2022 Review
4 stars
Keywords that came to mind reading this book: nonfiction, simulation, classroom, organization, protest, direct action, power, intersectional, and international.
A book packed full of information, it certainly covers a vast swath of time and space. Much to the frustration of some reviewers, although I feel like it falls pretty squarely into a fairly typical overview style book aimed at the younger set. Similarly, the somewhat random premise of a classroom being walked through a simulation of history accompanied by what I assume to be an AI reminds me of several middle grade graphic novels similarly focused on history.
That said, fully aware that it is much easier to be an arm chair critique then to actually create things, I do feel we could have spent less time trying to cover a million individuals and put more emphasis on people working together in groups and movements. Not to say there was …
Keywords that came to mind reading this book: nonfiction, simulation, classroom, organization, protest, direct action, power, intersectional, and international.
A book packed full of information, it certainly covers a vast swath of time and space. Much to the frustration of some reviewers, although I feel like it falls pretty squarely into a fairly typical overview style book aimed at the younger set. Similarly, the somewhat random premise of a classroom being walked through a simulation of history accompanied by what I assume to be an AI reminds me of several middle grade graphic novels similarly focused on history.
That said, fully aware that it is much easier to be an arm chair critique then to actually create things, I do feel we could have spent less time trying to cover a million individuals and put more emphasis on people working together in groups and movements. Not to say there was none of that covered, but I am more then a little tired of the parade of so called great men of history, and turning it around to only include women isn't more then a few points of improvement. Similarly, while it is fairly standard, I feel like it would have been nice if the idea of none cis-gender people and/or disabled women was a bit more integrated throughout - rather then left for the final modern act.
You see, one of the main premises of the book is to disabuse the reader of the idea that the struggle for women's rights is only a recent and/or so called white thing or even a thing that has developed in a linear fashion. Kendall instead works to show the reader how the rights of women have been more or less realized throughout time and around the globe in many cultures. This I agree is an excellent and important motive. Kendall also does an excellent job pointing to times and people in history that have been working for one worthy cause (such as the rights of women) while still being racist, for example. Although I do feel like the word choice leans a bit towards the glass half full end of things - although I might also just be overly jaded by the apparent trajectory of bodily autonomy in the states right now.
Anyway, circling back, this sort of nuance does bring the lack of outright trans and disabled inclusion until the very end into more striking contrast. But perhaps I am asking too much.
Otherwise, the art is very good, although I would note that I found it strangely hard to figure out which parts were two page spreads and which were not from time to time.
The deliberate international focus was extremely refreshing and brought a lot more racial diversity into things then I find is average in these sorts of books. Although I am unconvinced that, of all things, we needed to re-create anti-Japanese posters directly on the page.
To conclude, I think this book achieves its aims of being a jumping off point to reconsidering history. I certainly would have appreciated being exposed to this level of nuance earlier in life, even if in my elderly thirties I wish it went a tad bit further. Four out of five stars.