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Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong in Books

Jun 20, 2019  
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong
Angela Saini | 2017 | Gender Studies, Science & Mathematics
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
As a scientist myself, I see all the time the imbalance of sexes within the industry. As a teacher, I see girls outperform boys in exams all the way through the school, the gender gap in attainment is one national trend many school are trying to combat. So when this book was made available to me through the school (each school got sent one free copy) I nabbed it up before any of my peers could.
This book covered how males and females have been viewed differently throughout history and how scientific developments have changed the views of both sexes. Even Darwin thought that women were lesser than men cognitively, which shocked me considering his research on evolution. There is evidence from neurological research and anthropological observation debunking views so engrained in our societal views that they as seen as common knowledge.
This book is definitely for the feminist. Both the brains of men and women have been studied and observed in tribes and show that we have so few differences. Myths of "women are better at multitasking" and "men are hunters" are challenged and proven otherwise.
I have nothing but praise for this book and cannot wait to read the next: Superior
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2304 KP) rated Listening Woman in Books

Aug 24, 2024  
Listening Woman
Listening Woman
Tony Hillerman | 1978 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Solving a Stalled Case
Joe Leaphorn is tackling several cases that have grown cool over the last few months. At the forefront is the case of the double murder or an old man and a teenage girl who were murdered near the man’s hogan. The only witness is the teenager’s aunt, a listening woman, who is blind. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have much she can add to the case, but Joe follows the few pieces she has given him. Will that be enough for him to figure out what really happened?

I wasn’t surprised when the various cases Joe was investigating played into this case, but I did feel like things were a little unfocused early on. Still, everything came together well, and the last third is a page turning thriller. While I like Joe, we still know very little about him or his personal life. Likewise, the rest of the cast isn’t fully developed, but they are real enough given the page time they have. I do appreciate how Joe balances the Navajo myths versus the reality of police work. It’s easy to see why these books are so well loved, and I’m glad I’ve picked them up.
  
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ClareR (5841 KP) rated A Thousand Ships in Books

Sep 13, 2020  
A Thousand Ships
A Thousand Ships
Natalie Haynes | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
How could it be anything other than ‘Epic’ when it’s Greek Mythology involved?
A Thousand Ships is the story of the Trojan War as experienced by the women. Greek mythology is always centred around the men - after all, it was men who original myths down (The Iliad and The Odyssey both having been written by Homer). Women are side characters who have things done to them, rather than them being the ones doing things - unless they’re a goddess or a witch. Although witches and nymphs don’t seem to come out of these stories particularly well either 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’ve always loved reading Greek myths and legends, and I’m really enjoying the resurgence of these tales. Told with a modern eye, they can tell us something about ourselves today. We still experience war and loss (there has clearly been no learning experience over the time span between Troy and the modern era), and women are still the ones who shoulder the worst outcomes during and after a war.

It was fascinating to learn about these women, and I particularly liked Penelope’s letters to her husband Odysseus, relaying information about his unbelievable voyage and rather circuitous route home: all information gleaned from bards and their songs. A sensible person would want to know how the singer got the information to write the songs!

The Trojan women sections were really where the true heroes were. These were the women who had lived through a ten year siege, lost their husbands, brothers, sons and families, and were shared as slaves amongst the conquering Greeks. And that includes the poorest as well as the richest of women - Hecabe, Queen of Troy, amongst them.

This book was on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2020, and it deserved to be there. I loved reading this, and I now need to read the book written before this (The Children of Jocasta - it has sat patiently waiting on my bookshelf!) to get ready for Haynes’ book about Pandora and her jar!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.