Book Review: Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee

Title: Bygone Badass Broads Written by: Mackenzie Lee Published: February 27, 2018 by Abrams (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Based on Mackenzi Lee’s popular weekly Twitter series of the same name, Bygone Badass Broads features 52 remarkable and forgotten trailblazing women from all over the world. With tales of heroism and cunning, in-depth bios and witty storytelling, Bygone Badass Broads gives new life to these historic female pioneers. Starting in the fifth century BC and continuing to the present, the book takes a closer look at bold and inspiring women who dared to step outside the traditional gender roles of their time. Coupled with riveting illustrations and Lee’s humorous and conversational storytelling style, this book is an outright celebration of the badass women who paved the way for the rest of us.

I love Mackenzi and her books. I have been a follower of hers since before her debut came out. As a fellow history nerd I was so excited when she started doing a Twitter series with the amazing forgotten women of history. I tuned in every Friday to hear her trademark humor and knowledge bombs. So when I heard that she was doing a book collecting the stories I was ecstatic.

And this book did not disappoint. It is exactly what it says it is, it's a collection of 52 forgotten women who changed the world. Even though this is based on the Twitter series, Mackenzi did a great job of making this accessible whether or not you have seen the concept previously. If you are a fan of the Twitter series you will recognize a few of the women featured in this book, but there are still plenty of new ones. I knew going into it that there was bound to be some new women to learn about and I was so pleasantly surprised by just how many there were. It shows just how important a book like this is when you consider how many amazing women did and did not get featured.

Mackenzi did a great job of featuring women who are incredibly diverse. This was everything from their ethnicity and race, to their sexual orientation, and even to their specialty. There were scientists, politicians, warriors, spies, unlikely heroes. You name it and they are in this book. A few of my favorites were mentioned like Sybil Ludington and The Mirabel Sisters but I even learned about a ton of new amazing women. Every single woman and girl in this book did amazing things in the face of adversity and it's inspiring and encouraging.

One of my favorite things about this book is the style in which it is written. Mackenzi is not a non-fiction writer, and I know from the event I attended with her that she was nervous to write non-fiction. But I love that she didn't try to be technical and formal in this book. That would have been cool, sure, but the informal style makes it even better. It has plenty of humor and fun. It really spices things up a lot and feels like the perfect tone for most of these women. Not to mention it makes the book even more accessible. Even if you are not a big fan of history you will still enjoy reading this book.

Plus that style of writing makes it a very fast of read. I will say, it does take a little while to get used to the style and the way that the book is written, but once you do, you are devouring it. Most of the women have 2-3 page write ups so it's easy to read a few a day or just plow through them all. Not to mention this is a completely gorgeous book. Each women has a beautifully piece of artwork as well. You can see a few of them on the cover, but they are amazing. It adds a lot to the book and the general desire to keep reading.

I read this book as part of my historical fiction month and it seems completely appropriate that it is also women's history month. This was a fantastic book of badass women throughout history that every woman and girl should read.

I give Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. Definitely get a copy of this book. Whether or not you are a fan of the Twitter series or not, whether you are fan of history or not. Get this book for the gorgeous images. Or get this book to read some fun and interesting stories about amazing women.

Have you read Bygone Badass Broads? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!