A History of the World in 21 Women: A Personal Selection
by Jenni Murray
Oneworld, 304 pages, £16.99 Thomas Carlyle, the 19th-century Scottish historian and philosopher, argued that “the history of the world is but the biography of great men”. In this charming exploration of the history of the world through the lives of 21 women, Jenni Murray sets out to disprove this claim. Her selection of women is pleasingly varied, covering Benazir Bhutto, Joan of Arc, Artemisia Gentileschi, Professor Wangari Maathai, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Toni Morrison, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and Hillary Clinton, among others. There is little here that readers of biographies or regular viewers of historical documentaries will be surprised by or find particularly new, but the strength of the collection lies in Murray’s relaxed and intimate style.…
