look at someone's hipbones directly, but without them, there are no graceful dancers. Gillespie's plot is as intricate as a 3,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and that's what drew me in and got me so involved with the characters that I was disappointed to see the book end -- and it's not a short book, either.

A Really Bad Soap Opera.......2007-05-17

As a student of ancient art, archaeology, and history, this book was on my "to read" list for a long time. Sadly, I was unable to get past the first 100 pages and I tried, I really did. I have never NOT finished a book. This book is awful and tries to hard, screaming "amateur." I guess I should have judged this one by the cover...

The storyline is rambling and full of tacky feminism/mysticism. The diologue is overdone with an absurd amount of metaphors and similies (bordering on laughable). The characters have no depth, despite insight into their thoughts at every possible moment. Everyone is so dramatic and over-the-top. I felt no emotional attachement and didn't care what happened to any of them. I also took issue with the over-simplified and stereotyped "good, harmonious tribes of the north" v.s the "evil, war-mongering Romans."

However, it must be said that Gillespie did a lot of research to present historic facts in order to re-create the time period. It's just too bad the novel reads like a really bad soap opera script.

Average customer rating:

Ficitonal Education
It Helped Me Understand My Own Heritage
Amazon can't get it right
Great book...
A book you can fall in love with

Woman Warrior
Maxine Hong Kingston
Manufacturer: Vintage Books USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0072435194

Customer Reviews:

Ficitonal Education.......2006-01-17

I feel that Kingston's story was very imformative about the chinese culture and their way of living. Probably not in todays age, but in its history. I really enjoy reading books with ficitonal education, which is exactly what this book is. Kingston mainly focuses on the issue of how women are treated in China and by Chinese-Americans. Kingston mentions the orgins of the tale Fa-Mulan (whom every disney fan is aware of)and how she became a "woman warrior". Fa-Mulan represents who Kingston wishes she could be and eventually does become in her own way, as a woman warrior in a world where Kingston is split between China and America. The main character is conflicted with what she has learned in America compared to her mothers "talk-stories" about China. The main character and her mother also have a very conflicted relationship that twists and turns as the story progresses. The reader learns throughout the story about the relationship between men and women in China and how men are surperior, yet in America, it seemed to men that the Chinese women became surperior in secret. This story is very ironic and informative, with a great theme. Kingston really does a great job in helping America understand the complications women have had and overcame during the cource of history.

It Helped Me Understand My Own Heritage.......2005-12-28

I have a different perspective from many readers who view this book primarily as a work of Women's Literature. As a half-asian male with a emigree mother, I read this book many years ago, in those formless, questioning years of the late 'teens. Even though I could not directly associate with many of the stories that Ms. Kingston wrote, I could associate with some of them, and I could also begin to enunciate my own observations and questions about a my mother's life and culture - a culture and life that I couldn't truly know, yet had much to do with who I was, and am. It gave me a perspective beyond that of a selfish, self-oriented teenager, and helped me better understand things (or at least try to see things) from my mother's point of view. It helped me see my own culture as a blend of the alien and familiar. Truly do I believe this book is one of the most important ones in my own life, as it helped create answers to deep, personal questions - some of which I never knew existed, until I read this book.

Amazon can't get it right.......2005-09-02

I guess the book might be good if only Amazon could have sent me the correct edition that they have listed. Amazon tried twice to send me what I ordered, got it wrong twice, and then Amazon gave up. Any correspondence with Amazon to resolve the matter has been met with insipid computerized responses. The 1 star rating is for Amazon.

Great book..........2004-11-06

Excellent book -- a must read for Women's Literature students. I bought it using a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was almost free for me.

A book you can fall in love with.......2004-10-05

I came across this book several years ago and immediately fell under its spell. I liked it so much that I had to re-read it again and again in order to decipher the new layers the book revealed with each occasion. I like the book so much, that I've decided to write a paper on it but unfortunately there are only a few, who offer quality interpretation on this magnificient book that could help me. Thus, if anyone, who has some ideas, would help me out on this would be VERY welcomed...

Warrior Women: An Archaeologist's Search for History's Hidden Heroines

Average customer rating:

Good Overview of the Subject with Emphasis on Eurasian Steppes
We are all warrior women
Warrior Women
A Fascinating Account of the Search for Women Warriors
Interesting book

Warrior Women: An Archaeologist's Search for History's Hidden Heroines
Jeannine Davis-Kimball , and Mona Behan
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0446679836

Amazon.com

Nearly one-quarter of the women buried in some late Iron Age sites were either warriors or priestesses. Even the remainder, "hearth women," were important players in the tribes' surprisingly egalitarian societies. Further, southern Kazakhstan's famous "gold man" was in fact, a "gold woman." Davis-Kimball also finds solid evidence of "high status" women in graves as far east as China and as far west as Ireland.

Warrior Women is, thankfully, free of lazy sensationalism. But it is frustratingly organized, with little regard to either chronology or geography. Further, Davis-Kimball never places her finds in any sort of context, be it popular or scholarly. --H. O'Billovitch

Book Description

Was Herodotus's account of the Amazons fact or fiction? ArchaeologistJeannine Davis-Kimball, in Warrior Women, an account of her digs atburial sites of Eurasian nomads, finds it an embellishment of the former. But,she posits, women's place in that world was generally more exalted thanpreviously thought.Nearly one-quarter of the women buried in some late Iron Age sites were eitherwarriors or priestesses. Even the remainder, "hearth women," were importantplayers in the tribes' surprisingly egalitarian societies. Further, southernKazakhstan's famous "gold man" was in fact, a "gold woman." Davis-Kimball alsofinds solid evidence of "high status" women in graves as far east as China andas far west as Ireland.Warrior Women is, thankfully, free of lazy sensationalism. But it isfrustratingly organized, with little regard to either chronology or geography.Further, Davis-Kimball never places her finds in any sort of context, be itpopular or scholarly. --H. O'Billovitch

Customer Reviews:

Good Overview of the Subject with Emphasis on Eurasian Steppes.......2007-02-26

I bought this book because, like the author, I had seen the traveling exhibit of the Nomads of the Steppes. It was a well mounted and very memorable exhibit that caught my imagination with the gorgeous gold artifacts. Occasionally I would see a reference to more information, the publication of the pictures related to the excavation at Pazyryk of a female that had been buried with the weapons as a man, a publicity release from the Soviet Union that Amazons had been the discovered, the Tarmin mummies from China, the fabulous fabrics discovered in certain burials.

Recently, I decided to delve further into this area, but I needed to know where to look-- hence Warrior Women. Part travelogue, part excavation journal, part sociology study, it has given me a jumping off place to look deeper into the specific areas that I am interested in pursuing.

I definitely agree with the author, I wish that someone would do an in depth examination of the Síle na Gig, the carved women exposing their genitals that are found not just in Ireland, but in England, Germany and France.

I also wish to note that the illustrations in this book are not particularly clear. They are black and white but muddy looking rather than crisp. And certainly many of them, such as the gold suit from the Nomads of the Steppes exhibit (which might have been worn by a very petite young man or a woman) would have benefited from color. Also, when she talks about the similarities of the fabric found with the Tarmin mummies to Scottish tartans, a single illustration would have shown how extraordinary the similarity is.

The author also did a good job talking about how politics affects presentation or suppression of certain facts. I had no idea that Russian archeaology of the past was so slipshod when it came to preserving skeletal matter.

All in all lots to think about.

We are all warrior women.......2007-01-14

This book is a companion to the PBS documentary, Secrets of the Dead - Amazon Warrior Women. This book is part narrative of Davis-Kimball's journeys through archeology and part non-fiction history of women warriors. I learned quite a bit about women's history. The book not only focuses on the mythical Amazon and their possible historical basis in the steppes of Russia, but also includes information on warrior women in other parts of the world, including China, Ireland, and the Celts. I was absolutely fascinated by the amount of information including in this book.

Warrior Women .......2005-09-08

This book is an excellent account of the lost female warriors of history. Well researched and presented in a very easy to read style. Throughout the book there are sections which contain facts and data that link to the chapter that you are reading, this adds detail and interest to the topics.

The author J Davis-Kimball is very obviously enthused by her subject and recounts her archaeological experiences with a keen eye for detail and story telling.

Overall a very enjoyable and enlightening read.

A Fascinating Account of the Search for Women Warriors.......2005-06-16

This is a fascinating book written by an equally fascinating woman. After raising six children and working as a nurse in Idaho and cattle rancher in South America, Dr. Jeannine Davis-Kimball went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree in art history from California State University at Northridge at 49, becoming the first woman in her family to obtain a degree. Her interest in past civilizations motivated her to obtain a master's degree and then a Ph.D., and when she went on an archealogical dig in Israel for a "lark," she discovered her true life's passion.

Her book is certainly no dry technical dissertation on archeological finds! Dr. Davis-Kimball is a gifted writer who knows how to tell a story and convey a bit of history, anthropology, and her own observations of human behavior in a very entertaining manner. Her book reads like a novel with an interesting storyline and detailed character descriptions of the people who accompany her on her explorations, as well as the nomads she lives with and studies. When she begins her career as an archeaologist, she notes that the western views of ancient peoples have relegated women to motherhood and tending the household. She finds that her learned colleagues are quick to characterize graves with weapons as male, something she begins to dispute in light of Russian evidence that there were once women warriors in the nomadic tribes. Dr. Davis-Kimball's research eventually proves this fact and she takes the reader along in the caravans of trucks she and her group take to remote locations in Russia and China where they camp weeks on-end like nomads themselves, digging in temperatures that soar above 100 degrees during the day and below freezing at night. Much of her research incorporates the cultures of the nomadic tribes that still wander Siberia and Asia today, as their traditions and way of living is virtually the same as centuries ago, and she was fortunate to be welcomed into the tribal group and allowed to participate in tribal rituals as well as their daily life.

Along with the story of her excavations and stays with nomadic tribes, she includes sidebars throughout the book on various topics from the Sheila-na-gigs and women warriors of Celtic Ireland to the status of prostitutes in ancient Greece. The book is a celebration and proof that women have indeed been warriors and priestesses and held positions of power and influence throughout history, and then as times changed, been relegated to less important roles or executed for trying to exert themselves as warriors.

Interesting book.......2004-12-08

I think I found out about this book when I was looking up information about Amazons. It is very informative and I liked the way the book was organized. I lent this book to my Physical Anthropology teacher and she likes it.
I do have to admit that I was unsure about the Mother Goddess information - I don't think that there was one religion focused on a Mother Goddess at that time - but everything else looked well researched.
I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in women in military roles and it's history (in ancient times that is).
It's definitely worth your time.

Wild Irish Roses: Tales of Brigits, Kathleens, and Warrior Queens

Average customer rating:

The power of Irish women
A bit simplistic
Ireland's most famous mothers, sisters & daughters
A Legend of Its Own

Wild Irish Roses: Tales of Brigits, Kathleens, and Warrior Queens
Trina Robbins
Manufacturer: Conari Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1573249521

Book Description

Forget the myth of the sweet Irish colleen. Real Irish women were no cream-puff debs. From the ancient warrior queens Marrigan, Macha, and Badbh to the labor-movement maven Mother Jones, Irish women have backbones of steel. Wild Irish Roses is a fascinating look at wild Irish women throughout history; serious information imparted in Trina Robbins' trademark style, with verve and humor.

The women in Wild Irish Roses are not always nice girls or even good girls, but they are women who know how to get things done, whether on the battlefield or in the bedroom. These are women who preserved and handed down the old stories. They are women who fought in revolutions with either gun or pen, wrote books, starred in books others wrote, and stormed heaven itself.

Author Trina Robbins is an impeccable researcher whose knack for telling stories and embellishing them with engaging illustrations and photos, brings each of these wild Irish roses to life, including:

• Maeve and six other warrior queens

• Grania and Deirdre, who ran away from kings for the love of younger men

• Five women who turned themselves into birds to get the job done right

• Saint Brigit and the saintly Kathleen O'Shea

• Cultural revivalist Maude Gonne and friends

• Irish-American beauty roses, including Scarlett O'Hara

• And warriors in their own right, such as Mother Jones and company

Wild Irish Roses is a celebration of tough, independent, beautiful Irish women from myth to modernity. It's a book that is sure to entertain, inform, and inspire readers of every background to find the Irish rose in themselves—to discover what they want and have the courage to go out and get it.

Customer Reviews:

The power of Irish women.......2006-12-17

I read this book after having loved Ms. Robbins's 'Eternally Bad: Goddesses with Attitude,' and was not disappointed. She's now one of my favorite feminist writers, and has such a fresh hip writing style, combining the academic side of things with modern language making these tales relevant for the modern reader. As she makes clear many times throughout the book, Irish women have never exactly been shrinking violets. They knew what they want and they took it, even if it meant starting a colossal war, double-crossing a relative, selling one's soul, having to go to prison, or disfiguring oneself. According to legend, the first people to land on Irish soil were a queen and her 50 female subjects. It didn't stop there, what with plenty of feisty empowered (and not always very nice or "ladylike") goddesses, such as Maeve and the Morrigan. Women were so revered by the ancient Irish, in fact, that when Claudius Caesar came to Ireland, the people thought that Empress Agrippina was the real ruler and paid no attention to Claudius at first. Irish women also fought alongside the men, until the British outlawed female fighters in the year 697. The status of women and these legendary goddesses was so strong, in fact, that many of them were turned into saints when the Christian missionaries were converting the Emerald Isle. (I was delighted to find out that my own favorite saint, Dymphna [a real historical person and not a goddess], is also Ms. Robbins's favorite Irish saint!) And to top it all off, Irish women were among the original Lucy Stoners, keeping their names after marriage until sometime in the 19th century. You wouldn't find any women identified as Mrs. Husband's Full Name in Irish history, that's for sure!

The book goes forward in chronological order, starting with the Irish goddesses such as Maeve, Macha, and Aoife (EE-fa), and other women of ancient mythology and legend, such as Deirdre, Fand, and Grania. (I was a bit disappointed by how my own favorite Irish goddesses, Flidais and Nemetona, were left out.) It then moves onto Brigit, the most prominent example of a beloved goddess transmogrified into a saint by the early Church, and revered folk figures such as Countess Kathleen O'Shea and Biddy Early, the Witch of Clare. (It really speaks volumes about just how revered Irish women still were by how only about four women were burnt at the stake in Ireland during the Burning Times, as opposed to the hysterical fear of "witchcraft" and the women suspected of being "witches" back in Continental Europe. Most of Ireland would have been excommunicated or burnt at the stake by the Continental Church's standards!) Then we get the tales of legendary pirate queens and the bawdy entertainer Lola Montez, and finally more modern women, some of whom led the reawakening in Irish culture and nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fighting for freedom from the oppressive British rule, and some who fought the good fight in America. This final section includes women such as Margaret Sanger, Mother Jones (the classic "I'm not a feminist, but..."), Maud Gonne, Countess Markievicz, Lady Wilde, aka Speranza (mother of Oscar Wilde), and the fictional character Scarlett O'Hara. All in all, the stories of these truly amazing women should make anyone feel deep pride in being Irish, and make those of us who aren't Irish wish we were, or at least partly Irish. A lot of people seem to wish they were Irish already, or to take great pride in being even .0000000001% Irish on their four-greats-grandmother's side, but Irish pride and national literacy should be about knowing these ancient myths and the stories of these inspiring modern-day heroes, not drinking green beer on St. Patrick's Day or naming one's child some ridiculous pseudo-Irish name like Azzlyn (for real). (And speaking of names, I really would have appreciated some sort of pronunciation guide, even though Ms. Robbins said she used the most simplified spellings wherever possible. Let's be honest--most non-Irish folks have no idea how to pronounce names like Badb, Aedh, Cimbaoth, Skathach, or Bodb without pronunciation instructions.)

Overall, this book is a fun read and hard to put down, and highly recommended for all those interested in Irish history in general and Irish women in particular.

A bit simplistic.......2006-05-18

While I loved the tales that were told in this book, I wasn't crazy about the way the author told them. Her language is a bit simplistic and in today's vernacular. Comes across as a bit odd when telling ancient legends. But good to maybe read to kids to tell them about their heritage.

Ireland's most famous mothers, sisters & daughters.......2005-07-14

Long before the Equal Rights Amendment was even a twinkle in anyone's eye, Irish women were asserting their place in the world -- sometimes with a well-placed word, and sometimes with a well-aimed sword.

Trina Robbins provides a delightful, educational look at some of Ireland's most famous mothers, sisters and daughters in "Wild Irish Roses." Subtitled "Tales of Brigits, Kathleens & Warrior Queens," the book is packed with stories about women dating back to the far reaches of legend and as fresh as the early 20th century. Whether lusty or greedy, passionate or political, scholarly or savage, these are women with a positive, independent outlook on the world around them.

Robbins saves the tales from being dry biographies and historical anecdotes by injecting a modern woman's perspective into the prose. The dialogue she employs in her stories sounds modern, not ancient; for instance, when the goddess Macha implores her husband, Crunden, not to go to the Ulster fair, he whines, "All the other guys are going. If I don't go, they'll say I'm henpecked." (He goes anyway; bad things happen.)

Other featured characters of legend include Queen Maeve, whose desire for a powerful bull led Connaught into bloody conflict with Ulster; Skathach of Skye, the mighty warrior who trained the hero Cuchulain in the arts of war and love; Deirdre, who defied the high king of Ulster, Conor Mac Nessa, and ran off with the studly fighter Naoise; Grania, who similarly fled the wedding bed of aging warrior Finn Mac Cool with young lover Dermot; and many more.

Although the Christian church took a dim view of uppity women in later years, the coming of Christianity to Ireland didn't diminish the Irish women's strength and independence, as later chapters show. Take for example Kathleen O'Shea, who reportedly sold her soul to the devil to save the people under her care, or the Meath princess Dervorgilla, whose preference for one man over another led to England's invasion of Ireland. (OK, that turned out badly for the Irish.) The Clare witch Biddy Early defied church laws to help people as a mystical healer and seer, while Grania O'Malley, who made her home on Clare Island, grew to be Ireland's fiercest pirate queen.

There's also the goddess Brigit, whom the church made into a saint to help with its conversions, and Eliza Gilbert, who fooled the world into believing she was the Spanish beauty Lola Montez. By the 19th century, Lady Jane Wilde (Oscar's mom) was writing columns fomenting rebellion, and Lady Isabella Gregory was resurrecting Ireland's mythic past and Maud Gonne was inspiring Yeats to greater literary heights (while thrice spurning his more familiar urges). In 1916, Countess Constance Markievicz, who grew up in Sligo and married a Polish count, fought in the Easter Rising, while across the ocean, Irish Americans like Mother Jones, Elizabeth Flynn and Margaret Sanger redefined the boundaries of equal rights.

And there are more. Robbins has compiled an enoyable collection of Irish history, lore and mini-biographies to delight those with an interest in Ireland's past as well as the bold strides women have made to seize their place in the world.

A Legend of Its Own.......2005-02-08

The title "Wild Irish Roses" is an exquisite way of
saying"Read Me" and this book doesn't stop there.

The introductory illustrations by the late Nell Brinkley
grace the book as if it were an extension of Trina
Robbins's book:" Nell Brinkley and the Early 20th
Century Woman."

Simultaneously,"Wild Irish Roses" has a stunning and
exciting similarity to Trina Robbins's book
"Eternally Bad : Goddesses With Bad Attitudes" almost
like another extension ,however,set in Ireland.

This book,no matter what similarities may grace it with
with their uniqueness,is more than capable of standing
on its own with its' uniquess and quality.

Through legends,myths, history,and folklore there is
never a dull moment.In fact,there's never a moment when
you willingly want to put the down!

It is so intricately put together with obvious research
and gifted writing I became a part of the book.

I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

The Warrior Queens: The Legends and the Lives of the Women Who Have Led Their Nations in War

Average customer rating:

Slow Going
ANOTHER WINNER FROM ONE OF THE BEST HISTORIANS EVER
Decent historical analysis
An attempted read
If Women Ran The World...

The Warrior Queens: The Legends and the Lives of the Women Who Have Led Their Nations in War
Antonia Fraser
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679728163
Release Date: 1990-04-14

Book Description

In this panoramic work of history, Lady Antonia Fraser looks at women who led armies and empires: Cleopatra, Isabella of Spain, Jinga Mbandi, Margaret Thatcher, and Indira Gandhi, among others.

Customer Reviews:

Slow Going.......2006-06-08

For all the exalted reputation Lady Antonia Fraser enjoys as a historian and writer, I expected this work to be far more informative and entertaining than it actually was. Despite her fascinating subject, Lady Fraser manages to flog it to death with endless historical references, obscure citations and literary allusions. I found the text to be so cluttered up and bogged down with arcane details and research notes that the actual subject matter was obscured by the author's very erudition. In a word: BORING. I hoped that after determinedly slogging through two opening chapters of explication and introduction, the body of the book pertaining to the fascinating women selected to represent history's Warrior Queens would pick up speed and capture my fast fading interest. Nope. Ponderous at best, the writing never seems to catch fire and I found myself hoping the next chapter would be better than the one I was reading. This is slow going and fails to reward the reader who actually gets through it. The last chapter of "summation" just repeats quotations and points made throughout the main text. Very disappointing and far from Lady Fraser's best effort. This more closely resembles the senior thesis of a graduate who has spent too much time in the library than the sparkling historical depiction of female political and military leaders throughout time which I was hoping to find.

ANOTHER WINNER FROM ONE OF THE BEST HISTORIANS EVER.......2005-10-02

Antonia Fraser superbly writes about Boadicea of Great Britain, Catherine the Great of Russia, Elizabeth the First of England, Queen Isabella of Spain, the Rani of Jhansi, and the obscure Queen Jinga of Angola. All are delineated with grace and fervour and this book is another welcome addition to the opus of Lady Antonia Fraser. It is very highly recommended.

Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA

Decent historical analysis.......2004-01-23

This is not a pop-history book. I picked this book up expecting it to be a very easy read but was surprised when I found myself reading through a book that would not have been out of place in any of my college history courses. Fraser has painted a very fascinating picture of various warrior queens around the world. Though at times, the narrative drags through her meticulous statement of facts, that is to be expected. I was very disappointed at her omission of the Egyptian pharaoh-queen Hatshepsut, however. Nevertheless, the women that she picks to include in her analysis make up a very good overview of the various warrior queens throughout the world and through time. It was an extremely interesting read and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in historical women as well as the the patience to read a (mostly) scholarly work.

An attempted read.......2003-12-28

Perhaps I expected more from this book than was present, but I could hardly get through the first few chapters and I am an avid historic biography reader. I found her methods tiresome and boring, having the preference to recite found facts rather than compile and share, she reads like a card catalog. I now know exactly what to read if I do wish to learn something of these women she eludes to, but after having put this book down, I feel I am less wise to the subjects then when I started. I need a chronological telling of a person and their movement, not a forty-three page explanation of exactly who has written such things in the past. Perhaps, I stopped reading three or four chapters before it got good, but I doubt it. I was very disappointed.

If Women Ran The World..........2003-06-21

Let this scene from the revolt of Boudicca fire your imagination: "the captured Roman women had their breasts sliced off and sewn to their faces so it would appear they were eating them; then they were skewered alive and strung up longways." No surprise that the career of Margaret Thatcher inspired this work.

Warrior Woman: The Story of Lozen, Apache Warrior and Shaman

Average customer rating:

Must read
Lozen.
not well told
Fascinating!
Historical Fiction

Warrior Woman: The Story of Lozen, Apache Warrior and Shaman
Peter Aleshire
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312244088

Book Description

The Apaches are legendary for their fierce, uncompromising tactics in battle, and their gorgeously complex, enigmatic mythologies and rituals. They are a people of pride, power, and spirit. One figure in Apache history embodied all these traits. She was a force to be reckoned with: a spiritual leader, shaman, and lethal adversary. Warrior Woman is the story of Lozen, a woman among male warriors. While most of the Native American women at the time remained in the villages to rear children and prepare food, Lozen fought alongside Geronimo, Cochise, and Victorio in some of the bloodiest incidents of the Apache Wars in the 19th-century. Hers is a life little discussed in Native American history books. Instead, much of what is known of her has been passed down through generations via stories and legends among her people. One story speaks of her supernatural powers, bestowed upon her by the god Ussen. She would lift her arms to the sky and place her palms against the wind, and through the warm sensations her open palms, could detect the direction and distance of her enemies. Other stories say that she was purported to have power to calm and tame horses with the mere laying of hands, and that she had the speed, dexterity, and skill at weaponry to match any man. Peter Aleshire combines such folklore with historical facts and oral histories to recreate Lozen's life. With immaculate detail he tells the story of her childhood in the mountains of New Mexico, surrounded by the vastness of nature and the Chiricahua legends and religions that shaped her thoughts. He describes her intricate coming-of-age ceremony, and the evolution of her role to match that of the staunchest warrior, as the white men slowly took over the land of her people and forced them from one reservation to another. Finally, Aleshire recounts Lozen's final days of freedom, when the few remaining Apache warriors, under the leadership of Geronimo, rode like the wind through the mountainous regions in Mexico, pursued by one-quarter of the U.S. Army.Warrior Woman brings Lozen to life. But more than that, it is also the story of her people, from the events leading up to the Apache Wars until their inevitable and unfortunate conclusion.

Customer Reviews:

Must read.......2006-05-02

The book could be described as "dry" on occasion but it's History, forgotten History at that. I loved Mr.Aleshire's book about a true Hero that so little has been written of. I enjoyed the chapter notes and appreciate that Mr. Aleshire added his own assumptions at time. I had a hard time putting this book down and have recommended it to people I know would enjoy it. My Great-Grandmother mentioned Lozen when I was younger and until I was in High School I thought she was a myth. What a terrible shame it is to know so little about someone so legend worthy.

Lozen........2005-01-25

I have learned from a reliable source (another author in fact)that Peter Aleshire is an Apache? His book I found hard to put down. One of the best written on this elusive and mysterious woman. He has given an honest account of her life and weaved facts with probabilities that he has recorded as his own assumptions to fill in the gaps where no records exist.

not well told.......2003-07-26

This book is too dry for such a fascinating, larger-than-life Apache woman. Try Ghost Warrior by Lucia St.Clair Robson instead - a much more intersting story that does justice to Lozen.

Fascinating!.......2003-01-02

This book, though rather dry at times, is still a fascinating account of a forgotten warrior. Detailing the life of Lozen is a worthy endeavor (though it's been done before in another book called "Lozen: Apache Woman Warrior" - which is also worth reading by the way.) I found this book to be well worth reading, as well - it's one of those history explorations that seem to take you back to the time and place of it's account, and spark your imagination to what the life of the people of that time might have been like. I hope more people read this book so that Lozen's name is not forgotten (as so many great, historical women in other cultures are) I would love it if one day her name were as recognizable as Geronimo or Crazy Horse. Maybe this book will help with that - who knows!

Historical Fiction.......2002-09-20

Historical fiction from a white male Arizona State University Professor. He makes up a biography of the Story of Lozen, Apache Warrior and Shaman.

Boudica: The Life and Legends of Britain's Warrior Queen

Average customer rating:

Entertaining yet informative--an engaging read
Superficial

Boudica: The Life and Legends of Britain's Warrior Queen
Vanessa Collingridge
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585677787

Book Description

A groundbreaking new study and surprisingly personal history of Britian's legendary warrior queen, and a must-read for anyone interested in British or Roman History, feminism, or all things Celtic. Combining new research and recent archaeological discoveries, Vanessa Collingridge has written a major new biography on this shadowy and often misunderstood figure of ancient history.

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining yet informative--an engaging read.......2007-07-09

I bought this book shortly after its release, but it's been (regrettably) sitting on my shelf until just a week ago, when I decided it was about time I got around to it. How glad I was that I did! Boudicca has long been an interest of mine, and I was pleased with Collingridge's thoroughly researched account of the queen's life and, perhaps more importantly, the context from which historians glean information about her and her people. By providing a full summary of the world in 61 AD, and a Roman as well as a Briton perspective of the events surrounding the Iceni queen's debasement, revolt and subsequent death, Collingridge places Boudicca in an environment neither exaggerated nor abstracted with sensationalism.

Needless to say, I was dismayed upon trekking over to Amazon and finding the "average rating" for this book so low, based entirely on a single review from a person who appeared to have had little interest in the subject in the first place, denouncing the book as "superficial" and claiming its author makes no attempt to show why we should care about the subject. The only problems I could see with this very solid history was with editing (names of historical personages are occasionally misspelled: Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar is referred to as "Caesarian" rather than the more accurate and commonly cited spelling Caesarion, and other errors crop up now and again), but these, placed in the context of the book, are nitpicker's complaints as Collingridge clearly knows her material regardless of editor's faults. Rest assured, the book is not superficial as claimed by the (until-now) sole reviewer, but rather exhaustively researched. Collingridge cites primary Roman sources as well as interviews with contemporary historians to create a fully fleshed-out portrait of Boudicca and her life and times, and continuing on to analyze the icon of the "warrior queen" in British culture then and now.

So why SHOULD we care about the subject, to address an aforementioned complaint? While not the most widely-known portion of Roman history, Boudicca's revolt should be remembered for the same reason we should remember any history. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Roman history, British and Celtic history, Boudicca herself, and even to anyone interested in gender politics through the ages as well as the changing iconography of the warrior queen. To anyone willing to lend an ear (or an eye, in this case), Collingridge offers a fascinating, solid account of these subjects and more that is certainly worth your time... and more than two stars on Amazon.

Superficial.......2006-08-14

The book is superficial and never really gets to the purpose of
even why one would want to write a book about this subject much
less read one. The author wonders all over the place in a vain attempt to keep the reader interested with references spread throughout British history from Elizabeth I to Princess Diana. Simply put the book is a waste not well researched or thought out; and finally not well written.

Roman Shakespeare: Warriors, Wounds, and Women (Feminist Readings of Shakespeare)

Average customer rating:

Better than I thought it was going to be

Roman Shakespeare: Warriors, Wounds, and Women (Feminist Readings of Shakespeare)
Coppélia Kahn
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415054516

Book Description

In the first full-length study of Shakespeare's Roman plays, Copp'elia Kahn brings to these texts a startling, critical perspective which interrogates the gender ideologies lurking behind 'Roman virtue'. Plays featured include: * Titus Andronicus * Julius Caesar * Antony and Cleopatra * Coriolanus * Cymbeline Setting the Roman works in the dual context of the popular theatre and Renaissance humanism, the author identifies new sources which she analyzes from a historicized feminist perspective. Roman Shakespeare is written in an accessible style and will appeal to scholars and students of Shakespeare and those interested in feminist theory, as well as Classicists.

Customer Reviews:

Better than I thought it was going to be.......2001-05-24

While writing my Master's thesis, this book kept coming up in my research. I decided to buy it because I couldn't track it down in any library... I am so happy that I did. Although I purchased this book for a very specific purpose, it has greatly expanded my conception of feminist readings of Shakespeare. Kahn does a wonderful job of performing close readings of Shakespeare's Roman works (Titus Andronicus, Rape of Lucrece, Julius Caesar, Corilianus, Cymbeline) and couples such reading with historical and feminst interpretations... all of which are valid and thorough. I am not a huge fan of most feminist readings of Shakespeare, however Kahn has a compelling theory that I found easily acceptable and actually embraced. Kahn has a keen eye for language and detail, and she also manages to communicate her complex theories into lucid writing. I highly recommend this book for all who are interested in Shakespeare's Roman works.

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