Annie C. (anniechanse) reviewed Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book was simply amazing. I had so much fun reading it. I have a little boy, myself, and the only time I ever, EVER wish I had a little girl instead is when he starts asking me questions about his boy parts. Now, however, I have a second reason to wish I had a little girl. I would LOVE to read her these stories of kick-ass, real-life princesses as bedtime stories.
The author, McRobbie, starts the book off with a short introduction talking about how the Disney Princess craze has swept the nation... Hell, the WHOLE WORLD! Well, these stories are not Disney Princess stories. These stories are about warrior women, mad women, brilliant women, and maybe a few women with pretty loose morals, but these women LIVED LIFE TO THE LEES, and they are definitely women I would want my little girl (if I had one) to know about. Several of them I'd even want her to look up to as role models.
I think McRobbie, herself, sums up the book best in the introduction when she says: "Historical princess have been capable of great things as well as horrible things; they've made stupid decisions and bad mistakes, loved the wrong people or too many people or not enough people. They are women who lied, murdered, used sex as a weapon, or dressed like a man to hold on to power. They weren't afraid to get a little dirt, or blood, on their hands. These women were human, but the word princess, along with its myriad connotations, often glosses over that humanity."
I think this book is the perfect antidote to the pink pastel princess world that is splashed all over everything today. I absolutely loved it.
The author, McRobbie, starts the book off with a short introduction talking about how the Disney Princess craze has swept the nation... Hell, the WHOLE WORLD! Well, these stories are not Disney Princess stories. These stories are about warrior women, mad women, brilliant women, and maybe a few women with pretty loose morals, but these women LIVED LIFE TO THE LEES, and they are definitely women I would want my little girl (if I had one) to know about. Several of them I'd even want her to look up to as role models.
I think McRobbie, herself, sums up the book best in the introduction when she says: "Historical princess have been capable of great things as well as horrible things; they've made stupid decisions and bad mistakes, loved the wrong people or too many people or not enough people. They are women who lied, murdered, used sex as a weapon, or dressed like a man to hold on to power. They weren't afraid to get a little dirt, or blood, on their hands. These women were human, but the word princess, along with its myriad connotations, often glosses over that humanity."
I think this book is the perfect antidote to the pink pastel princess world that is splashed all over everything today. I absolutely loved it.
