Women Warriors

December 1, 2018
Toler (Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War, 2016, etc.) seeks out courageous women of history who "have been pushed into the shadows, hidden in the footnotes, or half-erased."The historical records are thin; men don't like to admit that a woman could lead them, let alone conquer them. As such, victorious women are often ignored by history, and the author provides examples from the second millennium B.C.E. up through Russian women aviators. Even legendary warriors--e.g., Fu Hao of 13th-century China--aren't always identified as women in the records. "The main thing that struck me when I looked at women warriors across cultures rather than in isolation is how many examples there are and how lightly they sit on our collective awareness," writes Toler. Throughout the book, she uses numerous footnotes, asides, comments, absurdities, and personal opinions that should have been included in the main text. However, once readers learn to scan them, they will clearly see a pattern of women who have consistently stepped up to fight, for a variety of reasons, including revenge or loss of family, lands, or honor. Two useful examples are Boudica, who almost drove the Romans out of England, and Tomyris, who routed and killed the Persian king Cyrus the Great. Other women have fought to resist a takeover, becoming national icons in the process--e.g., Lakshmibai, who joined the Indian Rebellion in 1857. As the author suggests, female samurai and Viking-age Scandinavian leaders may have been more prevalent than we'll ever know. Furthermore, they didn't just dig earthworks, throw boiling oil over the ramparts, and defend castles against sieges; they also fought in place of absent husbands and joined armies to make money, own property, or get an education. Still others went to fight just because they enjoyed it.A short book admirable for wide research that you can read in a day, if you don't get bogged down in the footnotes.

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More women, Toler (The Heroines of Mercy Street) wants her readers to understand, have fought in battles than we'll ever know. By the author's own account, the women featured in this book are the results of a trimmed list of thousands, grouped by categories: mothers fighting for children; daughters inspired by fathers; queens and widows defending their lands or husbands; women who disguised themselves as men or fought openly with no cover up at all. The scope of subjects limits the depth of individual coverage, with most of the women getting a few pages that summarizes their life, actions, and legacy through the discussion of historical sources. Toler's concentrated effort to include lesser-known figures from non-Western countries--Arabic queen Mavia and Vietnam's Trung sisters sit alongside Celtic queen Boudica and Joan of Arc--are significant points in the work's favor. The author's passion for her subjects carries through to her commentary, which, while casual in tone, provides a clear (if occasionally repetitive) criticism of the historical trends of sexist dismissal these women faced in their own time and today. VERDICT This strong-voiced treatment nicely introduces readers to the lives of less-familiar historical women.--Kathleen McCallister, William & Mary Libs., Williamsburg, VA

Starred review from January 1, 2019
Toler blows past all expectations with this thoroughly delightful, personable, and crucially important history of women warriors. From the start she makes it clear that this will not be the sort of heroic hagiography that many collective biographies of women (especially those aimed in any way at teen readers) often become. Indeed, the women she writes about were not always heroic, and some were downright bloodthirsty and terrible, but there is no doubt that every single one of them was a warrior. Striking a blow against male historians who lazily dismiss female soldiers as insignificant exceptions, Toler sets out to uncover just how common women warriors were in history. Cutting a broad swath across continents and conflicts, she provides one story after another of women who fought hard for their people, their tribes, and their countries. Her captivating writing style, which is marked by disarmingly cheeky footnotes, makes this trip through so much forgotten history an exceedingly pleasurable reading experience, and her subjects, from the famous (Joan of Arc) to the criminally overlooked (Buffalo Calf Road Woman, who likely killed Custer) are a treat to learn about. An absolute research gem, Women Warriors is a historian's roar all libraries should welcome.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)