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27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Frustrating for what it could have been, December 9, 1999
This is essentially the same review that I wrote for the same author's "Uppity Women of Ancient Times." Unfortunately, the same comments apply to both... I received this book and its companion on Ancient women as gifts. One lives in the bathroom (unfortunately, the most appropriate place for it...) and one by my bed. I am deeply interested in history and was looking forward to learning about an often-overlooked segment of the population - the women, famous and not, who directly or indirectly influenced and contributed in large and small ways to their times. It's clear that Ms. Leon has done a lot of research, but her writing style is terribly irritating and ultimately gets in the way of the material. She could have written it in an informal conversational style that would have served the same purpose, that of making the material accessible and interesting, but she chose instead to use a dated, "cool" Daddy-O style that just doesn't suit the material or ring true to her voice. Hip jargon is cool only briefly, and people who try to be funny usually aren't; why did she find it necessary or appropriate to trash her research and insult the intelligence of her readers with her silliness? I appreciate her obviously extensive research (but not the fact that she neglected to include a bibliography, for those of us with more than a passing interest in the subject of womens' history) and the fact that she included ordinary women as well as movers and shakers, because we really know very little about women in history, but then she undermined her own efforts with her ridiculous writing style. That's why I rate the book a 3 instead of 5 - the content is worth a 5 but it's hard to take seriously a work that its own author obviously didn't.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oh so serious..., July 9, 2000
By A Customer
"You can't really be strong until you see a funny side to things." A message that more than a few of my fellow reviewers should take to heart. And one that Ms. Leon certainly has! I will not spend any great time arguing over the historical accuracy of this book or with the crazed women studies scholars who are outraged by it. I will say, though, lighten up just a wee bit, please. This is an informative and fun book. Like Ms. Leon's other "Uppity" books, it offers to any reader an overview of women in history that is often overlooked. Its sense of humour is what makes the topic matter more inviting and available to a greater number of people. The predominant crusty tomes of "herstory" that are sadly prevailing in this field will put people to sleep faster than Trotsky's "My Life"! I have my advanced degrees in history and women's studies - and I understand the adage of a little knowledge can often be dangerous. But there is nothing in this delightful book that is remotely "dangerous". If anything, with a bit of luck, it will inspire more women - especially young women - to take a deeper look at the subject. Providing strong role models from history is far more productive than teaching young women to yell "victim"! Ms. Leon's books are smart and sassy - and that is what makes them great! We need more of these sort of women - historically and contemporaneously - to demonstrate a path of empowerment for women. Much credit should be given to Ms. Leon for attacking so many years of history with such vigor and vim! A good read for any human being - female or male!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun reading, that's all, July 26, 2000
By A Customer
This is a fun and sometimes funny book. However, I think it's ridiculous to consider it an important scholarly work addressing issues in womens' history. I enjoyed it for what it is, a cute and fun book. Personally, I don't think previous reviews are bizarre. I can see that if taken as a scholarly work this would trivialize the experience of women of the past. As a history major I've seen nothing cute about being a woman in ancient times. Like all women, "uppity" women got put down far more often than not. But I thought it was clear that this book was meant as entertainment, nothing more, so no big deal that it doesn't fit with what I know about history. What I think is bizarre is reviewers taking offense at reviewers and offering spitting-mad reviews of the negative reviewers. I think the negative reviews of this book made strong points, many of which i agree with, so read them I won't repeat them. Often seems as if those offended are authors themselves. I like seing negative reviews, like those found for this book, helps inform my purchases, helps decide what books I will devote time towards. Imagine if there were no negative reviews? Seems like that would be dull and uninformative. But I guess I can understand how an author would want all reviews to be positive. I recommend this book for a fun read.
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