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  • When Women Ruled the World

  • By: Kara Cooney
  • Narrated by: Kara Cooney
  • Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (2,951 ratings)

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When Women Ruled the World

By: Kara Cooney
Narrated by: Kara Cooney
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Publisher's summary

This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra - women who ruled with real power - and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today.

Female rulers are a rare phenomenon - but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society.

What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today's world learn from its example?

Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages and why we should care.

©2018 Kara Cooney (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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Editorial Review

A feminist take on ancient Egypt

I won't lie, there was a point in my life where I dreamed about becoming an Egyptologist. And with so much history to explore, there's still a part of me with an insatiable appetite for more. For another layer of interest, Kara Cooney adds a touch of women's history as she discusses some of the female pharaohs who led this powerful and legendary civilization. From Hatshepsut to Nefertiti and Cleopatra, Cooney manages to synthesize modern perceptions of womanhood and femininity with those of ancient Egypt—and what feels like our eternal struggle to put women in positions of power—combining two of my favorite histories. —Michael C., Audible Editor

What listeners say about When Women Ruled the World

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Infomercial for Hilary Clinton

While archaeology does fill holes with speculation this particular book is one person’s thoughts on Egypt laden with jabs and pouty rants about how sexism kept Hilary Clinton out of office. The performance is fine but I don’t believe the ancient Egyptians affected or cared about the outcome of the most recent US presidential election.

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32 people found this helpful

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Interesting but biased

I enjoyed learning about these Egyptian female rulers, but it seemed the author read a great deal of the modern narrative of women’s second class status into events she acknowledged we don’t know much about.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Incredibly angry and sarcastic.

I was excited for a feminist perspective on ancient Egypt, but instead I got an incredibly angry and sarcastic twisting of the history. Assuming the common perceptions of each story and prefacing each with how hotly debated it is before sharing her own views as fact.

The tone of the anger and sarcasm seemed to be blind, which made much of the information shared seem sketchy. It felt like she was preaching to a choir more than she was trying to inform the uninformed. This is a sure fire way to trigger a psychological backfire effect.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Just perfect

I have read countless books about ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs. Delightful to have one dedicated to the women. So well written and captivating. Love her voice also. Highly recommended.

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Very informative and interesting!

I really enjoyed learning about Egyptian women that aren't normally talked about. It was especially interesting when modern correlations were made. The women of Egypt suffered the same inequalities that their modern counterparts endure.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

Loaded with so much information. Definitely one to read again and again to make sure you took it all in.

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Author had a bone to pick.

but other than that it was good and informative. I would recommend it if you like history.

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Worth the listen

Give yourself a chance to get into the book and you’ll become enthralled. A great telling of the women who ruled Egypt and gave a great glimpse into what their situations were. I learned a great deal.

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¡Fantástico!

Encontré este libro por casualidad y que bueno que lo hice. Kara Cooney nos lleva de la mano de una forma muy ágil y amena por la historia de 6 mujeres gobernantes del antiguo egipto, todas con historias muy interesantes.

Con los datos que expone Kooney es facil imaginar el contexto y sus retos y como se relacionan con nuestra sociedad actual y su sentir hacia las mujeres en posiciones en poder. El epílogo es brillante.

Me he quedado con ganas de saber mas de estas mujeres.

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Interesting approach

What an interesting way to compare and contrast the women of the past to the societal values of today. Great read.

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