Medieval history fascinated me, but it always takes me so much longer to read it. This book offered a fresh take of the time period, but the lack of information pulled me out. Because of the era, not a lot of written records survive of the people discussed in the book, so many of the chapters had to go in different directions rather than staying focused on the person. It’s still important to know these people lived, but I felt there was too much about other people to keep my attention.  

This being written by a white author also feels a bit disingenuous.