Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality

Thoughtful scholarly book about history of gender discrimination against girls & women.

Award-winning author and women's rights advocate Dr. Nina Ansary takes readers on a 4,000-year historical journey to expose the repercussions of centuries of gender inequality necessary...anexamination of the systems of power that...have silenced women's voices and contributions.Why this book? Because diversity is not just a political, social and moral issue, but an economic one that impacts on the global community and welfare.The book contains the biographical and historic profiles of fifty forgotten innovators- women in pionering roles—brought to life by international illustrator Petra Dufkova—shatter deeply rooted gender myths to tell remarkable stories about groundbreaking contributions to the global community. It is an endeavour for justice for the oppressed, both through her writings and humanitarian efforts.The phenomenon of female anonymity persists as women worldwide continue to be restricted by society’s formal and unspoken barriers. Why have women been consistently denied opportunities thatare automatically given to men? Why has the historical record failed to adequately recognize and empower notable women?This book is a revelation of the myriad of studies, literature, movements dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, with an investigative approach to the status of silenced women. It notes adetailed list of the internet and other reference material of studies , literature, as record of her in depth studies.The resistance movements, campaigns she supports and honours:An united and inclusive approach to movements that must build in size and scope over time, expanding their agendas and to fight for international cooperation relating to academic space for scholars, practitioners, activists, policymakers, and students to develop strategies.Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality expanding the lens beyond the author's birth country of Iran and takes readers on a 4,000-year historic journey to inform of pioneer work done by exceptional woman and expose the roots and manifestations of institutionalized gender discrimination and the myriad ways it permeates nearly every aspect of modern life.Diversity is powerful, as it enables our movement to grow. And today especially we can feel that the momentum fueling our quest for women’s rights is steadily building—across ethnic, ideological, boundaries and global scale. Any man who doubts the overwhelming benefits of diversity and gender equality in life, business, and politics needs to read this book.Dr. Ansary holds an MA in Middle Eastern Studies and a PhD in History from Columbia University. She serves on various international bodies championing gender and human rights Dr. Ansary’s previous book, Jewels of Allah: The Untold Story of Women in Iran, garnered multiple awards—including the 2016 International Book Award in “Women’s Issues.”The biographic rendition of these women born before 1900—from 2300 BCE to 1892., is a classical and inspiring addition to the work of rediscovering the remarkable women in history. The objective was to enlist and highlight women from a range of countries, cultures, ethnicities, and fields of endeavour.Scarlett Jensen25 June 2020

Anonymous is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality is more long-form essay than book, but its point is loud and clear: throughout history, the accomplishments of women and their importance in society have been at best overlooked, at worst, intentionally diminished. The author takes a hard look at examples of when women were devalued, the means by which women attempted to circumvent their patriarchal restrictions, and the fact that, at least as of 2019, we have not come as far as we should have to rectify the gender disparity.Anonymous is a Woman is a tough read. As an American woman, I am deeply disturbed at what the numbers reveal. Moreover, I’m disappointed in myself that I have accepted behaviors, laws, and philosophies designed to keep me from achieving success and standing on equal footing. I was down right shocked to learn that in the United States, there are no federal laws prohibiting the atrocity that is child marriage.The fact that the world would look far different if women were treated as equal to their male counterparts in all areas of society isn’t just an opinion. The author provides countless resources, studies, and analyses in support. The irony is that this important piece of examination will likely go overlooked because the author is a woman.I took off one star because I think the book needs a line edit. There are a few phrases and passages where the writing isn’t as fluid as it could be, and I did find that distracting from the importance of the piece. Aside from that, though, this is an otherwise expertly researched and professional piece.What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that it doesn’t insist upon its own conclusion. The evidence is clear and compelling. The challenge now is to get the right people to listen.

The title of this impressive collection of 50 mini-biographies of trailblazing women, ANONYMOUS IS A WOMAN, refers to a quote by Virginia Woolf. Historically, women didn’t get credit for their accomplishments. There are many cases of that here in these tales of women in the fields of math, science, medicine, military, the arts, aviation and human rights. For example, one of the first female architects, Marion Mahony Griffin, worked for Frank Lloyd Wright and he received credit for her ideas. Cheaper by the Dozen’s husband, Frank Gilbreth, was credited with ideas and writings that came from his better-educated wife, Dr. Lillian Gilbreth. African American chemist Alice Ball had her treatment for leprosy patients stolen after her early death by a future University of Hawaii President. That situation wasn’t rectified until many years later.The greatest strength of Iranian-American author Dr. Nina Ansary’s book, unlike so many other biography anthologies, is that it isn’t Eurocentric. Women from other continents and many ancient civilizations are represented. One biography that painfully resonates today is the tragic tale of ancient Afghanistan poet Rabi’a Balkhi whose brother had her killed for falling in love with a slave. Many of the other women profiled in the book did have the inspiration, education, and encouragement from their progressive families to succeed.The academic introduction to this book about the history of discrimination of women seems a bit like preaching to the choir and is long. It doesn’t seem to flow with the rest of the narrative.One suggestion: While the Kindle version of ANONYMOUS IS A WOMAN provides helpful links, this book seems better suited to reading in the hard cover or paperback format. It’s an excellent reference book for homes and libraries. It should be shared with daughters and sons and embraced over their lifetimes.

Anonymous is a Woman is an extraordinary book about extraordinary women throughout history. In a world that is so quick to celebrate the achievements and milestones made by so many inventors, innovators, writers and thinkers, not to mention our commemorations through biography and film of those who have survived and overcome the most unthinkable circumstances, it is astonishing how few women are recognised as they deserve. While there is some cultural familiarity with remarkable female figures in recent history, there is still a consistent failure to acknowledge and promote these women.Dr. Nina Ansary has answered this in a truly beautiful way, and this book gives its attention to the lives of 50 truly incredible, and largely unheard-of women, treating them with the thorough research, contextual grounding and respect that they each deserve. It’s written brilliantly and will appeal to every reader - from historians and sociologists to literally anyone with enough time spare to indulge in this book. The way it’s structured also allows for an easy reading style, as the stories are really intriguing, but also super easy to just dip in and out of at leisure.There’s something for everyone in this book, and I imagine there are very few people in the world who would have nothing to learn from it. It’s not just informative but also passionate and deeply moving.

This book is an excellently written little book, covering the history of gender inequality. It is incredibly interesting, and it taught me a lot I didn’t know. I learned a great deal about gender inequality in the world, which I actually thought I knew plenty about, but reading this book, I realise I didn’t! It’s incredibly informative and written in an accessible, friendly way.What I like about this book is that it doesn’t shove anything down your throat — it’s calm, positive, and non-aggressive. There’s no shouty feminism here.The biographies that make up the central part of the book are fantastic. They aren’t just the same old women you always hear about either — they are women from much further back in history who did amazing, world-changing things. I’d never heard of most of them, which is an important wake-up call for me, as these women basically shaped how we live today.I highly recommend Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality for women of all ages. It would make an excellent gift for any special woman in your life. Even teenagers will be fascinated with the biographies, and there are many incredible role models to discover in this book.

I respect the amount of research and time that went into this book, and even though I found the flow of the story inconsistent at times, I did enjoy reading it.The book talks of issues women always had, and some of the ideas and people presented within the pages are quite thought-provoking.It challenges the status quo, and I do believe we need more books like this.

Doctor Nina Ansary’s ANONYMOUS IS A WOMAN: A GLOBAL CHRONICLE OF GENDER INEQUALITY is a compelling and thought provoking read that sheds light on not only a historical issue but a current one as well.Meticulously researched and paying homage to fifty of the most unsung women of our history, the author shows us not only how far we’ve come as a species but also how far we have left to go.

A very cool and comprehensive book. I really enjoyed a lot of the points that the author presented, including the idea she put forth with the title which was why I wanted to read the book in the first place. Thinking on the often misquoted quote from Virginia Wolf the idea that many things attributed to Anonymous were created by women is fascinating.I really enjoyed the section of profiles of historical women who contributed to so many amazing things that I probably would have never heard of. Some of them would make for awesome historical fiction!I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about womens issues and loves unknown history.