There’s something about women behaving badly -or perceived to be behaving badly- that captures the attention. They definitely make for good reading. The trouble is that history largely ignores these women, deeming them too “bad” in some way or another to remember. It does us all a disservice in the long run in order to continue to serve the stories of men. And most of the time, those stories aren’t half as fun!
These were two books that I processed at the library and then immediately checked out as soon as I had finished, the lure of bad girls too strong to resist.
She Kills Me: The True Stories of History’s Deadliest Women by Jennifer Wright- Covering forty women, the book explains how they killed for a variety of reasons, including revenge, fear, necessity, and pleasure. Grouped by motives and/or means, there are poisoners, avenging angels, husband killers, family killers, mercenaries, women scorned, and women who would have made the grade on the ol’ psychopath test. Something for everyone, really.
We love a woman excelling in a man’s field, don’t we? And murder has always been thought of as men’s work. However, this book showcases some women who could have given a whole lot of men a run for their money. And did, in some cases. I like how the book presents the women and that it includes women who killed for a cause, particularly the cause of murdering Nazis. Because if women should be condemned for the murders they commit just like the men, then they should be lauded for their justifiable killings just like the men, too.
Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America by Therese O’Neill- It’s no secret that women tend to get left out of the history books. This book works to put 18 of them back in, so to speak. These are the women you wanted to learn about in history class because they were so ballsy that some of the milquetoast white guys you had to learn about would clutch their pearls in the presence of these women. In fact, some of them did because one of the women -Dr. Mary Edwards Walker- wore pants in public.
I love how the book gives the women their due. For example, Lillian Gilbreth is best known as the mom from Cheaper by the Dozen, but without her work, the kitchen would still be a labor intensive space and we’d still be hiding our pads. Pants-wearer Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. “Poker” Alice Stubbs conquered the Wild West one poker table at a time. And that’s just three of them! The book is filled with colorful, bad ass women, and I so enjoyed learning of their existence.
Not all of these women are bad, but they all qualify as varying degrees of bad ass. If you read these books, I hope you find the bad girl of your dreams. If not, just ignore them like history has.
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