the princesses, prostitutes, and privateers who ruled the Seven Seas
Laura Sook Duncombe: Pirate women (2017)
250 pages
English language
Published Sept. 30, 2017
"In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women : The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside--and sometimes in command of--their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom. History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild and warrior Rusla to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O'Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of four hundred ships off China in the early nineteenth century. Author Laura Sook Duncombe also looks beyond the stories to the storytellers and mythmakers. What biases and agendas motivated them? What did …
"In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women : The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside--and sometimes in command of--their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom. History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild and warrior Rusla to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O'Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of four hundred ships off China in the early nineteenth century. Author Laura Sook Duncombe also looks beyond the stories to the storytellers and mythmakers. What biases and agendas motivated them? What did they leave out? Pirate Women explores why and how these stories are told and passed down, and how history changes depending on who is recording it. It's the most comprehensive overview of women pirates in one volume and chock-full of swashbuckling adventures that pull these unique women from the shadows into the spotlight that they deserve" -- Amazon.com.
I bought this book because I was genuinely interested in reading about female pirates. Having struggled through 50 pages all I had really read was a lecture about the patriarchy and how the women's story was never told - and continues not to be told in the book about that topic. I rarely just entirely give up on a book after 50 pages, but this one I don't see ever being finished.
A compilation of everything the author could find about any person, real or fictional, who might possibly have been female who was engaged in any way with anything that might possibly be considered piracy. Written in very plain language. Probably aimed at teenagers.
