In Blood Sisters, historian Marilyn Yalom tells the story of the French Revolution through the perspective of women’s memoirs. She studied the memoirs of over eighty women, of various ages and social classes, who lived through the French Revolution. Many of them were aristocratic or upper-class women, because they were more likely to be literate, but she also writes about memoirs by poor or working-class women that were dictated to someone else. All of the memoirs make for compelling stories.
June is Pride Month! Check out some of the LGBTQA+ books in the Library's OverDrive Collection.
This is a biography of Charlotte Corday, the young woman who assassinated the French Revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat in 1793. The author, Joseph Shearing, was known for mystery novels based on true-life crimes. Even though this book is non-fiction, it reads like a political thriller or a novel of suspense.
Liberty by Lucy Moore tells the story of six remarkable women who lived during the French Revolution. They came from a variety of social backgrounds, from aristocratic to working-class women. During these difficult times, it is fascinating to read about these women who lived during another difficult time.
In this detailed biography of Napoleon, Polish historian Adam Zamoyski gives us a balanced view of his character: not a hero, but not a villain, either. Zamoyski focuses on Napoleon's formative years and personal life, not so much on the battles, although that is covered as well.
Classicist Mary Beard writes, in two brief essays, about how the voices of powerful women in Western civilization have been suppressed though the years, from ancient times to the present day. She gives examples throughout history, from the ancient Greeks to the present.
Birth of the Chess Queen tells the story of the chess queen's evolution from the origins of the game to the present day. The queen was not always part of the game, and when she was first introduced, she was not the powerful piece she is today. Historian Marilyn Yalom discusses how the queen came to be the most powerful piece on the chessboard, and tells the stories of several strong real-life queens in the Middle Ages and Renaissance who influenced the evolution of the chess queen.
