In Without Reservations, Alice Steinbach said, “at first the lives of women frightened me. They seemed so fragile, so dependent on fathers and husbands and brothers and lovers. Gradually, though, I noticed how supple their lives were… I realized it was this flexibility that enabled them to survive. I saw too, that sooner or later, by choice or by chance, most women faced the task of adapting to a future on their own. When at my most optimistic, I thought of it as independence; in darker moods, as survival. Either way, women had to do it.”
This month, we will be celebrating the independence (and survival) of women around the world. I know we haven’t known one another long, but I hope you will trust me. I am about to take you on an inspiring and empowering adventure, not a trail of tears.
If you would like to come along this leg of the WanderLit World Tour, we will be reading Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert by Georgina Howell. Sometimes referred to as the female Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell could also be called the Hillary Clinton of her time. She was a highly esteemed political personality with power and authority. She was also respected for her international diplomacy in the middle east and her compassionate heart. She literally drew the map of what is now Iraq and Jordan. Ironically, she was against women’s suffrage. Her position was that as long as women limited their interests to their own kitchens and bedrooms, they should stay out the business of the wide political world. Was this an insult to the homemaker or a clarion call to arouse a sleeping she-giant? You decide!
For Valentine’s week, we will discuss the V-Day movement and review Half the Sky by Nicholas C. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. While I was afraid this might be an expose of our global shame surrounding the abuse and marginalization of women, I was pleasantly surprised to instead, find a celebration of the progress made around the world. It’s the collective stories of that aforementioned sleeping she-giant awakening, breaking her chains and dancing! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this book!
Then, we will fall far back in time to 960 BCE and learn all we can about the lovely and wise Makeda, otherwise known as the Queen of Sheba. She was, perhaps the first great woman world leader. In Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen, Nicholas Clapp with take us on an archaeological and historical exploration through what is now Ethiopia, Yemen, and Israel. The story of feminine power is as old as femininity.
This month, in recognition of St. Valentine’s Day, Let’s celebrate the queen in every woman.
(All pictures are cover art for the books discussed)