Everyone alive on the planet today can trace their ancestry back to just one woman. But who would she have been? What would her life have been like? And what has happened since for her billions of descendants? In an all-encompassing whistlestop tour through prehistory, history, and on to the future, Shevolution spans an extraordinary 200,000 years, tracing the life of the woman scientists call 'Mitochondrial Eve' and following the journeys of the female pioneers who have shaped us all. Around the world, girls and women – who have ruled kingdoms, governed empires and led pirates – have had to fight to gain, and keep, basic human rights even into the 21st century. Shevolution includes their stories, giving voice to the unsung sheroes of our day. Travel with us through early human history, first societies, ancient cultures around the world, the rise (and fall) of empires, featuring female leaders, the suffrage movement, the women's rights movement, intersectionality and ... the fight to get pockets back! This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a tour through women's history around the world, featuring snapshots of what life might have been like for our theoretical common ancestor 200,000 years ago and for women and girls at key moments since. Did you know? Recent ethnographic research proves that women (and children!) weren't just gatherers in hunt-gatherer societies. Did you know? New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893. A captivating and unique approach to non fiction, this is an important read for all children who want to understand the Shevolution of society.
