Review of 'Children of ash and elm : a history of the Vikings' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I was unsure whether or not to buy this book, as there were seemingly many reviews bemoaning the great focus on gender equality, LGTBQ+ issues etc. I consider myself, to quote a reviewer here, a "woke gender-bender" in that I have absolutely no problem with people doing whatever they wish with their own bodies and forming romantic relationships with whomever they choose, but I am more interested in the Vikings and history than I am in gender issues, and I wanted to read a book on Vikings.
I am glad I gave the book a chance, and a little angry with myself that I gave those conservative nutjobs a fair hearing. They are the ones with an axe to grind, not the author. There is so very little "woke gender bending" that it astounds me people can take such issue with it.
This book is excellent. If you want to …
I was unsure whether or not to buy this book, as there were seemingly many reviews bemoaning the great focus on gender equality, LGTBQ+ issues etc. I consider myself, to quote a reviewer here, a "woke gender-bender" in that I have absolutely no problem with people doing whatever they wish with their own bodies and forming romantic relationships with whomever they choose, but I am more interested in the Vikings and history than I am in gender issues, and I wanted to read a book on Vikings.
I am glad I gave the book a chance, and a little angry with myself that I gave those conservative nutjobs a fair hearing. They are the ones with an axe to grind, not the author. There is so very little "woke gender bending" that it astounds me people can take such issue with it.
This book is excellent. If you want to read about Vikings and think your inner conservative nutjob can stomach a few sentences that it might view as woke gender bending, then I recommend it. The chapters on mythology, slavery and the raids themselves were exceptional and they gave me some very visceral images of the times.
