Off with Her Head

New York Times bestseller Eleanor Herman,author of Sex with Kings and Sex with Presidentsreturns with another work of popular historyexploring the history of misogyny against women with power from Cleopatra to Kamala Harris. Imagine Donald Trump as a womancalled Donna. Would Donna Trump have been viewed as blunthonestand refreshing? Would she have won the election? Imagine Hillary Clinton as a man. Howard Clinton says and does the exact same things as Hillary. Would Howard Clinton have been portrayed in a thousand Pinterest images as a witchstirring a cauldron or riding a broomstick? Would he have been called a bitch on countless T-shirts? Would his thoughtfulcircumspect answers to media questions have been seen as inauthenticitysecretivenessand untrustworthiness? There is a particular kind of rage–let’s call it unadulterated bloodlust–usually reserved for womenespecially women in power or vying for it. From the ancient worldthrough the European Renaissanceup to the most recent U.S. electionsthe Misogynist’s Handbookas Eleanor Herman calls ithas been wielded to put uppity women in their place. In a story that is shockingeye-openingand a powerful force for changeEleanor Herman’s signature wit and humor explores the patterns that have been operating for more than three thousand years–and are still operating today–against powerful women across the globeincluding CleopatraAnne BoleynMarie AntoinetteCatherine the GreatHillary ClintonKamala Harrisand more. Each chapter analyzes a tried-and-true misogynistic method to keep women downincluding: Her Overweening AmbitionWhy Doesn’t She Do Something About Her Hair?The Dangers of Female HormonesThe Alarming Shrillness of Her VoiceThe Mysterious Unlikability of Female CandidatesShe’s a Bitch and Other AnimalsShe’s a Witch and Other Monstersand Her Sexual Depravity. Herman ends the book by looking forwardexamining ways to rip up the Misogynist’s Handbook once and for all.