Rating: 3.75 (rounded up to 4 here)

I received an advance reader copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rich content. Overall a very important and honest read.
I was so ignorant regarding much of African history prior to reading this book. I still have much to learn, but feel that this was a great starting point. I did appreciate that the author linked past and present events and had to use a bit of fiction/speculative thinking, I just felt that in certain chapters the sudden changes in perspective within were a bit confusing. E.g.: a chapter starts describing a scene from the past and what the historical person might have been thinking. You get into it. A few pages later the narrative suddenly switches to present day interviews conducted by the author or a museum exhibit description.

Overall, I loved it and would recommend.
I love the perspective, the style, and the whole process that Akpan went through to collect data, both historical and modern-day. I really didn't expect to have the modern-day affiliations as part of the historical journey of these African women, which really enriched the narrative for me. I will say that ( I do not know why, honestly) I was expecting most, if not all of the women to be from ancient times, but although they were from 'newer' times, I still enjoyed it (although I didn't think I would). The only thing that kind of bothers me is that I felt that the historical data was quite limited, but AKpan still managed to tell their stories. Another thing I loved is that it is not just dry facts, but a point of view and a soft commentary.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC copy

‘When We Ruled’ is a deep dive into twelve incredibly interesting queens and monarchs from Africa. Covering many different areas of such a large geographical area, Akpan introduces us to the wider background history of each part of Africa as well. We follow her journey through different countries, cultures and histories, and I really enjoyed her way of introducing us some of the people who helped teach her these incredible stories. Some are steeped in myth, others are more straightforward, but the entire book was so well written and compelling. I’ve noticed it’s actually already published and I’ve already ordered myself a hardback copy to keep, and I can see myself wanting to go over Akpan’s work again. In the introduction, she writes that “at its core, this is a book about power” (p.5 of the NetGalley version). Even if you’re not overly interested in the main subject matter of queens and warriors, the overview of other parts of African history is worth it on its own, and what gives the book five stars in my opinion.

I had a really tough time getting into this and have to admit that I didn’t manage to get through much of it before the expiry date of my electronic copy.
I found it very dry, but to be fair think that a physical copy of this would be much easier to work with. I feel there is a wealth of important information her,e that is both worth reading and that should be read, I just found it difficult to access. If I can get a physical copy in my hands then I would be happy to give it another go, both to write the review I am sure it deserves as well as evaluate if it would work for our client base here in Costa Rica.

Here you will find warrior queens, dynastic queens, martyr queens. Queens who live in seclusion, and queens who were sought out, far and wide, for their wise counsel. Queens who fought for their sons to rule. Queens who consolidated power in their own names. Here are queens whose lands were eaten away by colonial incursion and queens who played competing colonial powers against each other to ensure their own survival. A Queen who threw missionaries off a tower when they refused to leave her island.

What links all these queens is how Akpan has had to tease their stories from the margins of traditional, Western history. As she explains in her concluding notes, WHEN WE RULED is not a straightforward biography of twelve African queens because such a book cannot be written. Some of these women exist only in the folktales they have left behind, nation founding traditions that elide the Western lines between history and legend. Some of them can only be seen in the stories of their sons and husbands, or reflected back in colonial letters that refer to them as stubborn and troublesome. For some their story is well known but filtered through the biases and assumptions of those who ruled after. Akpan is honest that her interpretation of these women may not be anymore accurate in its assumptions. She encourages readers to think critically and deconstruct WHEN WE RULED as we would any other academic source.

Akpan traveled to the modern day African countries where these queens had their seats of power, examining not just the physical artifacts dating to their reigns but also speaking firsthand to indigenous scholars, collecting common knowledge from the everyday people she runs into, and in some cases, tracking down descendants of the monarchs! The travelogue elements of WHEN WE RULED interested me the most. Akpan does an admirable job sketching the architecture, historic and modern, of the places she visits, and recording her feelings as she is confronted with the good and bad she uncovers. She's a great interviewer. She draws people out, giving them space to share. Some of the most interesting information is found in the discussions she had with others.

All in all, I highly recommend this for anyone interested in African history. I believe it is an accessible read even for complete beginners to to the topic, but it doesn't hold your hand. WHEN WE RULED expects you to pay attention to what is being said.

I usually don't read a lot of nonfiction books but this was a great collection of stories about Black women who ruled different parts of Africa throughout the ages. I liked how the information was presented and it inspired me to do my own further research.

African women rulers through the ages. A vivid exploration of the lives of twelve women who have ruled parts of Africa over the centuries from warriors to Rain Queens. They include a Princess forced to sacrifice her baby son, an Ethiopian ruler who fell in love with a girl who nursed him when he was ill and made her his queen. These examples are set within the wider history of Africa from slavery to apartheid and beyond. An enlightening read.