Title: The Philosopher Queens

Edited by : Rebecca Buxton and Lisa Whiting

Genre: Nonfiction

Publisher: Unbound

Publication Date: 17th September 2020

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

The history of philosophy has not done women justice: you ve probably heard the names Plato, Kant, Nietzsche and Locke but what about Hypatia, Arendt, Oluwole and Young?

The Philosopher Queens is a long-awaited book about the lives and works of women in philosophy by women in philosophy. This collection brings to centre stage twenty prominent women whose ideas have had a profound but for the most part uncredited impact on the world.

You ll learn about Ban Zhao, the first woman historian in ancient Chinese history; Angela Davis, perhaps the most iconic symbol of the American Black Power Movement; Azizah Y. al-Hibri, known for examining the intersection of Islamic law and gender equality; and many more.For anyone who has wondered where the women philosophers are, or anyone curious about the history of ideas it’s time to meet the philosopher queens.

Review:

Philosophy is not something I know a great deal about but I could name at least three or four if pressed, so when I saw the title of this book I immediately tried to think of any female philosophers I know and couldn’t think of a single one which I was immediately horrified by. There are many professions and areas that women are left out of, both historically and sadly presently, so books exactly like this one are desperately needed and when they are as fantastic as The Philosopher Queens, it makes discovering women that history should not have forgotten an absolute joy.

I loved reading this book, it is both consistently interesting and visually lovely. The book is split into small chapters each about a different woman and written by women. I recognised a few of the names of these philosopher queens but the majority were new to me and it was so brilliant to discover what made them so important. Each chapter is intelligent, succinct but also totally accessible for anyone regardless of their depth of knowledge on philosophy. The chapters are also accompanied by gorgeous portraits of the women philosophers. I love when a book has some form of illustration involved and these were so beautiful and perfect for the tone of the book.

There is so much to love in this collection. Even when I vaguely knew the name of the subject of the chapter like Hypatia for instance, I didn’t truly know anything real about her, yet The Philosopher Queens remedied that and made me feel like I actually now have an idea of the kind of woman she was and why her name should be just as recognisable as that of Plato. The Philosopher Queens is of the same exceptional high quality that I have come to expect from publisher Unbound and I really think everyone who reads it will get something from it. Written with wit and sensitivity and full of fascinating information and charming illustrations – I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a e-copy of the book from the publisher. My review is my own honest opinion.