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When Women Ruled the World

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When Women Ruled the World

By: Kara Cooney
Narrated by: Kara Cooney
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About this listen

This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra - women who ruled with real power - and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today.

Female rulers are a rare phenomenon - but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society.

What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example?

Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages and why we should care.

©2018 Kara Cooney (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Ancient Egypt Gender Studies Historical Middle East Social Sciences Women Pharaoh Africa Ancient Egypt World History
All stars
Most relevant  
Excellent narrative spoken with passion and enthusiasm
Some of the example context was inaccurate e.g. Henry VIII was Tudor not Elizabethan
Despite this the facts were intriguing as I have only ever heard the misogynistic point of view in history books or movies

Entertaining

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A fascinating topic for a book about some very remarkable Egyptian queens. When focused on the fact and what the sources demonstrate, this book is excellent. However, the greatness is ruined by the frequent imposition of the authors very evident political, sociological and feminist viewpoints. While I agree with much of the authors opinions, it added nothing of value to a historical investigation of these queens. The ideals the author espouses would likely have been anathema to the queens and I don't feel looking at women from several thousand years ago with a modern (very modern!) lens actually does them any justice.

What probably ruined it the most was the rampant 'anti men' narrative. It's very difficult to remember a single example of a positive comment about any of the historical men mentioned with it their flaws being mentioned too or a comparison to Trump.

A very mixed bag

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After reading the reviews, I was hesitant to read this book, but I thought I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did. I feel that if it were written by a man, people would have a different opinion of it. I found it interesting and insightful. As with all history publications, the information should be approached with an open mind, and you must be willing to look at things from an alternate point of view, which in this case, means to take off the patriarchal glasses our society gives us at birth.

Interesting and insightful

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This book is brilliant. I loved every minute whilst listening. Kara has a very pleasant voice and she narrated beautifully. I Highly recommend this book. You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy it. I learned more about the women who ruled in Ancient Egypt from this book than I had learned from any class or research project I’ve done in my entire lifetime. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you.

So interesting!

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So intriguing and immensely enjoyable, Kara Cooney weaves the lives of these amazing women into stories that will transport you back to ancient times, while simultaneously remain relevant today.

Long live the queens...

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Kara reads well and is clearly passionate about women’s rights and the male gaze which has written history. What I found hard to manage was the quick transfer between what we can’t know and then assumptions inferred, while at the same time criticising many assumptions having been made in the past.

I really wanted to like it

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There are some glaring historical errors in this book. For example in the last section about Cleopatra VII, the author compares the Ptolemaic removal of spouses akin to Henry VIII in a ‘Elizabethan Court’. Henry VIII operated in a Tudor Court NOT Elizabethan. Elizabethan was a term used for the reign of Henry’s daughter Elizabeth I. There cannot be an Elizabethan Court BEFORE she was even out of swaddling clothes let alone giving the appellation to a child 3rd on the list of possible Tudor monarchs!!

It is just so ridiculous that a historian would make such a fundamental and embarrassing error. Just one of many errors....

Historical Inaccuracies Abound

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