By Sahana C.

From the very first moment of this book, I was entranced. Joan of Arc has always been a captivating figure, martyred as she was, but I didn’t know much of her other than what they taught me in Sunday School after church —  she was chosen by God to free France and end the Hundred Years’ War, and non-believers had her burned at the stake but she never let her faith waver. She was true, Joan la Pucelle, Joan the Maid, until the moment she died.  

Katherine Chen does not give us that Joan at all. In fact, the prophecies, the visions, the martyrdom that Joan is known for are machinations of the nobility in the Dauphin’s court; Joan is hale, hearty, and her spirit is unbreakable all on her own. Her relationship with her God is not that of a dedicated, unwavering believer, but that of a survivor, someone who will bargain, who will talk back, who will make wagers with her God and win. Joan is a fighter to her core, surviving an abusive father, then trauma and tragedy at the hands of the English. Then she not only survives the battlefield but navigates through French aristocracy and the world of men with no one and nothing on her side except her indomitable force of will.  

I’m reading another book right now about Chaucer’s Wife of Bath and thinking a lot about the ways that women made their own ways in the world, the ways women were forced to protect themselves and safeguard their own lives. I think we’re seeing a surge in popularity of feminist retellings of myth for that exact reason, to humanize the female characters we’ve heard about before but always from a man’s perspective – always fitting into a specific trope or box. What Katherine Chen has managed to do with Joan is just that — Joan, the saint, the martyr, is made human in this book. And no matter how close to God the rest of the world thinks she is, because of the work done to turn her into a mascot, Joan was a girl. Strong enough to best the British, brave enough to lead the French, and fierce enough to ensure she would be remembered.

Joan is available in print, e-book, and e-audiobook. If you’re looking for an inspiring, incredibly written read about a historical character that we’ve heard a lot about, but never necessarily in a way that makes her human, relatable, knowable – then Joan is for you. 

Sahana is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Savage Branch. They enjoy adding books to their “want to read” list despite having a mountain of books waiting for them already.