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Women Warriors: An Unexpected History Paperback – February 25, 2020
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The woman warrior is always cast as an anomaly—Joan of Arc, not GI Jane. But women, it turns out, have always gone to war. In this fascinating and lively world history, Pamela Toler not only introduces us to women who took up arms, she also shows why they did it and what happened when they stepped out of their traditional female roles to take on other identities.
These are the stories of women who fought because they wanted to, because they had to, or because they could. Among the warriors you’ll meet are:
* Tomyris, ruler of the Massagetae, who killed Cyrus the Great of Persia when he sought to invade her lands
* The West African ruler Amina of Hausa, who led her warriors in a campaign of territorial expansion for more than 30 years
* Boudica, who led the Celtic tribes of Britain into a massive rebellion against the Roman Empire to avenge the rapes of her daughters
* The Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, who led an untrained army of 80,000 troops to drive the Chinese empire out of Vietnam
* The Joshigun, a group of 30 combat-trained Japanese women who fought against the forces of the Meiji emperor in the late 19th century
* Lakshmi Bai, Rani of Jhansi, who was regarded as the “bravest and best” military leader in the 1857 Indian Mutiny against British rule
* Maria Bochkareva, who commanded Russia’s first all-female battalion—the First Women’s Battalion of Death—during WWII
* Buffalo Calf Road Woman, the Cheyenne warrior who knocked General Custer off his horse at the Battle of Little Bighorn
* Juana Azurduy de Padilla, a mestiza warrior who fought in at least 16 major battles against colonizers of Latin America and who is a national hero in Bolivia and Argentina today
* And many more spanning from ancient times through the 20th century.
By considering the ways in which their presence has been erased from history, Toler reveals that women have always fought—not in spite of being women but because they are women.
- Print length240 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBeacon Press
- Publication dateFebruary 25, 2020
- Dimensions6 x 0.63 x 8.9 inches
- ISBN-100807028339
- ISBN-13978-0807028339
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Editorial Reviews
Review
—Library Journal, Starred Review
“Toler seeks out courageous women of history who ‘have been pushed into the shadows, hidden in the footnotes, or half-erased . . . . A short book admirable for wide research.’”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Entertaining and colorful.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This entertaining and informative history of women warriors briskly covers huge swathes of time and place, arguing for the significance of a phenomenon as old as warfare itself.”
—Julia Kastner (librarian), Shelf Awareness
“Lucid and lively, Pamela Toler’s delightfully complex history of women’s presence on the battlefield debunks the myth that women have not been and therefore cannot be warriors. It is a welcome contribution to the growing body of work that seeks to bring women out of the shadows of history, in this case the particularly male world of military history.”
—Anne Boyd Rioux, author of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy
“Pamela Toler’s exhilarating accounts of so many women who went to war, around the world, from antiquity to the present, and for so many different reasons, finally puts to rest the tired old arguments that only men are fit for combat.”
—Adrienne Mayor, author of The Amazons
“Pamela Toler’s writing never fails to delight me. In Women Warriors, she is like that best friend who is just way smarter than you, whose witty and engaging explanations help you see the past in a brand-new light. Toler takes you on a whirlwind tour through history and around the world, sharing stories about the hidden history of women who have led in military battle, elucidating the reasons why women’s long history in combat has often been hidden. Toler is a first-rate scholar who truly knows her stuff, and yet she imparts her wisdom with a light and engaging touch.”
—Elizabeth Letts, author of the New York Times bestseller The Perfect Horse
“In Women Warriors: An Unexpected History, self-described ‘academic renegade’ Pamela D. Toler has crafted a smart and highly entertaining chronicle of female fighters. Working across centuries and continents, Toler introduces readers to a host of colorful, courageous women who proved themselves as formidable foes on the battlefield, outwitting and overpowering their male adversaries along the way. From Boudica, who led a rebellion against the Roman Empire, to Maria Bochkareva, who commanded Russia’s first all-female battalion during World War II, we meet countless forgotten sister soldiers who acted with valor and verve. Toler may call this history unexpected, but readers will consider it a necessary and most welcome addition to the current literature about women and war.”
—Paige Bowers, author of The General’s Niece
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Beacon Press; Reprint edition (February 25, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0807028339
- ISBN-13 : 978-0807028339
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.63 x 8.9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #574,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,786 in Women in History
- #5,321 in Sociology Reference
- #6,310 in Women's Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Like many history buffs, history first caught my imagination through stories.
One of my favorite things to do when I was small was curl up next to my grandmother and ask her, "What did you do when you were a little girl?" From there it was a short step to reading biographies about historical women who ignored social boundaries and accomplished things—the kind that are written with the intention of inspiring young girls. My grade school's revolving library owned a whole series of them. Every week a new one arrived and I snatched it before anyone else could get it, eager to read about Clara Barton, Madame Curie or Julia Ward Howe.
By the time I was in high school, I was that nerdy kid who hung out at the local historical society and at Wilson Creek National Battlefield on the weekends and in the summer. (I even learned to shoot a muzzle-loading rifle—a skill I never expected to be useful on my resume. Life takes funny twists sometimes.)
My life as a history buff took an unexpected turn when at the age of eight or nine I fell in love with Rudyard Kipling's Kim. (Did I mention the importance of stories?) Kipling's India put me on the path to a PhD in South Asia history.
It wasn't a straight path. And it wasn't a short one. The first day of my PhD program at University of Chicago, my advisor said, “You know there are no jobs, right?” I knew, but I didn’t care. Without the promise (or perhaps the threat) of a teaching job at the end of the road, I kept wandering down fascinating by-ways. I still do, every chance I get.
Today my goal is to write books about important historical topics that will engage history buffs and nerdy kids and the intelligent general reader. (That's you, right?) Accessible doesn't mean easy. The history I write often turns what we think we know about history inside out, or at least looks at the familiar from an unfamiliar angle. In doing so, I ask us to look at the world today from a slightly different angle as well. The impact of this can be profound. If you are able to look at history from someone else's perspective for even a short time, you are more apt to see her as a person rather than "the other." When we re-introduce overlooked populations into the story, the historical framework gets a little bigger, a little more complex.
On the other hand, sometimes I just want to tell a good story. Pull up a chair.
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Customers find the book insightful and informative. They describe it as an interesting, compelling read with an accessible writing style that is clear and easy to understand. The subject matter is considered unique and well-researched. Readers appreciate the writing style as clear, funny, and never dull. Overall, they find the book enjoyable and a worthwhile investment of time and money.
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Customers find the book insightful, informative, and well-researched. They appreciate the author's thoughtful analysis of when and why women became warriors. The book is accessible to a wide range of readers, with brief biographies grouped thematically with analysis. Readers mention that the author has a strong critical sense and is objective, not cheerleading for women.
"...over the years on women warriors, and I also found this one to be very interesting and educational about the role women warriors played throughout..." Read more
"...The author gives you one brief biography after another, grouped thematically with a bit of analysis...." Read more
"...Thoughtful, insightful analysis of when and why women became warriors, and why they have so often been forgotten and/or erased from history. *..." Read more
"I loved reading about the women warriors and learning what drove them emotionally. Never mind the history, which is so well researched...." Read more
Customers find the book accessible and engaging. They describe it as a wonderful read with an interesting subject. Readers mention it's perfect for reading in bite-sized chunks.
"...There is also a comprehensive suggested reading and resource section in this book...." Read more
"This is the perfect book if you read in bite-sized chunks...." Read more
"I LOVED this book. I found it smart without being intimidating or cumbersome...." Read more
"Absolutely brilliant, compelling, accessibly-written and academically rigorous history. I couldn't recommend it any more highly...." Read more
Customers find the writing style easy to read and engaging. They say it's accessible to a wide range of readers and packed with fascinating material.
"...Excellent writing style, that is clear, sometimes funny, and never dull *..." Read more
"...I found the writing and presentation to be superb." Read more
"Absolutely brilliant, compelling, accessibly-written and academically rigorous history. I couldn't recommend it any more highly...." Read more
"...Overall a un read that I am glad I invested the time and money into. I do think it could be far better if it was more focused and structured." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024Over the last 7 plus decades I have had in avid interest in the martial and warrior arts (Judo, Jujitsu, Karate-Do, Boxing, wrestling, weapons, firearms, philosophy etc.) and this is why when I saw this 233-page soft cover book (Women Warriors: An unexpected journey by Pamela D. Toler) while browsing on Amazon I decided to purchase it.
I have read numerous books over the years on women warriors, and I also found this one to be very interesting and educational about the role women warriors played throughout history. There is no doubt that throughout history women have been ignored and marginalized when it comes to their role as warriors; nevertheless, evidence shows there were numerous cultures who had women who fought alongside their men in various warrior situations.
This well-researched book explains in detail the many ancient and contemporary women who were indeed warriors. The eight chapters in this volume covers: “Don’t mess with Mama, her Father’s daughter, her mother's daughter, the widow's revenge, the most powerful piece on the chessboard, checkpoint: A Queen in all but name, Joan of Arc, Wo-manning the ramparts, Molly Pircher, in disguise, no disguise needed.” There is also a comprehensive suggested reading and resource section in this book.
In conclusion, if you are interested in the topic of women warriors you may want to check out this book.
Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical principles of the most effective Combative Systems).
- Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2021This is the perfect book if you read in bite-sized chunks. The author gives you one brief biography after another, grouped thematically with a bit of analysis. Many of her insights are in the footnotes, and the kindle app makes it easy to navigate between the main text and the footnotes.
But the real strength is in the information. I had never heard of 4/5 of these women. Even people like the Queen who killed Cyrus the Great were unfamiliar to me. Many of the women I did know, such as Katherine of Aragon, I see in a new light now that I know they are warriors. Even better: because women warriors crop up retry much everywhere, the book sheds light on places like precolonial Vietnam and colonial Africa, where light is much needed.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2019This book has many strengths, among them:
*The author covers global history, which gives a wide understanding of women warriors
*Excellent writing style, that is clear, sometimes funny, and never dull
*Thoughtful, insightful analysis of when and why women became warriors, and why they have so often been forgotten and/or erased from history.
*She has many gripping discussions of the sources about the women she discusses. I loved these discussions.
*She has a strong critical sense and is objective, not cheerleading women warriors simply because putting women back into history as warriors is her agenda. Rather she retains a historian's objectivity and need for evidence. For example, she notes that in 19th century revolutions, records constantly fall back on 30% of revolutionary fighters being women - a generality the author rightly finds suspicious as it is so consistent and vague, and cuts across cultures.
There are a couple improvements needed:
*First, the author does not deal honestly with the issue of men being physically stronger than women - she treats this as mostly a societal construct, and a way for men to bar women from combat. Yes, she shows how men have used this to stop women getting jobs in combat. However, it is not a social construct, it is a scientific, well-tested fact that on average men are physically stronger than women. She needs to address this fact more fully, including the issue that some women in the U.S. military are not required to perform to the same physical level as their male counter-parts in the same job. This issue is a quibble, but something she could address in the next edition of the book.
*Secondly, the book doesn't go into enough detail about the individual women; we generally get a vague overview of their stories. More depth, in terms of context of time and place, and details of story, would help a lot. Being a historian myself, and having researched some of the women in the book, I know there is a lot more information out there. Adding more information would make the book MUCH more compelling and useful. Given that the book is only 240 pages including footnotes and index, the author could have added another 100 pages, which would have given the study much greater depth, and it still would not have been close to overly long (consider: many biographies now run to 500 or 600 pages).
Overall, thank you Ms. Toler for a wonderful, insightful book!
- Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023I loved reading about the women warriors and learning what drove them emotionally. Never mind the history, which is so well researched. I found the writing and presentation to be superb.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2019I LOVED this book. I found it smart without being intimidating or cumbersome. I learned so much, but it was as if Pamela Toler was sitting across the table from me just entertaining me with stories. I only read a few each evening to make the book last longer and so I could have time to think about the stories, and sometimes I looked up the woman or the war or her tribe or country. Sometimes I read the footnotes to a particular story and sometimes I didn't, depending on how much connection I felt to the woman and her story. It's a rich feast and you don't have to feel that you have to "study" it or read it in a certain way. Just enjoy!
Top reviews from other countries
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Océane PCReviewed in France on December 16, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Très bon livre
Un des meilleurs livres que j'ai lu récemment, il montre une nouvelle vision de l'histoire et du féminisme ! Je recommande.