If this book had been written in the 70s it would have been called something like Sisterhood is Powerful. Only a small number of the essays could not have been written then and I am not sure that Sam Maggs' book adds considerably to the feminist archive. It is interesting for having gathered together 20 stories from across the centuries and the globe which relate how women together have overcome the odds to achieve in fields of sport, warfare, politics, science and art (Maggs' categories). However I would like to have seen more in a book written near the end of the 2nd decade of the 21st century. Maggs does not distinguish between for example the achievements of the seven women who were the first medical students in the UK and the 'Warrior Squads' who killed and maimed. She does not offer any critique of violence. Nor does she attempt to analyse the intersectionality apparent in these tales, whereby not only gender but race, culture, language, religion and class combine to demonstrate how powerful the obstacles to be overcome by the women she discusses. I do not know who the intended audience of this book is but the author's overuse of words such as 'badass' and 'dude' make me suspect that she is attempting to appeal to a younger audience. I personally don't think this is the way to do this. The book is illustrated with line drawings (not all complete in the ARC I read) and these do enhance the text.

I have been loving the trend of anthologies celebrating influential women which have been coming out lately, and this is one of the best of the bunch. Decent length descriptions of a variety of women from a range of countries and fields, several of whom I had heard of, but plenty that I hadn't. A light-hearted narrative voice and humorous asides make sure it doesn't get too heavy, but at the same time leaves the reader in no doubt just how amazing the women's accomplishments were. Particular favourites included the Blue Stockings group who were fabulous literary socialites and the Japanese women's volleyball team who helped restore some of their country's pride after WW2, but honestly all of the women here were equally inspiring. I will definitely be recommending this to the kids at my school.

A fascinating and fun read! Each chapter highlights the lives of interesting, strong, and empowered women from a variety of backgrounds. I particularly liked that the book focused on some lesser-known figures throughout history as well - it was quite informative! Definitely recommended for adult and teen audiences alike.

This is an amazing, empowering collection of women throughout history and their 'fight' against the patriarchal society in which they find themselves. It works as a non linear book; you can delve in and read one section and keep coming back. Or, as in my case, devour it in a chronological main course of reading.

This book was so empowering and exciting. It was really cool to learn about different friendships around the world and across time. I’ve been loving the female friendship trend out there lately so this book was perfect. Definitely recommend!

An enjoyable light touch on the theme of leading women and women's groups in history. The tone is conversational and easy to read, however, the chatty tone wasn't to my taste as I had hoped for something that delved a little deeper into these fascinating groups.

I was surprised to see that this was marketed as an adult non-fiction title as I think this would be best aimed at older children and YA audiences.