tetiana's review against another edition
3.0
Really entertaining, with amazing illustrations.
Unfortunately, the entry on Mariya Oktyabrskaya made me want to shake the book, yelling, “THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKED!”
Two points that irked me the most:
Born into dirt-eating levels of poverty
Yeah, you know why? Because in 1930s her Ukrainian family underwent “dekulakization”, which left them, along with countless other well-to-do Ukrainian farmers (including my family), destitute.
She also didn’t start as Oktyabrskaya. Her maiden name is Garagulya, her husband’s original last name – Ryadnenko. Both are very Ukrainian-sounding, which is a strong factor in them taking a politically-appropriate name of Oktyabrskiye (after the revolution of 1917).
The confusion Lee experiences between Russia and Ukraine is typical of Americans, but not something I’m willing to overlook.
Also, this:
Being a good communist housewife, Mariya stayed home and hated the Nazis from a distance.
Communist housewife, LOL. It makes me doubt all the other entries as well. Not ideal for a historical nonfiction book. I mean, I had fun, but do I 100% believe what’s in here? Not really.
Unfortunately, the entry on Mariya Oktyabrskaya made me want to shake the book, yelling, “THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKED!”
Two points that irked me the most:
Born into dirt-eating levels of poverty
Yeah, you know why? Because in 1930s her Ukrainian family underwent “dekulakization”, which left them, along with countless other well-to-do Ukrainian farmers (including my family), destitute.
She also didn’t start as Oktyabrskaya. Her maiden name is Garagulya, her husband’s original last name – Ryadnenko. Both are very Ukrainian-sounding, which is a strong factor in them taking a politically-appropriate name of Oktyabrskiye (after the revolution of 1917).
The confusion Lee experiences between Russia and Ukraine is typical of Americans, but not something I’m willing to overlook.
Also, this:
Being a good communist housewife, Mariya stayed home and hated the Nazis from a distance.
Communist housewife, LOL. It makes me doubt all the other entries as well. Not ideal for a historical nonfiction book. I mean, I had fun, but do I 100% believe what’s in here? Not really.
pleasureoftheclouds's review against another edition
it reads like a twitter thread
aschwartz184's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. Here I come again with my unpopular opinion.
I respect what Mackenzi Lee tried to do here. It's easy to make history dry and not remotely entertaining. How do you make it accessible for youth and more importantly the masses? Apparently by peppering your writing with phrases like "Yaaaaas, Queen."
Many of you smiled or internally chuckled at these editorial remarks. I cringed. Maybe I was in a bad mood when I read it. Maybe I am too entrenched in slang in my daily work life and can't stomach it in my personal time. Maybe I'm a grump who is overly pedantic. Maybe Lee is onto something and I just didn't 'get' it. Or maybe this is best served in small doses, like on a Twitter feed where it originated.
But I found the idiomatic social media-imbued tone a little distracting, like she didn't give her audience enough credit. Because let's face it - if someone is going to pick up this book, they'll have at least a passing interest in history and might not need the achingly modern interjections that I humbly found to be disruptive.
I respect what Mackenzi Lee tried to do here. It's easy to make history dry and not remotely entertaining. How do you make it accessible for youth and more importantly the masses? Apparently by peppering your writing with phrases like "Yaaaaas, Queen."
Many of you smiled or internally chuckled at these editorial remarks. I cringed. Maybe I was in a bad mood when I read it. Maybe I am too entrenched in slang in my daily work life and can't stomach it in my personal time. Maybe I'm a grump who is overly pedantic. Maybe Lee is onto something and I just didn't 'get' it. Or maybe this is best served in small doses, like on a Twitter feed where it originated.
But I found the idiomatic social media-imbued tone a little distracting, like she didn't give her audience enough credit. Because let's face it - if someone is going to pick up this book, they'll have at least a passing interest in history and might not need the achingly modern interjections that I humbly found to be disruptive.
christenebs's review against another edition
5.0
This book gives you just a taste of the lives of 52 woman. It is a diverse group of woman who span not only the globe but also the timeline of recorded history (as far back as 2700 BCE). Mackenzie Lee offers a page or two summary of each ‘Bygone Badass Broad’. I read about a different woman each morning with a cup of coffee.
I would read a biography or a fictionalized account of any of these woman. In fact if you are a writer looking for a topic read this book for inspiration! I will definitely be checking out the 5 page bibliography to find resources that let me dig deeper into the courageous lives of these woman.
Also, the art portraying each woman is fresh and fun! Thoroughly enjoyed!
I would read a biography or a fictionalized account of any of these woman. In fact if you are a writer looking for a topic read this book for inspiration! I will definitely be checking out the 5 page bibliography to find resources that let me dig deeper into the courageous lives of these woman.
Also, the art portraying each woman is fresh and fun! Thoroughly enjoyed!
criticalreader's review against another edition
3.0
It was really fun to read and introduced me to a whole host of amazing women from various centuries and countries. The way it was written started grating on me halfway through with the whole twitter lingo. I appreciate its the humour and this book was based on a tweet series by Mackenzi Lee, it just didn't translate as well. With the terms 'otp' etc, I'd pause to roll my eyes. So whilst books like these are important and I loved the host of women represented, I also wish more were ancient characters as I felt like most of the women were from the 19th century onwards.
3.5/5
3.5/5
apireading's review against another edition
5.0
De magnifiques et insolites portraits de femme décris par la plume moderne, drôle et emplie de pop culture de Mackenzi Lee. Les illustrations sont magnifiques et étayent les portraits de toutes ces incroyables femmes à la vie extraordinaire, qui ont changé l’Histoire mais que l’Histoire a oublié.
À lire et relire à l’infini <3
À lire et relire à l’infini <3