Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World

Mackenzi Lee

Feb 2018 · Abrams

About this ebook

“You’ll meet suffragettes who did jujitsu, women warriors who wore lipstick into battle and queens who put women in their rightful places—positions of power.” —Ms.

Based on Mackenzi Lee’s popular weekly Twitter series of the same name, Bygone Badass Broads features fifty-two 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.

“The author of the first novel, warriors and rulers, scientists and war heroes. History abounds with tales of trailblazing women long forgotten—especially those who were nonwhite, non-Western, or not straight. Take a look at a dozen of the women in Bygone Badass Broads so you can begin to see what you missed in history class.” —The Boston Globe

“Shar[es] the stories of fifty-two women in history who changed the game forever—even though you’ve probably never heard of them . . . If you’re looking for some inspiration this , you Women’s History Month just got it—fifty-two times over.” —Bustle

“Lee admirably fulfills her stated goal of promoting lesser-known subjects who are awesome, accompanied by brightly colored, full-page artwork.” —School Library Journal

Ratings and reviews

I stumbled across a twitter series tagged #BygoneBadassBroads. The posts were mini-history lessons. The data was compiled into short (2-3 pages) chapters detailing the lives of 52 amazing women and published in book form. Among my favorites are Irena Sendler, a resident of Warsaw Poland in the 1940s. “And when Irena saw Hitler coming, she got in the way.” (You should live your life so that this comment is on your headstone) She was employed by the Social Welfare Department to check residents of the Warsaw Ghetto. “The Nazis were certain Jews were filthy, diseased subhumans carrying all manner of germs, and they were petrified those germs would spread outside the ghetto.” She is said to have rescued 2,500 Jewish children. Another favorite was Elvira De La Fuente Chaudior, a Peruvian playgirl and gambler with “too much brain and not enough outlets”. She was recruited by MI6 and became a member of XX, the Double Cross, the team of English agents spying on the Germans from within their own ranks. Members of Double Cross convinced the Germans that the Allies were going to come at them from the Bay of Biscay instead of Normandy. Jackie Mitchek pitched in an exhibition baseball game against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. She struck out both batters. Apparently this was not suppose to happen, because her baseball contract was immediately cancelled. This book is educational, funny, and interesting. It is easy to read (because of the short chapters). Read this book. You won’t regret it.

pathetic :/

About the author

Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in history and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Simmons College. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the historical fantasy novels This Monstrous Thing and The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, as well as the forthcoming The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018) and Semper Augustus (2019). She currently calls Boston home, where she works as an independent bookstore manager.