Book of Queens was a fantastic non-fiction read on a topic I knew nothing about. It's well researched and explained and I have gained a wealth of knowledge of these women and this culture because of it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Just WOW! As I read this book I was in a constant state of "goosebumps". The fascinating story of these incredibly courageous women was astounding and inspiring. This a true reflection of the indescribable bravery of Iranian women that spills into modern times as they courageously fight for their freedom. This book is a must-read for every young woman.
Thank you for this ARC.#NetGalley#BookofQueens#Hachette Books

This book is about the women horse warriors of Afghanistan who fought off the Taliban in their region and the author’s personal connection to them. It is also about the Caspian horses and the women who risked everything to insure their continued existence. This is a fascinating true story full of strong women who constantly bucked against the constraints of the strict moral society. It is written in a manner that reads like fiction. So much so, that at times I questioned the dialogue that seemed to ratchet up the drama. That aside, I think this is an important story that needs to be told. I received a digital advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley

Heroic!

If you love horses and enjoy strong women with soul this is the book for you. An historical look at the Caspian horses of the Middle East, and the freedom fighters, the warrior women who bred, trained and ensured their survival.
Paradise Mahdavi explores her family history for the truth about these horses and the women who dealt with them. Her journey takes her across the Middle East, to the United States, and to England. We’re taken from Afghanistan to Virginia and back. From Mahdavi’s Iranian grandmother to the now. A big part of the story is the search for the studbook of the Caspian Horses. Important for the provenance and history of bloodline. Along the way we discover the women fighters who take on the Taliban, ISIS and warlords of the northern regions.
A tribute to the forgotten history of the women of Persia, of Iran, of Northen Turkey, and Afghanistan “in the cradle of Empires.”
“There is Persia and there is Iran. One is the soul, the other the heart. And you need both to truly live.”
(I did online searches and very little is mentioned about these stalwart women. Of course it’s “all about the men”. Grr! Hopefully this book goes towards setting the record straight!)

A Hachette Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Edited review will appear on Shelf Awareness.
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Simultaneously a national epic and an intimate family portrait, Book of Queens is Pardis Mahdavi's love song to her family, Persia, and the Caspian horses her grandmother bred.

The book follows Maryam in early-twentieth-century Iran and Louise in mid-twentieth-century America in alternating chapters, narrating the events and struggles that shaped them into the women they would be at the moment of their fateful meeting. During her early years of marriage, Maryam discovers a group of women just over the border in Afghanistan who ride horses - an activity she could only engage in by defying her father - and train as warriors. Years later, Maryam and Louise join forces to revive the breed of almost-extinct Caspian horses, eventually sending their horses to the Afghan horsewomen who protected their region from the Taliban for centuries only to be dismissed by American forces during the War on Terror.

Mahvadi draws on her family's history as well as her expertise as an anthropologist to seamlessly move between narration of people's lives and exposition providing key details of Persia and Iran's political history largely unknown to those who only see the Middle East through the lens of its contemporary conflicts. The title evokes the Shahnameh or Book of Kings, the great Persian epic which Mahdavi references throughout the book for its portrayal of Gordafarid, a warrior woman who successfully defends Persia against would-be invaders. In Book of Queens, Mahdavi pays tribute to the many centuries of warrior women while celebrating the struggle and beauty her homeland and family have experienced.

Discover: Powerful and intimate, this book tells the story of a centuries-long line of warrior women and the two women whose horse breeding helped them fight the Taliban.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Book of Queens by Pardis Mahdavi

My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for this ARC. It was a fantastic book, combining two elements I am fond of : history and Horses. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it gave a great history of the Caspian Horse, a breed I was not familar with. I was also enthralled by the story of the women who rode these horses and how they had to live in a world that was not friendly to either horse or woman. It had times where one hurt right along with the women in the book being hurt and discriminated against by men who felt that they were nothing more than possessions. Good men did exist, but the pain inflicted by men steeped in their culture tended to prevail. The story of the Caspian horse was a great story that figured in the book and really was fascinating. I would recommend this book to all horse fans and people who are interested in the real life stories of women in the Middle East.

Loved learning about these bad ass women. Who were determine to protect their homeland. When men wouldn't or couldn't.

Did you see that movie about American Green Berets in Afghanistan in 2001 who had to ride horses to meet with a Northern warlord to fight the Taliban, 12 Strong (2018, starring Chris Hemsworth)? Me too. Did you know they met a group of horseback warrior women before they met up with said warlord, a group of women who'd been riding an ancient line of Persian horses into battle in Afghanistan for decades? Me neither. Funny how history is so focused on the "his" and ignores the "hers", isn't it?

Pardis Mahdavi's The Book of Queens: The True Story of the Middle Eastern Horsewomen Who Fought the War on Terror is part memoir, part biography, and part tribute to the women in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, and surrounding areas whose lives centered around horses. Mahdavi herself is the granddaughter of one of the multiple larger-than-life women celebrated in The Book of Queens.

The story begins with Maryam, a thirteen year old Iranian girl in 1925 who's abusive father tries to marry her off. She finds escape in riding her special horse, Shokat, but her father and brothers disapprove of riding. They insist she'll be "ruined" (no longer a virgin) and unmarriageable. When Maryam runs away, her mother finds her, also on horseback, and tells her the secret of the women in her family. They come from a long line of horsewomen and horse warriors in Persia. Maryam builds her life based on this belief. Maryam finds purpose by rescuing women (or girls, many under 16) in awful abusive relationships, which are far too common. Under cover of night and with the help of alcohol to calm both horses and riders, Maryam delivers many to a group of women warriors living freely in caves in Afghanistan.

At the same time (in alternating chapters), we follow the life of Louise, an American girl growing up in the 1940's in Virginia, USA. She's also completely focused on horses, and through college trips to Beirut with her brother she meets an Iranian prince who is just as focused on horsemanship as she, and that's how she ends up living on a farm in Iran. Louise and Maryam eventually meet and collaborate on a breeding program for this ancient line of Iranian horses, initially to the pride and support of the ruling regime, and later quietly in the background.

The Book of Queens is a masterful herstory entwining the fates of Maryam, Louise, the Afghani warrior women, and eventually Pardis with the rediscovery and rise of the Caspian horse. The breed is important because it's the oldest living breed from Antiquity, and can be seen on carved reliefs from Persepolis. The Caspian horse is the breed of warriors, of ancient empires. The efforts of Maryam and Louise took it off the endangered species list by starting breeding programs outside of Iran.

I adored this book. I'm a sucker for good historical non-fiction, particularly when it focuses on women's stories. The Book of Queens could easily be considered proof that modern day Amazons exist, or perhaps more accurately, that Amazons never truly disappeared. It's worth a quick note, however, that there are some serious content warning moments in this book: horrific domestic abuse, child rape (i.e. child marriage), and multiple terrible horse deaths occur. Maryam did not have an easy life, nor did Louise.

Overall, I would read The Book of Queens again, and I'd like a non-ebook copy for my library. I love that this is Mahdavi's tribute to the extraordinary women in her life and ancestry. The book's tone is more like a complex, fascinating, and exciting story than historical non-fiction, so it's a fast and excellent read. It sheds light on an area of the world and culture often misunderstood or ignored from the American (and male) perspective, which gives us an important addition to the historical tapestry of the world.

A very, very good book, it tells the stories of strong women defying those who are trying to stamp them out!!