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Author Name: Leon, Vicki
Title: Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages (Outrageous Women)
Binding: Paperback
Size: 901x753x35 50
Publisher: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1998
ISBN Number: 0-471-17004-6 / 9780471170044
Book ID number: 2938
Look at the history books of the Middle Ages, and you'll find nary a woman. But contrary to popular belief, women of the Middle Ages did not simply sit around on their tuffets, waiting for knights in shining armor. These are the stories of 14 such women who defied the conventions of the times. They include the world's first novelist, Lady Murasaki of Japan; Aud the Deep-Minded, the Viking woman who led her people's emigration from Ireland to Iceland; Eleanor of Aquitaine; and Hildegarde of Bingen, a healer, composer, playwright, botanist, and political/religious activist from Germany. Children's Literature - Susie Wilde Leon's style is vivid, playful and readable as she leads an armchair tour of powerful women who lived all over the world. These fifteen heroines were, according to Leon's research, "the glue of their societies, although they got little credit." In the collection are such women as Trotula Platearius, a doctor dedicated primarily to healing women; the wealthy Khadija who became the wife of Mohammed; and a prophet-scientist-diplomat, Sonduk of Korea. The book is peppered with illustrations and historical trivia and anecdotes. This is a fine companion to Leon's earlier work, Outrageous Women of Ancient Times. Children's Literature - Susie Wilde I'm always overjoyed when I encounter a companion to a book I really savored. Vicki Leon's Outrageous Women of Ancient Times is now joined by her Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages. Leon's style is vivid, playful, and readable as she leads an armchair tour of powerful women who lived all over the world between 500 and 1400 AD. These fifteen heroines and many others were, according to Leon's research, "the glue of their societies, although they got little credit." Included in this collection are women like Trotula Platearius, a doctor dedicated primarily to healing women; the wealthy Khadija, who became the wife of Mohammed; and Sonduk of Korea, a prophet, scientist, and diplomat. The book is peppered with illustrations as well as historical trivia and anecdotes. Children's Literature - Susan Hepler Biographies of fourteen outspoken, influential, courageous, and often controversial women who lived in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East during the Middle Ages are presented as accurately as is possible, given the difficulty of obtaining primary source materials. While intermediate readers may find information about some, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hildegard of Bingen, and Clare Scifi of Assisi in various sources, it is more difficult for children to locate material about famous women in the Middle East such as Anna Comnena of Istanbul and Damia al-Kahina of North Africa or in the Far East, such as Sonduk of Korea or Murasaki Shikibu of Japan. Useful hand-lettered maps introduce each section, black and white drawings are inspired by Medieval sources, and sidebars include interesting bits on related material: predicting the future with bones, relics, the Crusades, Asian writing, etc. While the often colloquial prose may put off some, it lightens the text and Brown's snappy march through events manages to bring with it plenty of historical background for young readers to gain a quick understanding of the central issues of each woman's times. Suggested readings for children and a timeline are included. School Library Journal Gr 5-10-As she did in Outrageous Women of Ancient Times (Wiley, 1997), Leon again uses lively prose and modern comparisons to make the past understandable to young people. "When religion was the only game in town," readers learn, Hildegard of Bingen lived "in a gloomy torch-lit room about the size of a breakfast nook." The author's characteristic blend of playful language and historical accuracy tells of a Viking killed by a severed head, a queen who knew the meaning of congregating frogs, and much more. The stories and sidebars provide a detailed picture of the times. It is rare to see a book about the Middle Ages that presents such diversity. The women profiled lived in the 6th through 14th centuries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Their sphe
Women--Biography--Juvenile literature, Biography--Middle Ages, 500-1500--Juvenile literature, Women--History--Juvenile literature, Civilization, Medieval--Juvenile literature, Women--History--Middle Ages, 500-1500, Women--Biography
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