Customer Reviews

1001 Things Everyone Should Know about Women's History

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If it were not so unsparing, I would call this a really fun book. It covers the world and all of recorded history. There are many good books on US women's history but few that are willing to take on the world. Most of my favorite historic women are in here and many that I hadn't heard of before.

The 1,001 things are divided into 10 sections: government, law and politics; religion and humanitarianism; education and academia; science, medicine and technology; economics, work and business; daily life; literature and journalism; arts and entertainment; sports and adventure; and , wild women.

Most of the unsparing parts are in the section on daily life, including a subsection on violence against women. I don't recommend it for young people unless you're willing to discuss ...

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it for mature readers who would like a more global (or less ethno-centric) view of women's history. In addition to the names and achievements of many women, it has such things as a list of over 40 countries and the year that each extended the vote to women (no, the United States was far from the first) and a short list of women saints and what they were patrons of.

This is a wonderful book that condenses 1001 things about women's history into brief segments that are easy to read and easy to remember. I have a minor in Women's Studies, so I thought I knew more about women's history than almost anyone, but Constance Jones has revealed so many things that I had never heard of that I'm amazed I never discovered some of them in my reading and research. For instance, there are ten segments described in the section about "Soldiers." Of course we all know about the women who served in WWII, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, but I doubt that many of us knew about Dr. Mary Edwards who served as a Union Army Nurse and Surgeon during the Civil War and was the first woman to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor. Something else that I didn't know about her was that the medal was rescinded in 1917, then reinstated in 1977. Wisely, Jones has left out the better-known women soldiers, such as Joan of Arc, since the purpose is to share the historical facts of which we are probably unaware.

From "Government, Law, and Politics" to "Religion and Humanitarianism" to "Education and Academia" to "Science, Medicine, and Technology" to "Economics, Work, and Business" to "Daily Life" to "Literature and Journalism" to "Arts and Entertainment" to "Sports and Adventure" to "Wild Women," Jones gives us a concise, articulate account of women, organizations, myths, and movements that everyone should know about in order to make our knowledge of history truly accurate and complete.

1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Women in History is a great introdution to the importance women have played in history and the variety of their contributions.

The chapters of the book give you some idea of the richness of women's history, as women in education, science, medicine, religion, sports, entertainment and politics are discussed. It is very comprehensive, and looks at women across time and around the world. A fun - and fascinating - read.

Too many history books have been about males at the expense of females and has sold the ladies short.

This is because traditionally history writers have been males for the most part, bur Dr. Jones reveals the amazing story of women who have made history for centuries, but their stories

have been largely ignored. The book should prove to be inspiring for females of all ages who wish to learn of what their gender has contributed to society in every field of human endeavor.