5 comments about Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries, Second Edition.

1. McGrayne chronicles the discrimination faced by female scientists in the 20th century. Even by those who would eventually achieve the highest prize of the Nobel. She also includes biographies of a few women who never won the Nobel, but were acknowledged later by many to have merited it. Lise Meitner, of course. She was doubly disadvantaged. Being female and Jewish in Germany during the 1920s and 30s. The story of how Otto Hahn won the Physics Nobel shortly after World War 2 for work that he did jointly with her is well known to physicists.
   
   Jocelyn Bell's work on pulsars is also described. Bell's advisor would later garner the Nobel for this, though Bell made the crucial observations and deductions from those.
   
   Both these chapters can be exercises in frustration to a reader. Injustices that were never remedied. Though Bell is still alive, and so there is a chance that the Nobel committe might redress this oversight.



2. I found this book really excellent--I was coming at it from being a female scientist (chemist) myself. Good from beginning to end....no complaints!



3. Why so few? This is the question which the author put on the first page of the book. More than 300 scientists have won the Nobel Prize since its establishment,however, only 10 of them are women. Why? Why have so few women won the Nobel Prize in science? Some people might say this small number could be evidence for old prejudices. But the author tried to find a different answer through this book. This book contains stories of 15 women scientists who won the Nobel Prize or had a critical role in Nobel Prize winning works. Although this book takes the style of a biography and also describes all the scientific details quite well, it is neither just a biography nor just a science book for general readers. It is more than both of them. These women scientists had gone through lots of difficulties. All of them had experiences of being rejected from the opportunity of receiving a higher education. Most of them had more than once been mistreated and disregarded of their abilities as well as their works. And some of them, such as Rosalind Franklin, still have not received the full credit which she deserves. One might say that all the scientists who did remarkable works had faced and overcome many kinds of difficulties. But these women had to carry the added burden of being "women scientists". So, as the author pointed, another question should arise when the book is finished. Why so many? Why have so many women challenged themselves with such difficult works in spite of all the obstacles? The answer is simple. They loved science. And, through this book, the readers will find a love and a understanding for these fearless women as well as their lover,science.



4. Nobel Prize Women in Science is a superb collection of hour-long biographies of women who either won a Nobel Prize or worked on a project that won a Nobel Prize in science. The biographies are full of memorable vignettes and quotes and lucid explanations of the scientific discoveries. This reader found the book liberating because it debunked so many myths she had had about good scientists. This book makes great bedtime reading and excellent gifts for both men and women.



5. I was enthralled by this delightful, healing, and eye opening crediting over the wonder works of scientific endeavor made by woman--unsung heroines who did not flinch one bit from their true calling, what for all the drowning out and dumbing down of class ostracism inundating them and their sisters in their times. These Ladies are the truest measure of what is called a benchmark in the progress of humanity to wake up and rise to The Greatest Challenge: to free the mind, the spirit, the yoke of history's circumstance, to unite us in peace, recognition, respect, and unqualified defference to all who carry forth the Light. From my heart, Thank You Sharon Bertsch McGrayne! And for those for whom it is easier to quip, 'a woman's place is in the home, raising children and so forth....' I'll just add, we got BILLIONS of 'em.

5 comments about Unaccompanied Women: Late-Life Adventures in Love, Sex, and Real Estate.

1. From the first sentence, I was hooked. Her outlook is so unusual, quirky and her style an academic/down-to-earth melange is enchanting. I enjoyed every "embarrassing" moment.



2. Do you enjoy listening to elderly people whine? Then this is the book for you.
   
   Jane complains (endlessly, interminably) that there's no man in her life. But whenever men call her, she immediately hangs up on them. Well, no wonder she's lonely.
   
   Seems she'd rather stay home alone and brood over her hunky, young former lover, who's moved on and gotten married.
   
   She can't afford to live in Berkeley, yet refuses to do the sensible thing and move somewhere less expensive.
   
   She complains about being out-of-shape, yet does nothing to get herself in shape.
   
   She wants a rich man to buy stuff for her, but when she gets one, she finds something in him to complain about.
   
   Seems to me that most of Jane's problems are self-inflicted.
   
   If you want to read a book by a feisty, sexy senior, skip this one and buy something by Helen Gurley Brown.



3. I am conflicted about Jane Juska. On the one hand, I really liked this book. Say what you will about the woman, she is no slouch in the writing department. I know she liked teaching, but by being a teacher and not a writer for her whole life, she has denied readers what would have been many great books, I'm sure. The title is misleading. "Adventures in Real Estate" the most so. She is not looking to buy a house, she's trying not to go homeless. People will scoff at that, thinking writers are millionaires, but they're not. There isn't really much sex, and a lot of times she goes off tangent, but you really don't mind since she's such a great writer (though she does construct some oddly grammatical sentences at times). She's honest, sometimes embarrasingly so, and she puts her heart and soul out there--no easy feat. That being said, she is probably one of the most pretentious writers you will ever read. She either thinks she's wonderful (everyone recognized me at Berkeley) or awful (I couldn't bear to put my photo online). Usually, though she thinks she's wonderful. She's her own worst enemy pining over a married younger man, when there are plenty of nice available men she could be with. She is also a little anti-arab, as one previous person mentioned, and she seems to put down other people do, in a very sly way that almost flies under the radar but not quite. Still, this is definitely worth reading because the woman has a way with words.



4. UNACCOMPANIED WOMEN: LATE-LIFE ADVENTURES IN LOVE, SEX, AND REAL ESTATE follows on the heels of Jane Juska's best-seller A ROUND-HEELED WOMAN, surveying women's fears of growing old, being alone, and never settling down. Stories of women who, like her, have yet to find love but are determined to find it provides insight, humor and irony and will make the perfect gift for any unaccompanied older woman still looking for love.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. First, I give JJ credit for having the guts to put herself out there. But I'm confused: she went after sex, so why is she continually whining about not finding love? Perhaps if she put the intention of "relationship" out there with the same zeal as her initial ad, then she'd attract one. And why NOT go online??? You know, I'd like to think that with age comes some wisdom, but even I, single and about 18 years younger, don't write drunken emails or sob continually about lost love and then claim my feminist credentials. It's a bit much to see that at 71. I kept wanting to tell her to Get a Life! Enjoy the travels! Make yourself happy!
   
   The other whine I found unattractive is the "I'm poor, so buy me..." a diamond, a house, a free dinner. When a guy tells me he'd like to buy me a gift, the LAST thing that would ever occur to me is to suggest a HOUSE. But in materialistic California (and Berkeley qualifies, despite its granola reputation) there's so much money that envy is common--and so is this sense of entitlement. JJ appears to have lost her manners. All this whining that others need to provide "stuff" for her--we all make decisions about our lives and hers was to teach, then to retire, and then to write. If I were JJ I'd figure out how to leverage my modest "fame" into enough money to buy a place myself, if it's so important to her. Or I'd have used the proceeds from my original sale, added to them and then bought a small place. Take responsibility for yourself!!!
   
   As far as the book goes, it is all over the place. It's really more like a collection of loosely connected essays. I might have enjoyed them more if they had some coherent point and if she wasn't continually whining about her lost "loves" and her financial condition. It got old. Was disappointed in the book.

2 comments about Benedita Da Silva: An Afro-Brazilian Woman's Story of Politics and Love.

1. The autobiography of Benedita de Silva is a must read narrative of this woman's heroic and incredibly human life. She balances tales of her victory in politics with her victory in love; it is easy to relate to and to admire her humanity and enduring spirit. The story traces her trajectory from the favelas (hillside slums in Rio de Janeiro) to the Senate, where she voices the needs of and injustices suffered by her community. Additionally, the book serves to illuminate many contemporary aspects of Brazilian culture: the rise of the PT (Brazil's grass-roots organized Workers' Party), Brazilian spiritual life, the myth of racial democracy in Brazil, class, gender, race, modernization, and history. This is a must read because Benedita's courage is worth emmulating, and her triumph deserves to be understood. Her victory deserves to be known, counted, and admired. You "owe" it to her to read this book. It will help you make more of your own day, week, month, and year when you have the benefit to have the tenacity of her spirit to challenge you and accompany you in the pursuit of your own dreams.



2. It is a tempting to describe Benedita da Silva using labels: you may know that she was the first black woman in the Brazilian Senate or that, in spite of her national prominence, she still lives in the poor neighbourhood where she grew up. An autobiography offers the chance to learn more about her life than these obvious labels allow.

   This short and highly readable book does indeed fill in some of the blanks for readers outside Brazil, who will find out more about, say, what it actually means to live in a favela (or slum). It is impossible, naturally, for Benedita to describe her life without considering how those slums came to be, and what should now be done to help the people who live there. Likewise, we may have heard that Brazil is a colourblind society, whereas Benedita's experiences, as a black person, lead her to see things differently. In this and other aspects of her life-as a woman, say, or as a rare combination of evangelical Christian and leftist politician-Benedita's memoirs naturally take us away from her particular circumstances and into areas of policy.

   In some ways, then, the book is satisfying but necessarily limited. As an autobiography it usefully covers the main events in her life but does not try to go into much detail. She relates many brief episodes that make revealing, even startling, points about, say, racism or life in the favela-rather than a sustained account of (to take another example) just how she first came to be involved in the local community association.

   On the other hand, her thumbnail sketches of current issues in Brazilian life and society-issues such as land reform, health and education, or the role of the churches-may indeed be helpful to those who know little about Brazil. Of course, given the nature of the book as a memoir, they don't enable us to get very far in analysing the relevant causes and prospects.

   If my last two paragraphs appear negative, they are only intended to point out that the book is too short for us to find out what "really" makes Benedita tick, much less to cover the complexity of modern Brazil. Nevertheless, the book is helpful and the translator has certainly come up with an easy style that makes it a pleasure to read. Even though I was already quite familiar with Brazil (having lived there, and speaking Portuguese), I still found this book intriguing and enjoyable.

1 comments about Lady's Hands, Lion's Heart- A Midwife's Saga.

1. I just finished reading this book! It's FABULOUS! I couln't put it down. (Would make a great movie!)
   I've known the author, Carol Leonard, seems like - all my life! She is an exhilarating woman and excitement and fabulousness just follow her around!
   I can totally see these things happening to her, thru her, because of her. She is a catalyst and well known in our State for all her work - pioneering midwifery and bringing it to the forefront of our legislators and the lay people.
   I didn't know much about midwifery and STILL this book is a wonderful read.
   You don't have to be a midwife to enjoy this story of love and life. You just have to have a pulse.
   Wendy

1 comments about Lucrecia's Dreams: Politics and Prophecy in Sixteenth-Century Spain.

1. Story of Lucrecia De Leon whose `dreams' embarrassed Phillip II and caused her to stand before the Inquisition as a heretic. Based on transcripts of her trial and other first hand documents, Lucrecia's Dreams is an important part of Early Modern Spanish history. Kagan's writing is not elegant or flowing, but few history book boast such positive attributes.

3 comments about Different Voices: Women and the Holocaust.

1. This book is an excellent contribution to the study of women and the Holocaust. Many books concentrate primarily on men and the Holocaust. This book provides various perspectives and is a valuable book for scholars and students of the Holocaust.



2. I used this book when I was writing the memoir RENA'S PROMISE: A STORY OF SISTERS IN AUSCHWITZ, which is the story of a woman on the first transport of women into Auschwitz. Aside from the Auschwitz Chronicles, this was the only text I could find that spoke of this transport, which was also the very first transport into Auschwitz.
   This book helped me further my research and provided me with invaluable information that allowed the survivor I was writing about to validate many facts that she remembered--thereby validating her story, her memories and the truth that women were targeted far more rigorously than men. It is amazing any of them survived.



3. This anthology is fascinating, moving, sad, horrifying and inspiring. It revises our notion of what Holocaust literature is, and shows us how very differently women experienced and wrote about it. The book's second section contains excellent essays about women and the Holocaust. In short, a must for feminist readers and anyone interested in Holocaust studies, genocide studies, and the literature of witness.

5 comments about Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith.

1. While this is a well written book, the authors attempt to int early Mormonism in a positive light. It should be noted that the authors were censured by the Mormon Church for writing the book, but remain practicing Mormons.
   
   In some cases the authors accept Mormon history as it is presented by the Mormon Church without documenting sources. There are places where this history is incorrect based on historical documents. The Mormon Church is not known for being forthcoming with legitimate history, but some of the history that they do recognizes has been included, even though it is not accurate. All in all in was a very good book



2. I'm so thankful for the authors who put so much time and effort into constructing this book. It is accurate and fulfilling. My love for Emma and Joseph have deepened as a result, as has my testimony as Joseph Smith as a Prophet.
   
   I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have not personally experienced what most reviews are saying about the LDS Church's view of Emma. Those whom I know look up to her, respect her, and desire to learn from her example. That is what inspired me to learn more about her. She is, perhaps, the most remarkable woman ever to have walked the earth, aside from Mary the mother of Christ. Her only downfalls being the fact that she was as human as anyone and that because of that and the deep love she felt for her husband, her jealousy made it impossible for her to accept just one of his teachings (pleural marriage). She then went on to shelter her children from that teaching as well, resulting in the RLDS Church, which I also have much respect for, having visited their temple and visitors center, as well as the church history sites they own in Nauvoo, IL.
   
   Having read this book I believe without doubt that the law of pleural marriage is and was true, though few were called to fulfill it in this life due to the fact that most of us would not understand it and/or would have abused it. But, the fact remains that we will practice it in the celestial kingdom. I understand completely why the principal was only taught to a select few by Joseph, and why it was necessary for him to hide his practice of it from Emma. Had he been completely open about it I believe it might have actually killed her. He, too, endured much emotional distress over the pain his marriages inflicted on his beloved "Queen." My heart aches for Emma and her struggles and I doubt I could have endured them with half the grace she did. I cannot wait until the day I can embrace her and thank her for the example she has left for me to follow.



3. and very interesting to see what seems to be a very objective story of this woman's life.
   
   Curious and also very sad what a "quandary" the sacred mandates (that come and go depending on which Mormon leaders, Bibles, etc. one happens to read at the time) associated with the plural wives doctrines caused over the course of her whole life. Also shows what life based on a "man" and the changing whims of a man can be like, and certainly does encourage/strengthen my resolve to make sure what I believe is based on solely the Bible :)
   
   Mrs. D.



4. This book does a fine job presenting the life and times of Emma Hale Smith. She believed her husband, Joseph Smith, was a prophet because he was too ignorant to have come up with the Book Of Mormon on his own. She stayed with him through thick and thin, until his mob-murder in Liberty, Illinois. Their greatest conflict was in her objection of polygamy, which Joseph had considered "The Sacred Principle". Brigham Young, who would later have 41 wives, grew to dislike Emma because of her anti-polygamous position; surprise, surprise. This is a good and valuable book, both for its illustration of day-to-day life back then, and for the picture of Mormon history presented.



5. This doesn't get taught every week in Relief Society...! I began this book by thinking she was just a little ? in Mormon history and she has turned out to be in my eyes extremely selfish and worldly almost like a feminist back in the 19th century...
   What i found facinating in the book is she (when she took off the blinders about polygamy in 1843) is that she threatened to divorce, cheat on, and actually tried to poison the prophet twice...! Wow...
   All i have to finish with is the quote from brigham young about her "She was a wonderful woman, and would be more so if she'd start acting like a saint, then acting like a devil"...

5 comments about Jane Austen: A Life (Penguin Lives).

1. Carol Shields' 2005 "Jane Austen: A Life" is a short read at under two hundred pages, but her economical writing style packs an intriguing biography of Jane Austen into those few pages. Shields examines the limited biographical material on Austen from the perspective of a successful fellow writer. Her narrative tracks in parallel the known events of Austen's life and the composition of her novels. Inevitably, Shields must fill in the limited record with informed speculation; the result is an enjoyable and thought-provoking book.
   
   Shields finds that Jane Austen, like many writers, depended on continuity and security in her personal routine to enable her creative skills. Shields thus explains the decline in literary output beginning with the move of Jane's parents to the city of Bath from her childhood home and ending only when Jane and her sister and mother finally settled into Chawton House nine years later.
   
   Shields delves into Jane's family relationships, suggesting that her relationship with her mother was an awkward one. Shields also puts more shades of nuance into Jane's intense relationship with her sister Cassandra than is found in most biographies. We tend to see Cassandra now as an appendage to Jane's story, but Shields suggests the reverse may have been true for much of Jane's life.
   
   Contrary to the family biographies, Shields finds that Jane Austen knew much disappointment in her life. She was unlucky in love. She failed to marry, and never had her own home and family. Her failure to marry also doomed her to a life of genteel poverty as an adult, and an unhappy status as a poor relation within her extended family. Validation of her writing skills in the form of publication came late. The result, Shields surmises, was a woman who was sometimes bitter, feelings not entirely masked by the ferocious weeding of her correspondence at her death.
   
   Shields provides brief but insightful commentary on the men who had a romantic interest in Jane Austen, including Tom LeFroy, Samuel Blackall, and Harris Bigg-Wither. She is frankly skeptical of the story told by Jane's sister Cassandra about a seaside romance with an unnamed young man in either 1801 or 1802.
   
   Shields' narrative notes Jane's evolving writing skills throughout her life. Her status as an innovator in the genre of the novel, still new in Jane's day, is documented, as is her ability to artfully capture some truths about the world in which she lived and so acutely observed.
   
   "Jane Austen: A Life" is very highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen as a short but fascinating read from the point of view of another author.



2. Jane Austen: A Life by Carol Shields is a brief yet comprehensive biography of Jane Austen's life. It is written in a simple and engaging style which few readers will find any difficulty in reading. Not unfamiliar with Jane Austen, I occasionally found myself in slight disagreement with some of the author's conclusions, but overall, I was surprised and pleased by the quantity of information presented in such a clear and concise manner. Carol Shields touches on the major events of Jane Austen's life and uses these events to shed a little light on each of Jane Austen's novels as well as her minor works and some of her juvenilia. I would recommend Jane Austen: A Life by Carol Shields to anyone looking for a non-intimidating introductory biography about Jane Austen.



3. I decided to read Carol Shields' biography "Jane Austen" for two reasons: first, because I knew about and admired the biographer; and second, because I hoped that reading a biography about Jane Austen would help me better comprehend and appreciate her novels. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy reading Jane Austen. I am just not as crazy about her as many bright, highly educated women I know. When I heard that Carol Shields, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Stone Diaries" had written a highly acclaimed biography of Austen, I jumped at the chance to reeducate myself.
   
   In the beginning Shields asks many questions. "How does art emerge? How does art come from common clay, in this case a vicar's self-educated daughter, all but buried in rural Hampshire? Who was she really? And who exactly is her art designed to please? One person? Two or three? Or an immense, wide, and unknown audience that buzzes with an altered frequency through changing generations, its impact subtly augmented in the light of newly evolved tastes and values?" (p. 5-6) Throughout the biography, Shields does an amazingly delightful and scholarly job of exploring these themes. In the end, she states: "What is known of Jane Austen's life will never be enough to account for the greatness of her novels, but the point of literary biography is to throw light on a writer's works, rather than combing the works to re-create the author." (p.175) Obviously, this was Shields' intent, and in this reviewer's estimation, she succeeds completely.
   
   This biography was an absolute joy to read. It is short--under 200 pages. I read it in one sitting, never once feeling that the details overwhelmed. My interest never faded. Now, I find myself thinking about the many vivid characters in Austen's novels and wanting to read them again in a new light.
   
   It has been over twenty years since I last read any of Austen's books, so detailed familiarity with her novels is not a prerequisite to understanding this biography or finding pleasure in its remarkable insights.
   
   Shields is an extraordinary author in her own right. Her prose is clear, articulate, creative, often fun, and always on the mark. It is clear that she has a keen appreciation for Jane Austen's literary style and a deep desire to understand the woman who created these magical works or art. I am enthusiastic after reading this biography and recommend it highly to anyone who wants a better appreciation of Austen, her person, her period, and her novels.



4. Carol Shields' excellent introduction to Jane Austen provides wonderful insight into Jane Austen's life and novels -- and the relationship between them. Notable topics include marriage, family relationships, treatament of "current events", character analysis for the Austen heroines, and several insightful sections regarding Austen's men. One very interesting idea posed was to what extent Austen's life (or any author's) informs and shapes the novels, or how much she kept the two separate, or in fact created an "ideal" life, one she never quite realized. The book covers all of this and more, eloquently, and in less than 200 pages. Shields' love of Austen is evident on every page. Discussions of this nature necessarily contain "spoilers" -- if you haven't read Austen's novels, and want to be surprised, read the novels first, then come back to the biographies. You will finish this particular biography satisfied AND hungry for more, starting with another reading of Austen's novels. The list of sources provides an excellent resource for additional reading on Austen's life. Bravo.



5. Carol Shields has an easy writing style and obviously adores her subject, making this biography a very pleasant read. We get a brief overview of her life, education and living conditions. I was a little disappointed that there was not more (more about her writing habit and more about her relationships with friends and family) - and was a little irritated by the many assumptions made ("she must have felt ..."). Doing a little research later I discovered that there is in fact very little information about Jane Austen.

1 comments about Prophetess of Health: Ellen G. White and the Origins of the Seventh-day Adventist Hearl Reform, 30th Anniversary Edition (Library of Religious Biography).

1. As a former SDA myself who was educated in that church's school system through the first year of college, this book had a huge impact on my life. Ron Numbers is not just a disgruntled former SDA, he was SDA "royalty", related to some of the top names in Adventist leadership. He started the book with the intention of simply providing a historical context for the writings of Ellen White, and his connections within the church gave him unusually broad access to her writings and writings of her contemporary church leadership. He strikes a balanced, academic tone throughout the book and does not stoop to the axe-grinding of many former SDAs. It is my understanding in talking with several SDA friends of mine, that Ron Numbers will be invited to an Adventist History conference as a speaker. I believe anyone interested in a balanced view of SDA history needs to read this book.

5 comments about Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh.

1. A good book, although the author seems to be more interested in discussing the various ideas and conceptions involving Hatchepsut than in the reign of the female king herself. If you are not already a student of Pharoanic Egypt then this is not a good book to jump into, despite the chapters which outline Egyptian history in general and the 18th Dynasty specifically. Tyldesley does not buy into various conspiracy theories involving the reign of this female king but instead discusses the mindset of the historians and archeologists and how their attitudes resulted in many modern concepts. An interesting book.



2. Joyce Tyldesley provides us with a thorough examination of the evidence surrounding the pharaoh Hatchepsut. She discusses issues such as the disputed order of succession, the conspicuous over-use of propaganda by Hatchepsut to legitimize her power and the question of exactly who attempted to erase the name of Hatchepsut from the monuments and why. Her arguments in each case are based on a judicious weighing of the evidence and the reader is always provided with alternative interpretations from other scholars. Tyldesley systematically dismantles the prevalent opinion that many of the actions of both Hatchepsut herself and her stepson Tuthmosis were motivated by a deadly enmity. On this issue she suggests that Tuthmosis was relatively accepting of the co-regency his stepmother imposed on him, but fails to suggest a convincing motivation for this. The one real disappointment in the book is that Tyldesley does not provide us with any real suggestion as to how Hatchepsut was able to succeed in establishing herself as pharaoh. She emphasizes that Hatchepsut would have needed both an acceptable reason and widespread support among the powerful men of the kingdom to be able to go against maat (the Egyptian concept of tradition and balance) and establish herself as king, but does not provide us with a plausible suggestion as to what such a reason may have been or whose support may have been responsible for her success. Admittedly, there are unlikely to be definitive answers, but these questions are barely raised. All in all, the book is an intriguing and insightful portrait of the world's first truly powerful woman.



3. With a use of the historical and archaeological evidence from various places in Egypt and beyond, an Oxford-educated Joyce Tyldesley has written a well-detailed biography book entitled "Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh." The book, as similar to her Nefertiti: Unlocking the Mystery Surrounding Egypt's Most Famous and Beautiful Queen, drives the general readers to experience and to understand the story of the female Pharaoh named Hatchepsut, her historical family background, the history of her memory after her death, and theories of historical scholars who have studied. There are eight chapters in the book with the addition of the "Introduction," which highlights Hatchepsut as a preferred King of Egypt, addresses a brief history of the Dynasty periods, and introduces Manetho who preserved the memory of Hatchepsut.
   
   What came as interesting to which this book explores the relationship between Hatchepsut and her father, Pharaoh Tuthmosis I. There does not appeared to be any negativity between them, and was seen as very positive. Throughout the years of her rule, Hatchepsut honored her father "in every way possible" in order to preserve her direct link to Tuthmosis I as a rightful heir to Egyptian throne (p. 117-8). Since she was born to both Tuthmosis I and Queen Ahmose who were of a royal blood, Hatchepsut believed that she had a direct royal bloodline because her brother-husband, Tuthmosis II, was born to a mother who was not from a royal bloodline. Therefore, she believed that she had a right to rule Egypt regardless of what her gender was. An impression that comes to one's mind from the book is that Hatchepsut needed to rule Egypt in the honor of her father and not for her personal agenda.
   
   Tyldesley also pointed out the creation of Hatchepsut's "divine birth" story as well the role of women in the Theban royal family as evidence for Hatchepsut to be a rightful ruler of Egypt.
   
   The author holds the readers' interest with a clear writing and vivid understanding when it comes to historical biography and theories. The book is well-organized with the visual aspects of maps, figures, and pictures. She has presented a historical analysis that was not dry or technical, and it should be a good advantage for readers' ancient Egyptian knowledge. Tyldesley's book is recommended to both the general readers and historical scholars because the author brought forth a readable and very interesting book.



4. The layout of the history leading to the story of Hatchepsut is very informative. I enjoyed knowing what is believed to be the events leading to her acension and the contributions she made during her reign. very interesting reading and well constructed.



5. The book is highly readable and certainly interesting in content about the first Pharoanic female "who would be king." The problem with it lies in the evidence or, more accurately, lack thereof. Because there is so very little known about Hatshepsut and her time, writing a book that isn't almost entirely speculative is rather difficult and becomes, by necessity, more of a historical novel than a discussion of historical fact. Redundancy is also unavoidable as the author tries to present the very little information that we have in enough pages to fill a book. All the content could have been condensed quite easily into a chapter rather than a book. Having said that, it IS fun reading, and the lack of evidence certainly allows the reader's imagination to take over and recreate a past that may or may not have existed. Hatshepsut the ruler certainly lived, but much more than that, we just can't know at this time, so that this author's guesses are as good as any other Egyptologists.