Cathy Newman’s book is an overview of under apprenticed and
unknown women of British history, mainly in the modern era. She gives an overview in the introduction but
the meat of the book takes place from 1880 on.
The book
is far more than a history of the struggle for the vote, though women such as Pankhurst
do make appearances. Her focus is on the
lesser known women, including those who are responsible for fortified food as
well as in the arts.
The book’s
weakness isn’t that it is confined to Britain, but that at times it does feel
like a list. To be fair, most books of
this type do feel like lists. Newman
does tie each time period in with a chapter overview of the times as well as examining
the sexism that the women might have faced in their job. It is best to view this book as an overview
and place to start for a woman’s history of Britain.
Additionally it is to Newman’s credit that she addresses intersectionality – not only on a national level or feminist level, but also on her own level. She details the additional racism that women of color had to face – including when they tried to volunteer during the Second World War and includes women who organized against racism such as Claudia Jones.
 |
| Claudia Jones, the woman behind the Notting Hill Carnival |
If you
enjoyed the Uppity Women series or the Woman of Action series, you should enjoy
this. Also she writes about the women behind Dr. Who.
Comments
Post a Comment