Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain

In the late 17th and early 18th century, Thuridur, a female fisherwoman, captained one of the many fishing boats that worked out of Iceland. She had a great reputation as a sea captain, but men of the men in power disliked her. For a short time, she was able to acquire a leasehold, but when she took a chance on a larger one, she failed to maintain it. Her lowered economic status led to lesser positions in the fishing industry, particularly as she aged and others, including some who worked for her, began to achieve in the fishing industry. I'm amazed at the amount of documentation the author was able to find to tell Thuridur's story. She tells you up front how she approached things documented and things that were generalizations based on show more research into the time and community. This is an outstanding work of narrative non-fiction, and I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated I would. I truly feel sorry for women who lived in Iceland during this time period, especially single women and widowed women (with or without children). Iceland was under control of the King of Denmark during this period. I also want to comment on the number of times Thuridur went to court to fight for better treatment of herself and other women--with minimal success. She was especially unsuccessful in earning a pension because of her conflicts with the men in power in her community. show less

In a time before living memory, Icelandic women worked alongside men on oar-powered fishing boats. One woman, Thurídur Einarsdóttir, became a highly-sought fishing boat captain. She also had a strong sense of justice and compassion for those on the margins, especially women and children.

Thurídur’s story survived thanks to Iceland’s storytelling heritage. The author combed archives to find any reference to Thurídur that has survived in the writings of her contemporaries and their descendants, in letters, in legal documents, and in poetry and legend. Since this is narrative nonfiction, the author’s preface includes a general statement on the quotes and paraphrased conversations in the book, and the “narrative liberties” show more employed to add color to the account. Such liberties in nonfiction works annoy me when they are unacknowledged, and the author earned my trust by acknowledging them from the outset. show less

I love history, so this appealed to me right off the bat. This is the story of Captain Thuridur, a big hearted, ambitious woman born in the late 1700’s in the often brutal terrain of Iceland. She started fishing the tumultuous waters of Iceland when she was just 7 years old, and she went on to have an illustrious career as a fishing boat captain. A career that spanned more than 50 years. During her time as captain, she never lost a man or a boat. She was also a woman of great compassion and integrity, who risked losing everything more than once if it meant that justice was done. As I was reading this I was a little bit sad that this incredible woman lived such an amazing life and she didn’t receive the widespread recognition she show more deserved. History has not been as kind to Captain Thuridur. This story is extensively researched, thoroughly building the world of Iceland in the 1800’s. Besides Captain Thuridur, there are a lot of characters in this story and sometimes it was hard to keep track of exactly who was who, but it isn’t for lack of effort on the authors part, as she has included a who’s who guide up front for us to follow. The often temperamental Iceland is almost like a character also in this story, with its tendency toward terrible cold and sneaky storms. And of course, Mori, the local ghost who reportedly haunted the town of Captain Thuridur’s birth for a couple of hundred years. A worthy tale for history fans and fans of powerful females alike. show less

This book is a biography of Thurídur Einarsdóttir (1777-1863), an extraordinary woman who played a key role in Icelandic maritime history. Thurídur served in the role of captain at a time when women were rarely found onboard seagoing vessels due to superstitions. Thurídur lived during an era of Danish colonial rule, volcanic eruptions, and extreme poverty. Willson details how she mastered navigation, accurately predicted weather, demonstrated natural leadership skills, and earned the respect of her crews and community.

The author highlights the political, cultural, economic, legal, and social forces that shaped Thurídur's world. The narrative provides a vivid picture of coastal Icelandic life where survival demanded participation show more from everyone. It starts with Thurídur’s childhood fishing experiences, then portrays her development into a respected captain, established farmer, adventurous guide, and esteemed elder.

I enjoyed learning about Thurídur and her unusual life. Willson has restored Thurídur Einarsdóttir to a prominent place in history. It makes me wonder what other remarkable lives might be waiting to be rediscovered. Recommended to readers interested in Icelandic history or portraits of strong women. show less

Woman, Captain, Rebel is for readers interested in real life examples of adventure, grit, and determination and interesting historical figures. It is always fascinating to find accounts of people to whom history often turned a blind eye who, in this case, is an Icelandic female captain.
Captain Thuridur's life gives insight into life in Iceland in the 1700s, the life of a fishing captain, how the people of Iceland survived under the harsh governance of Denmark-Norway, and the enduring vagaries of humanity. The author does an excellent job of making people from hundreds of years ago recognizable as people you might encounter today. She writes about Captain Thuridur with an obvious interest and respect that makes this story a delight to show more read. I recommend this book for readers of history, travel, biography, and adventure. show less

Excerpt from a longer article:

Timely Take-aways for life-long Learners: Strong Women Around the World
From a planetary scientist to a pirate’s wife, several new autobiographies and biographies explore the lives of lesser-known women through history. Whether using her position as first lady to support educational projects or solving crimes on the high seas, these nontraditional women left powerful legacies.

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Woman, Captain, Rebel:
The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain
Margaret Willson, January 2023, Sourcebooks
Themes: Biography, Maritime History, Women
This fast-paced, well-researched biography tells the story of Captain Thurídur Einarsdóttir, a woman who fought for human rights as Iceland’s most famous show more female sea captain. Whether solving a robbery or challenging social norms, this powerful woman fought for underrepresented Icelanders.
Take-aways: Women’s stories are underrepresented in the world history curriculum. Feature the story of Captain Thurídur Einarsdóttir to demonstrate the ongoing struggles of women in nontraditional roles.
...
Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb show less

nonfiction, Iceland, women-in-history, women-s-rights, women-s-equality, sailing-ship, sea-captain, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-figures, history-and-culture, late-18th-century, lore, cultural-anthropology, cultural-differences, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, family, relatives, relationships, biography*****

Enter the land of ice and fire with its dependence on the icy sea and threatened by storms, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. Into this harsh environment with laws and traditions unchanged for centuries was a woman who was as excellent in fishing as she was at farming but hobbled by her gender. Probably no worse than others of her gender but far less willing to accept it for herself. Meticulous show more research and a cohesive presentation make this a truly readably yet scholarly book. An excellent read!
I requested and received an EARC from Sourcebooks via NetGalley. Thank you! show less