West Branch Nonfiction Book Discussion

Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Wilson

This group reads a variety of contemporary nonfiction. August Selection: Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Wilson

This group reads a variety of contemporary nonfiction and meets once a month for discussion. For more information, contact discussion facilitator Cesar Ortega at 630-264-3612 or email cortega@aurorapubliclibrary.org. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the West Branch reference desk.

Join us virtually here.

Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Wilson

A notorious crime, a lone woman fighting for equality, and the thrills of the wide-open sea

A daring and magnificent account of Iceland's most famous female sea captain who constantly fought for women's rights and equality—and who also solved one of the country's most notorious robberies.

Many people may have heard the old sailing superstition that having women onboard a ship was bad luck. Thus, the sea remains in popular knowledge a male realm. When we think of examples of daring sea captains, swashbuckling pirates, or wise fishermen, many men come to mind. Cultural anthropologist Margaret Willson would like to introduce a fearless woman into our imagination of the sea: Thurídur Einarsdóttir.

Captain Thurídur was a controversial woman constantly contesting social norms while simultaneously becoming a respected captain fighting for dignity and equality for underrepresented Icelanders. Both horrifying and magnificent, this story will captivate readers from the first page and keep them thinking long after they turn the last page.

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