HerStory: 50 women and girls who shook the world

With a playful title indicating the dominance of men in history, this book looks at 50 women separated by time and place of birth, from a range of ethnicities, living very different lives, but all significant in different ways. Some of these individuals will be well known, such as Elizabeth 1 whose story is the first to be told and Anne Frank whose story completes the volume. Others however will be less known with contributions which are frequently overlooked, such as Ada Lovelace in the history of computer programming or Rachel Carson significant in the modern environmental movement.

The book is organised into five colour coded sections with leaders, artists, teachers and healers, problem solvers, heroes and dreamers grouped together. Readers interested in researching a particular field, for example women in science, will find this structure helpful. It is also a great volume to pick up and browse as within each section there is no specific order so turning the attractive double page spreads become an enjoyable process of discovery. The mini biographies include a final paragraph indicating how each individual was involved in ‘shaking the world’. Illustrations include art work, photographs of the more recent subjects and close ups of aspects of their work. Quotations from many of the individuals are an interesting addition. The timeline at the back of the book helps to place them in a historical, sorry herstorical perspective and there is a useful glossary which clarifies key terms and concepts.

This attractive volume is a great addition to the recent flurry of books which have been produced highlighting and celebrating the significant but frequently unrecognised role women have played in throughout time. A highly topical publication in the centenary of The Representation of the People Act giving some women the right to vote for the first time.