Written with a very fun sense of humor, this book is the kind of history book that's not purely for history buffs. The author shines a light on lesser known figures of history, some known a little bit by academics & others pretty much drowning in obscurity. There's a good balance between showing the hard reality of life for disadvantaged people & balancing it out with a more positive outlook on the progress/advancements these misfits managed to make.
I can't really pick a favorite chapter, not when I learned about such oddballs as:
- an illiterate woman who experienced vivid visions, and somehow managed to get her words recorded in a book (that seemingly survived in a single copy)
- a noblewoman who successfully defended her castle from invaders (with a sense of style)
- or learning about the Rebecca Rioters (who really, really hated tollbooths and did something about it)

This was a pretty good book/collection of stories. I followed this TikTok star protruding this book, so I knew her style and I enjoy it. It is interesting and keeps me entertained while at the same time teaches listeners a lot



Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I really enjoyed learning about new historical people and this had that charm that I enjoyed about nonfiction books. Jenny Draper was able to weave interesting stories and have interesting real people in history. It had that humor that I wanted and was glad I got to read this.

4 stars

I'm not familiar with Jenny Draper or her TikTok, but I'm a sucker for reading about the rulebreakers, scoundrels, and eccentrics of history. Mavericks accomplishes the goal of being highly educational and immensely amusing with several stories that you will have to read to believe. Draper also does a wonderful job of representation with several stories about queer people as well as people of color. It's an easy, breezy read that history fans can devour in a day. Who could ask for anything more?

Thank you to NetGalley and Watkins Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!