May global nonfiction: Six newly published books illuminate the stories that changed the world

The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It, Daisy Dunn

For centuries, men have been writing histories of antiquity filled with warlords, emperors and kings. But when it comes to incorporating women aside from Cleopatra and Boudica, writers have been more comfortable describing mythical heroines than real ones. While Penelope and Helen of Troy live on in the imagination, their real-life counterparts have been relegated to the margins. In The Missing Thread, Daisy Dunn inverts this tradition and puts the women of history at the centre of the narrative.

The book presents Enheduanna, the earliest named author, the poet Sappho and Telesilla, who defended her city from attack. Here is Artemisia, sole female commander in the Graeco-Persian Wars, and Cynisca, the first female victor at the Olympic Games. Cleopatra may be the more famous, but Fulvia, Mark Antony’s wife, fought a war on his behalf. Daisy Dunn shows us the ancient world through fresh eyes, and introduces us to an incredible cast of ancient women, weavers of an entire world.

Death of a Racehorse: An American Story, Katie Bo Lillis

Every year, hundreds of horses die on the racetrack. Why?

Journalist Katie Bo Lillis shows how two high-profile cases lay bare the ills...

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