I've been a fan of Mary Beard's history programs for a couple years now, and whenever I find her tv specials about Rome on youtube, I take time out of my day to watch. Her famous (and rather intimidatingly large) SPQR is still on my TBR shelf, but this smaller, more manageable book seemed a good way to test the waters when it came to her actual writing. This is basically a polished version of a couple lectures she gave some years ago about modern women's struggles to exercise their voice and power in the public sphere, and how that can be traced back to Ancient Greek and Roman notions that women should be blocked from the public arena and positions of power/influence. The topic was so interesting, and gives the reader plenty of food for thought.