I found this book by chance while looking for a birthday present for a friend. We don’t have a great selection of English books in Germany, at least not in the book shop I frequent. So, it was a nice surprise to find a book by Jenni Murray on the shelves. I’ve heard a lot about her show ‘Woman’s Hour’ and recently started listening to it. The book ‘A History of the World in 21 Women’ intrigued me right from the start. Jenni Murray wrote a testament to extraordinary women. She starts with Pharaoh Hatshepsut and follows the great women through time. Her selection was completely personal and subjective, but I have to say that I agree with her on so many accounts. Furthermore, I also liked that Murray did not only choose politicians but also artists like Frida Kahlo or scientists like Marie Curie. This shows the wide range of fields women have been successful in even in times when it was nearly impossible for them to break free from conventions. What impressed me most was that in many of the cases for these influential women, their fathers played an important role. For a man to have his daughter educated like his sons proves that humanity can still learn and that not all hope is lost. Murray is able to open up the lives of great women. The chapters never seem to judge the actions too hard although some actions, especially concerning getting rid of rivals and/or unwelcome relatives, were more than morally questionable. I had several favourite chapters. I love history and therefore the chapter about Isabella of Castile was fascinating. Not only was she a historical figure whose actions were highly immoral, but she was also the woman who helped finance Columbus’ voyages. Murray manages to stay objective and not judge Isabella to hard. I always say that you have to judge a historical figure not by our standards but by the standards of their time. Isabella’s actions were cruel and racist, but in her time, it was viewed differently. The other chapter I have to mention is the one about Angela Merkel. As a German, I am particularly interested in how my homeland and the politicians are viewed in other countries. Murray is full of praise because of how ‘Mutti’ has been a bastion of calm in the rough times over the last couple of years. I enjoyed reading about Merkel from a different point of view because when you are in Germany, we are at a point where you take her for granted because she is omnipresent. It’s good to see that she is appreciated in other countries because sadly here in Germany she is often harshly criticised by the media and fellow politicians. She does not always deserve it and with the rise of right-wing politicians, we need her as a tower of strength more than ever. My only criticism is that I would have liked for Murray to go deeper and present the women for in depth. I would have loved for the book to be longer but with more information. I could have read more and more about Curie or Kahlo, as I find strong women in history tremendously interesting and important! I really liked Jenni Murray’s selection of 21 women, and she said at the beginning that it’s her personal list, therefore I won’t judge her on that. For me, some women were missing. I would have put others in and maybe left one or the other out. That might be because I am more than half her age. I was missing people like Malala Yousafzai. This young woman impressed me tremendously. Or Greta Thunberg. Think of her what you want but she manages to unite young people and interest them in saving the climate. If we go away from politics, I would have also put in women like Lilly Singh, who with her YouTube channel and as a TV show host, has helped so many girls and young women to see that they can be successful and that they should never give up. I enjoy her videos immensely and she never fails to put a smile on my face. To sum it all up, I have to say that I enjoyed Jenni Murray’s book immensely. It was short and sweet and gave me an insight in the history of the world from a different point of view. Oftentimes history is made by men and the women are forgotten. I can only recommend this book to every girl and woman and of course men who are interested to change perspective. Our fight as girls and women is far from over and sometimes it might feel like we are taking four steps back for every step forward but there were many others before us and there are going to be many others after us. It counts what we make of the time given to us on this earth. And I want to end this review with a quote by Jenni Murray herself: “So, yes, Margaret [Atwood], there is Hope. And it’s women who are standing up and making the changes.” Without wax, Liawèn