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Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq
An engaging collection that uncovers injustices in history and overturns misconceptions about the role of women in war
When you think of war, you think of men, right? Not so fast. In Hell Hath No Fury , Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross prove that although many of their stories have been erased or forgotten, women have played an integral role in wars throughout history.
In witty and compelling biographical essays categorized and alphabetized for easy reference, Miles and Cross introduce us to war leaders (Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Margaret Thatcher); combatants (Molly Pitcher, Lily Litvak, Tammy Duckworth); spies (Belle Boyd, Virginia Hall, Noor Inayat Khan); reporters and propagandists (Martha Gellhorn, Tokyo Rose, Anna Politkov- skaya); and more. These are women who have taken action and who challenge our perceived notions of womanhood. Some will be familiar to readers, but most will not, though their deeds during wartime were every bit as important as their male contemporaries’ more heralded contributions.
When you think of war, you think of men, right? Not so fast. In Hell Hath No Fury , Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross prove that although many of their stories have been erased or forgotten, women have played an integral role in wars throughout history.
In witty and compelling biographical essays categorized and alphabetized for easy reference, Miles and Cross introduce us to war leaders (Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Margaret Thatcher); combatants (Molly Pitcher, Lily Litvak, Tammy Duckworth); spies (Belle Boyd, Virginia Hall, Noor Inayat Khan); reporters and propagandists (Martha Gellhorn, Tokyo Rose, Anna Politkov- skaya); and more. These are women who have taken action and who challenge our perceived notions of womanhood. Some will be familiar to readers, but most will not, though their deeds during wartime were every bit as important as their male contemporaries’ more heralded contributions.
395 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
6 people are currently reading
675 people want to read
About the author
Rosalind Miles
68 books425 followersRosalind Miles is an author born and raised in England and now living in both Los Angeles and Kent, England. She has written both works of fiction and non-fiction. As a child, Miles suffered from polio, and had to undergo several months of treatment. After being accepted to a junior women's college, Miles acquired a working knowledge of Latin and Greek, along with developing her life-long love of Shakespeare. At seventeen, she was promoted to St. Hilda's College, Oxford where she studied English literature, Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, Latin and French. She obtained five degrees in all, ending with a Ph.D. from the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham.
Miles later on became interested in jurisprudence, which resulted in her sitting as a lay magistrate in the English criminal and family courts, and eventually on the bench in a superior court in Coventry. She is also a regular commentator on the BBC, on Canadian Radio, and in The Times.
Miles later on became interested in jurisprudence, which resulted in her sitting as a lay magistrate in the English criminal and family courts, and eventually on the bench in a superior court in Coventry. She is also a regular commentator on the BBC, on Canadian Radio, and in The Times.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 19, 2021
I’ve owned this book for 13 years and finally decided to read it as it was beginning to yellow with age. I’ve read Miles’s fiction in the past and found the writing to be fairly engaging. However, the stories on each woman are short, dry, and devoid of all sympathy when discussing the horrific treatment many of them had at the hands of male counterparts or enemies. The excerpts also fail to use and cite multiple sources and perspectives. It is a good jumping off point to continue deeper research on women in war.
April 19, 2018
August review for Book Riot's Read Harder 2017: Hell Hath No Fury by Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross, 2008. [book about war category]
I found Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq buried in a used bookstore years ago, and it sounded just up my alley. Like many books, though, it was relegated to the ever-stagnant, ever-increasing TBR pile, until a challenge such as this provokes me to dig through what I've got.
I was intrigued to read a book about war that focused on women's contributions, both of body and mind, but from the get-go, Hell Hath was difficult to get through. For one, the organization irked me. It was not necessarily set up chronologically, although I did enjoy the different sections on different kinds of contributions to war throughout history. There was just so much information, and it was presented relatively drily, sometimes very repetitively. It felt more like a reference book, which is all well and good but not what I thought I had signed up for. As soon as I got into a particularly juicy or inspiring anecdote, it was time to wrap up and roll onto the next entry. I would've liked some longer time spent on the actual individuals.
This is not to say that I did not like this book, only that I felt it could've been presented better. There were aspects I really liked, especially the fact that the authors they included all kinds of women, not just those historically considered "GOOD." For example, there were spotlights on Nazi officers and Lynndie England of the Abu Ghraib catastrophe. It was good to get a well-rounded cast of characters, but I feel like this book was just that, trying to be *too* well-rounded. I want more specificity, more richness and detail, and it just wasn't possible with the scope of this book. Ultimately I am glad that I have this information now, but it was a bit of a chore to get there.
I found Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq buried in a used bookstore years ago, and it sounded just up my alley. Like many books, though, it was relegated to the ever-stagnant, ever-increasing TBR pile, until a challenge such as this provokes me to dig through what I've got.
I was intrigued to read a book about war that focused on women's contributions, both of body and mind, but from the get-go, Hell Hath was difficult to get through. For one, the organization irked me. It was not necessarily set up chronologically, although I did enjoy the different sections on different kinds of contributions to war throughout history. There was just so much information, and it was presented relatively drily, sometimes very repetitively. It felt more like a reference book, which is all well and good but not what I thought I had signed up for. As soon as I got into a particularly juicy or inspiring anecdote, it was time to wrap up and roll onto the next entry. I would've liked some longer time spent on the actual individuals.
This is not to say that I did not like this book, only that I felt it could've been presented better. There were aspects I really liked, especially the fact that the authors they included all kinds of women, not just those historically considered "GOOD." For example, there were spotlights on Nazi officers and Lynndie England of the Abu Ghraib catastrophe. It was good to get a well-rounded cast of characters, but I feel like this book was just that, trying to be *too* well-rounded. I want more specificity, more richness and detail, and it just wasn't possible with the scope of this book. Ultimately I am glad that I have this information now, but it was a bit of a chore to get there.
September 6, 2020
Great book. I wish it had more of a look at women outside of Western nations, and less of a focus on WWII in the last few chapters. Overall a great bunch of snapshots on important women in history.
May 19, 2008
Short bios of women from ancient to modern times that participated in battles and wars in defense of their freedom/ideals, for their very existance, or power. Women who also were healers/doctors, reporters, spies. And a few who were as cruel and evil as any man could be. Women who are well known and many that I never heard of before. My favorites were ancient women in Greece or Briton (ie, Boudica, Queen of Briton who united her people to fight the Romans); Athelread, King Alfred the Great's daughter, who as queen took up the reins to keep the 4 kingdoms together as England; women of WWI and II that served on the front lines, as pilots who ferried planes across the U.S. for the military, reporters who took the chance to let truth be known no matter what country they lived in. And one that always stood out for me were the Jewish women who fought alongside their men during the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising. This is a good source if you're interested in roles women played and their effect throughout history.
March 24, 2008
I ended up just skimming through this book. I always like to read the introduction in books instead of just skipping over them. In this case, I should have skipped it because I got so darn bored withthe introduction that I started to fall asleep. I had a hard time picking the book up again and when I did, I basically just flipped through it. I'm sure it's very interesting and will be worth a second look - some day.
December 30, 2011
I. loved. this. I am so grateful to this book -- it couldn't have ever by any means coverered all the details of these womens' lives, but I love that they included additional reading for the women I am interested in learning more about. There is a heavy emphasis on WWII and women in that war, but I know there is also a lot of documentation for them. I would love to see more on women from Latin America, Africa, and Asia -- it is very Eurocentric, but it is a great start.
February 13, 2017
I got this as an ARC from a used bookstore a long time ago. I don’t know why it took me so long to read this.
It was good. A little outdated in parts by now, since it was published almost a decade ago. WWII was the most prominently featured conflict. Usually the entries about individual women were more interesting than the entries about military organisations, national movements etc.
The out-of-the-blue Hemingway insults were a highlight.
It was good. A little outdated in parts by now, since it was published almost a decade ago. WWII was the most prominently featured conflict. Usually the entries about individual women were more interesting than the entries about military organisations, national movements etc.
The out-of-the-blue Hemingway insults were a highlight.
March 7, 2013
Loved this book. I might be biased as I got to meet the author and we had a lengthy discussion about some of these women and his travels while researching the people/ places. Overall a great read for any one who loves heroines.
March 15, 2008
Look for my upcoming review in Bitch Magazine.
March 6, 2009
A collection of short biographies of women involved in war as leaders, as military personnel, as correspondents, as spies.
January 23, 2013
It had lots of interesting history bits that are not normally talked about. A lot of world war stories.
July 30, 2015
One of the best collection of Historical figures I have ever read, very intriguing, I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews