Book Review: A History of Britain in 21 Women

 

A History of Britain in 21 Women, Jenni Murray

 

My rating: 3/5 stars

2021 TBR: 9/25

 

There were famous queens, unrecognised visionaries, great artists and trailblazing politicians. They all pushed back boundaries and revolutionised our world. Jenni Murray presents the history of Britain as you’ve never seen it before, through the lives of twenty-one women who refused to succumb to the established laws of society, whose lives embodied hope and change, and who still have the power to inspire us today.

 

I had seen this book floating around since its release in 2017 and had wanted to read it. When a friend was donating books to anyone who wanted them and I saw she had this one, I took my chance. It’s nearly a year later and I have now actually read it. It didn’t take me long and I really found it so engaging and interesting. I started it on 11^th April and finished it on the 19^th so it’s probably the quickest read I’ve managed in a while. I’ll credit this to the bite sized chunks in this book. I was able to read each chapter (which equals each of the 21 women) at a time and get through it that much faster.

It was a history lesson, a feminist lesson, and a thought provoker all in one. I learnt a lot I didn’t know, and added knowledge to the things I did. Of the 21 women my favourites to read about were I think Caroline Herschel and Mary Somerville because of my own interest in science. I, of course, also enjoyed learning more about the women of literature that my university neglected to tell me about (this is also due to my affinity with the gothic genre). I also learnt that I do actually own one of Aphra Behn’s plays so I’ll definitely be reading that as soon as I can.

The women we learn about are as follows:

1.     Boadicea

2.     Queen Elizabeth 1

3.     Aphra Behn

4.     Caroline Herschel

5.     Fanny Burney

6.     Mary Wollstonecraft

7.     Jane Austen

8.     Mary Somerville

9.     Mary Seacole

10.  Ada Lovelace

11.   Elizabeth Garret Anderson

12.   Millicent Garret Fawcett

13.   Emmeline Pankhurst

14.   Ethel Smyth

15.   Constance Markievicz

16.   Gwen John

17.   Nancy Astor

18.   Barbara Castle

19.   Margaret Thatcher

20.   Mary Quant

21.   Nicola Sturgeon

 

I will also acknowledge the lack of diversity in this selection of women. Of course many could argue that the state of Britain limited (and still goes limit) who could be a public figure making a difference, but still it is worth pointing this out. Mary Seacole is featured in this collection instead of where some might include Florence Nightingale. Still, it sort of feels like a diversity quota where somehow including one woman of colour equates to having 20 white women. Murray does sort of address this fact by explaining that she chose women who, when she was growing up, she heard about and saw as inspiring female figures.

It’s also a point for me that the inclusion of some (mainly just one) of these women is controversially so. Although politics and ideals may differ, I suppose even the fact that a woman was in power is a reason in itself, no matter their actions. Maybe… It still felt uncomfortable to read. Although the book itself doesn’t always glamorize the women being talked about, and I suppose a lot happened in those years to change the country, it felt icky.

 

I’m rating A History of Britain in 21 Women 3 stars because it was interesting, it was informative, but it is non-fiction and I can’t seem to rank it higher than a 3. I enjoyed it, I’d recommend it. I definitely feel more willing to tie myself to a rail and scream bloody murder but somehow I feel it would fall on deaf ears. I read this book at quite a difficult time for women, especially in the UK, with the events in the news and the conversations that were happening at the moment. It did add to my pride of being a woman and the amazing things we do, but I couldn’t help but feel we’re still such a long way off, and the respect we deserve to hold seems to be slipping backwards at an alarming rate.

I think an important thing when reading a collection like this is to remember who wrote it. It will always be skewed or at least influenced by the perspective of the writer. The fact that this book is written in first person, with the inclusion of anecdotes, helps to keep that in the forefront. A collection written by someone of a different generation may have picked a number of different women. Still, I’m glad I read it (I say that every time) and I would definitely recommend it.   

A History of Britain in 21 Women, Jenni Murray: 3 stars

As always you can follow along on my Instagram: @artawaytheworld