Warrior, Queen, Scientist, Activist

This book tells the stories of twenty-five women, from the dawn of civilization to the present day, who changed history by what they did at the defining moment in their lives. At this critical juncture, they had a choice—going with the flow, taking the safe, or least risky, option—or challenging the status quo. Their actions in their defining moment may have been noble or duplicitous, far-sighted or short-sighted. The outcome may have been positive—or tragic. Regardless, they stepped into the breach. They wielded the sword, seized political power, or challenged societal norms and laws—and transformed society contrary to all cultural dictates. In ancient Israel, Deborah led the fight for freedom against the Canaanites. In Angola, Njinga used war and diplomacy to keep the Portuguese colonial invaders out. British prime minister Margaret Thatcher succeeded where a long line of male predecessors failed, and transformed society. America’s Virginia Hall became the Gestapo’s most wanted Allied spy, and Clara Barton refused to leave the battlefield; the heroism of them both saved countless lives. The list goes on. What had these women in common? My research revealed it was not communal characteristics such as being friendly, kind, and sensitive, which are stereotypically associated with women, even today. Nor was it higher education, emotional intelligence, humility, sociability, nor even oratorical talent—a fair number were decidedly indifferent orators. No, the common denominator was that they all had grit—the ability to keep working toward a goal and overcoming challenges. Gritty people have focus, self-confidence, motivation to succeed (overcoming obstacles, perseverance), and resilience (rebounding from setbacks, weathering criticism). The Roman senator and Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote: Non quid sed quemadmodum feras est (“It is not what you endure that matters, but how you endure it”). To the woman, they responded to challenges, setbacks, and disappointments by redoubling their efforts. We can learn from—and be inspired by—their lives and their grit, and their mistakes. I have organized the book chapters in three parts, by the nature of the defining moment. Within each part, the narratives are in chronological order. The first seven chapters showcase eleven women whose defining moment occurred in war. War, one of the most pervasive human activities, serves probably more than any other social endeavor to define and uphold traditional gender roles. It seems to be a law of nature that women should not participate in military activities. But time and again, when society is under great duress, military necessity trumps cultural norms. We see this in Antiquity from Israel (Deborah) to Vietnam (Trung Trac), from Britain (Boudica) to Egypt (Cleopatra) and Syria (Zenobia). In the Middle Ages and beyond, women donned armor to fight for the freedom and security of their people in North Africa (Al-Kahina), France (Joan of Arc), Spain (Isabella), and England (Elizabeth I). But war is not only about killing people. It is also about tending the wounded. This is what Clara Barton did in the Civil War. And war is about collecting vital information in enemy territory, something in which America’s Virginia Hall took the lead. Part II features seven women whose defining moment occurred in the realm of politics. In around 1500 BC, Hatshepsut saved Egypt’s Thutmoside dynasty. Theodora and Wu Zetian faced enemies from within, while Njinga faced off a technologically superior enemy from without. Eva Perón’s savvy to form political coalitions with the poor and the unions was the bedrock of the Perón administration and remains the core of Perónism until the present day. Margaret Thatcher transformed a moribund Britain and Angela Merkel initiated the decisive move toward sustainable energy. Thatcher and Merkel were the first two female heads of government in any major Western country. Part III focuses on seven women who battled for human rights. Esther fought for the right of freedom of religion, Hypatia fought for freedom of thought and bipartisanship, and Harriet Tubman for the right of freedom for African Americans. Marie Curie refused to accept sexism and opened the way for women to enter fields that society had previously reserved for men. Her two Nobel Prizes shattered the stereotype that women could not excel in science. Wangari Maathai, also a Nobel Laureate, fought for the right to a clean and sustainable environment. Angela Davis fought for racial and criminal justice for African Americans. Our final Nobel Laureate, Maria Ressa fights for the right of freedom of the press and against fake news. I did not select these women at random. My goal to document the ubiquity of great women across type of endeavor, time, region, and leader type informed my choices. Collectively, this book shows that great women are pervasive across time and space. These women all faced enormous odds. The social norms of their time were so pervasive and insular that every touchpoint in society bullied them as social media bullies women today—especially those who dare to be different—not for difference’s sake, but to make a difference in their brief time on this planet, ultimately to grasp and bend the arc of human history. To the woman, they responded to challenges, setbacks, and disappointments by redoubling their efforts. We can learn from—and be inspired by—their lives and their grit, and their mistakes. To read their stories is to see ourselves anew.