Katie Nelson, Olivia Meikle, What'sHerName Podcast

What’s Her Name

A History of the World in 80 Lost Women

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Details

Imprint: O'Mara Books

Publication date: 06/06/2024

ISBN: 9781789295382

Subject: Non-Fiction

Category: Science - History - Philosophy

Binding: Hardback

Size: 234 x 153 mm

Extent: 304 pages

Illustration: Some b/w line drawings

Territorial Rights: World (All Languages)

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Summary:

Journey through thousands of years of human history (now with the women put back in).

From the earliest human civilizations through to the present day, the stories of countless influential women – leaders, artists, warriors, scientists and more – have been ignored, forgotten, or actively suppressed. You may not have encountered the likes of Fatima al-Fihri (an Islamic World visionary who founded the world's first university), Ching Shih (the most successful pirate in history), or Huda Sha'arawi (a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragist, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union), but that's about to change.

In What’s Her Name: A History of the World in 80 Lost Women, authors – and sisters – Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson weave together the captivating stories of these fascinating figures to tell an alternative, enthralling and deeply researched historical narrative. A truly global history, What’s Her Name features biographies of incredible women spanning six continents and thousands of years, from Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire to imperial China, the Americas and post-war Europe. Drawing on years of study and interviews with dozens of experts, this is an entertaining, thought-provoking look at the trailblazing women you may not have heard of (but should have).

Reviews:

A witty and engaging book that is also deeply inspiring

Woman's Own

Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle have given us a joyful gallop through world history providing a vital reminder that women have always done everything - the big stuff, the new stuff, the scary stuff and the inspiring stuff. This book is a chance to revel in the sheer variety and depth of female action right across and beyond the globe.

Ruth Goodman

It's impossible not to love this book. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle take readers on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride through thousands of years of global history, in the company of fourscore largely neglected women - not all of them admirable, but in different ways all extraordinary. It's irreverent and very funny.

Peter Marshall, Professor of History at the University of Warwick

Breathtaking in its scope, WHAT'S HER NAME is illuminating, entertaining, and endlessly fascinating. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle's incisive research brings long-overdue attention to remarkable women who have been overlooked by historians.

Bruce Goldfarb, author of 18 TINY DEATHS and OCME

Like the podcast, What’s Her Name is an entertaining and informative romp through women's history.

Diana Giovinazzo, critically acclaimed author of The Woman in Red, A Novel of Anita Garibaldi

Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson not only tell the stories of forgotten women with their trademark combination of wit, enthusiasm and rock-solid research, they use those stories as a lens to re-examine world history as it is usually taught, and re-create it in the process The result is funny, subversive (in the best possible way), and very, very smart.

Pamela D. Toler, author of Women Warriors: An Unexpected History

Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle offer up a female-centric world history by following the paths of largely forgotten women--who very much deserve to be remembered. With a conversational style and engaging layout, the book highlights amazing accomplishments of women worthy of further study. I was hooked from the very first pages!

Kip Wilson, author of White Rose and One Last Shot.

What’s Her Name brings the narrative up to the present day, telling us not only who we should learn about women but why we should care about them now more than ever. A compulsively readable women’s history sampler that begs for a sequel!

Heath Hardage Lee, Author of The League of Wives and The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon

With breadth, depth, and a bit of humor, Nelson and Meikle offer us an accessible history through the experiences of women from around the world. In the process, they show us what many of us have always known, but can now more clearly see thanks to this book: women made the world and we should know their names.

Ashley Farmer, Associate Professor, History & African & African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas-Austin, and author of Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era

Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle vividly illuminate world herstory across time and over all continents (well, maybe not Antarctica). The stories are full of drama, heroism, and snort-tea-out of your nose hilarity.

Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, Adjunct Professor, Department of geography, environment and geomatics, University of Ottawa

Fascinating, witty, irreverent with a capital 'I.' I had a blast learning about oodles of women I'd never heard of.

Anne Boyd Rioux, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of New Orleans, author of Meg, Jo, Beth Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters (Norton, 2018), creator of Audacious Women, Creative Lives on Substack

This podcast does an amazing job of telling the stories of fascinating women who have made a true impact!

The Today Show

Some podcasts require celebrity guests or trending topics to be discovered, but What’sHerName has built a following with thoughtful, personally reported stories of women who deserve more attention.

The Denver Post

This brilliant journey through history not only shines light on forgotten women in the male dominated stories, but also tells us why we don’t know about them and helps us understand why it’s still happening today. The book’s global perspective reveals the breadth and prevalence of the erasure of women throughout world histories, and also draws lines of connection between nations and eras that deepen understanding of the way the world has worked. There are goddesses and witches aplenty, but so many more archetypes and individuals than expected. What’s Her Name opens your eyes and challenges your preconceptions, and above all it’s an absolute blast!

Lucy Bolton, author Film and Female Consciousness: Irigaray, Cinema and Thinking Women, and Contemporary Cinema and the Philosophy of Iris Murdoch

Sales points:

  • An engaging and entertaining world history explored through the fascinating, rarely-told stories of 80 amazing historical women.

  • Based on the successful What’sHerName podcast, which has been downloaded over two million times across more than 150 countries and featured on MSNBC, The Washington Post, The Today Show and CNN Bustle. Through compelling interviews with guest historians, Olivia and Katie bring to life the 'lost' women of history

  • Takes a truly global approach to the topic, featuring women from all around the world and throughout history, rather than focusing overwhelmingly on Western subjects.

  • Authors Olivia Meikle and Dr Katie Nelson are university professors specializing in women’s studies and world history.

  • Perfect for readers who enjoyed Bloody Brilliant Women by Cathy Newman, Femina by Janina Ramirez, Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries by Kate Mosse and A History of Britain in 21 Women by Jenni Murray.

About the Author:

Katie Nelson

Katie Nelson has a PhD in History from the University of Warwick and has been teaching a wide range of courses in world history and the meaning of life at Weber State University. She is co-author of The Book of Sisters and A Stinky History of Toilets and lives in Utah.

About the Author:

Olivia Meikle

Olivia Meikle teaches Women’s & Gender Studies at Naropa University. She’s also the creator of Around the World in 80 Diapers, empowering parents to travel internationally with their kids, and co-author of The Book of Sisters and A Stinky History of Toilets. She has an MA in English Literature and Women’s & Gender Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. She lives in Colorado.

About the Author:

What'sHerName Podcast

What’sHerName women’s history podcast is hosted and produced by academic sisters Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle. Through compelling interviews with guest historians, writers, and scholars, Olivia and Katie bring to life the "lost" women of history.

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