Task 18

[Lucie]

Read a book about/by a non-Western world leader. Looking at the suggested list on Book Riot for this task, all the leaders seem to be contemporary. Would reading a book about a world leader from history work, like Cleopatra? (Edited to add the task description.)

[Kass]

I think so. I'm also going to read about an Egyptian female pharaoh.

[Gw]

Geesh #18 is dry...lol. I chose THE GREAT SUCCESSOR(about KIM JONG UN)

[Elyssa]

I am looking at books about Aung San Suu Kyi...she’s been quite a complex and problematic leader lately.

[Bonnie]

I love non-fiction and I'm not sure what to pick here.

[Rachel]

I read the graphic novel of Phoolan Devi's story

[Johanna]

American Spy is a fictional account of a CIA spy tasked to get close to Thomas Sankara of Burkina Fasso. I read it in 2020 so it can’t count but that was an interesting read!

[[deleted user]]

Lucie wrote: "Read a book about/by a non-Western world leader. Looking at the suggested list on Book Riot for this task, all the leaders seem to be contemporary. Would reading a book about a world leader from hi..."

I'm looking for something about Cleopatra as well, if anyone has suggestions! I also noticed all the books listed by Book Riot were about men... 🙄

[Sophie]

I'm doing The Woman Who Would be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney for this one. 👑

[Dana]

I read Unbowed by Wangari Maathai. I found it very interesting.

[Tammy]

Dana wrote: "I read Unbowed by Wangari Maathai. I found it very interesting."

Thanks, Dana. I was thinking of reading this for this task, but wasn't sure if she counts as a world leader. I'm glad you liked it!

[L.h.]

Would Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman count? Sometimes Russia counts as Western, sometimes it doesn't.

[Diane]

L.h. wrote: "Would Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman count? Sometimes Russia counts as Western, sometimes it doesn't."

I think Catherine the Great is a great read, but she would be have thought of herself as a western leader. Catherine was born in Germany, and never learned to speak Russian fluently. She worked her whole life to expand Russia - geographically, culturally, politically...