Pirate Queens by Rebecca Alexandra Simon

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Pirate Queens:

Pirating is a very short career choice.

Quick synopsis:

The story of notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:

Bonny and Read were only pirates for two months.

Fun Fact for History Nerds:

During the 17^th and 18^th centuries, half of all sailors’ wives were widowed during their child raising years.

My Take on Pirate Queens:

Pirates are historically difficult to pin down and unfortunately Rebecca Alexandra Simon’s Pirate Queens cannot overcome the massive holes in the lives of her subjects.

Pirate Queens is a dual biography of the most famous women pirates of all time, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Simon meticulously recounts their lives from their childhoods to their piracy trials. Simon clearly knows pirates and brings her expertise to this book.

However, the things which make Bonny and Read so tantalizing as book subjects are also what makes them so difficult to write about. Large portions of their lives are written by other people of dubious viewpoints. They both rocked the boat (yes, pun intended) which made many (male) historians go out of their way to tarnish their reputations and make them cautionary tales.

Verdict:

If you want to learn about Read and Bonny, then this is a good place to start. Buy it here!

If You Liked This Try:

• Mike Dash, Batavia’s Graveyard
• Buddy Levy, Conquistador
• Caroline Alexander, The Bounty
• Steven Johnson, Enemy of All Mankind
• David Cordingly, Under the Black Flag
• Colin Woodard, The Republic of Pirates