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Helena P. Schrader

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.HelenaPSchrader.com

Genre

Historical Fiction, History

Member Since

May 2012

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Dr. Helena P. Schrader is the author of five critically acclaimed non-fiction history books and nineteen historical novels, eleven of which have earned one or more literary awards. She holds a PhD in history from the University of Hamburg, which she earned with a ground-breaking biography of a leader of the German Resistance to Hitler, and served as an American diplomat in Europe and Africa.

Helena’s chief areas of expertise are Aviation, the Second World War, Ancient Sparta, and the Crusader States.

Schrader's books have won 31 awards and received a total of 55 literary accolades over the last decade. Highlights include Cold Peace being named runner-up for the Historical Fiction Company's prestigious BOOK OF THE YEAR award, a Book Excellenc ...more

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I have been meaning to ask this question for a while. I recently came across an article on 'Bustle' that suggests women, particularly Medieval women, were not allowed to be educated and if they were, they had to sit behind a screen so as not to offend male pupils. Hildegard is mentioned only in passing, the article said that she was only allowed to be educated as a nun. Is there any truth to this?

Helena P. Schrader The short answer is an emphatic NO. Without seeing the article, of course, I can't know if the statement was more narrowly defined in a way to make it…moreThe short answer is an emphatic NO. Without seeing the article, of course, I can't know if the statement was more narrowly defined in a way to make it valid for some portion of the female population in a specific place, time or context.

Speaking generally, women in the Middle Ages could be highly educated, literate and numerate, the higher the class and social standing, the higher their education -- just as for males. Queens (e.g. Maria Comnena, Eleanor of Aquitaine, to name just two I'm personally familiar with) could read and write in multiple languages and usually had a very extensive education in the classics and theology. (A good biography of almost any queen will record the meticulous and very extensive education they received, and document their ability to correspond with other rulers and churchmen.)

Noblewomen needed to manage their estates and were likewise highly literate and numerate. (See for example: Jennifer Ward's "English Noblewomen in the Middle Ages.") Keep in mind, too, that the great works of chivalry by Chretien de Troyes or Wolfram von Eschenbach were often commissioned by noblewomen such as Marie de Champagne -- who owned and read these books.

There are many examples of women running religious institutions and corresponding with the great thinkers of their age (Hildegard von Bingen comes to mind, the Abbess of Fontevrault was another). They too had to be good administrators as well as being intellectually sophisticated.

The wives of guild masters and merchants usually ran the office-aspects of their husband's business and were literate and numerate, although less likely to have had a classical education including theology, philosophy and literature. A good book that talks about all the professions that medieval women could and did pursue is Toni Mount's "The Medieval Housewife & Other Women in the Middle Ages."

There is clear evidence that women could be apothecaries and surgeons as well. (See Toni Mount: Medieval Medicine.)

In short, "women" most certainly were educated, often highly educated, in the Middle Ages. It is, however, probably correct to suggest that women were educated privately, at home by (often extremely qualified) tutors, or during an apprenticeship in a trade, by rather than attending public/religious schools.

I hope you will spread the word. It is ridiculous to suggest that Western/Christian "women" generally were uneducated during the Middle Ages.(less)

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Helena P. Schrader I'm not sure what is meant by "writer's block."

I generally suffer from insufficient time to write. I'm not someone who can write if I only have a hal…moreI'm not sure what is meant by "writer's block."

I generally suffer from insufficient time to write. I'm not someone who can write if I only have a half hour here or there. I need time to get back into the time period and the story. So I generally set aside my weekends for writing. Then, when the weekend finally comes, I usually re-read the previous scene/section even chapter before I start work on the next, and I use the workweek to think ahead to what exactly I want to write on the coming weekend.

I have never sat down to write without knowing what I want to write. The worst that happens is I'm not sure what perspective to take or how to approach a certain scene and I may write several versions of the same scene before I feel satisfied.

But I honestly can't remember ever just staring at a blank screen without a clue about what to write. Maybe that comes from writing only on weekends and so having lots of time to think about what I want to write before I actually sit down. I hope that answers your question.(less)

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Helena P. Schrader’s books

Average rating: 4.43 · 1,404 ratings · 250 reviews · 35 distinct works • Similar authors

	Leonidas of Sparta: A Boy of the Agoge (Leonidas of Sparta Trilogy, #1) 4.34 avg rating — 225 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Leonidas of Sparta: A Heroic King (Leonidas of Sparta Trilogy, #3) 4.46 avg rating — 166 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Leonidas of Sparta: A Peerless Peer (Leonidas of Sparta Trilogy, #2) 4.48 avg rating — 159 ratings — published 2011 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Balian d'Ibelin: Knight of Jerusalem 4.31 avg rating — 131 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Where Eagles Never Flew 4.50 avg rating — 110 ratings — published 2007 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Defender of Jerusalem 4.66 avg rating — 70 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Envoy of Jerusalem 4.66 avg rating — 70 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Crusader Kingdom: Dawn of a Dynasty in Twelfth-Century Cyprus 4.74 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Blockade Breakers: The Berlin Airlift 4.13 avg rating — 40 ratings — published 2008 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Traitors for the Sake of Humanity 4.62 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 2008 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Characters in "Cold Peace" - Jakob Liebherr

While the conflict in Berlin 1948-1949 was primarily between the post-war superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Berliners were not just pawns. Indeed, they could have ended the entire crisis at at any time simply by indicating their preference for Soviet. The West was only willing to make the huge effort to supply Berlin by air as long as the Berliners themselves wanted to rem

Series by Helena P. Schrader

Leonidas of Sparta Trilogy (3 books)
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Helena P. Schrader (Goodreads Author)

4.42 avg rating — 550 ratings

Balian D'Ibelin (3 books)
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Helena P. Schrader (Goodreads Author)

4.49 avg rating — 271 ratings

Series (2 books)
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Helena P. Schrader (Goodreads Author)

4.44 avg rating — 39 ratings

Templar Tales (2 books)
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Helena P. Schrader (Goodreads Author)

4.35 avg rating — 31 ratings

Tales from the Languedoc (2 books)
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Helena P. Schrader (Goodreads Author)

4.63 avg rating — 24 ratings

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The Powerful Women of Outremer: Forgotten Heroines of the Crusader States

by Helena P Schrader

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Aug 19, 2024 06:22AM

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Hungry Ghosts

by C J Barker (Goodreads Author)

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Mar 27, 2024 11:06AM

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CHOOSING SIDES

by David K Wessel

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Mar 09, 2024 10:31AM

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Helena Schrader has read Night After Night by Luella Langevad	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Helena Schrader rated a book it was amazing The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This classic remains one of the most compelling and moving accounts of the Battle of the Atlantic ever written. I read it for the first time roughly 50 years ago and it haunted me. Rereading only reaffirmed the power of the story told by an eye-witne ...more
Sep 20, 2024 03:34AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat
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Sep 17, 2024 05:59AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Cold Peace by Helena P. Schrader. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Cold Peace by Helena P. Schrader
Helena Schrader liked Faraoun Mohamed's review of Cold Peace: "Historical events, real facts and legendary characters, all collected by the writer in this book, one of the post-Second World War, the beginning of the Cold War, Everything that happened in that period, I love history books very much, especially thi" Read more of this review »
Sep 13, 2024 08:52AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Cold Peace by Helena P. Schrader. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Cold Peace by Helena P. Schrader
Helena Schrader liked Ugwu Nnenna's review of Moral Fibre: A Bomber Pilot's Story: "Kit Moran refuses to fly due to given circumstances and he is now termed "LMF"( Lacking in Moral Fibre ) a name given to aircraft men who refused to fly to aid war effort. but Kit was given an opportunity to redeem himself persay and was given a chan" Read more of this review »
Sep 13, 2024 08:50AM · see review
Helena Schrader made a comment on Radwa’s review of Cold Peace " Well, Putin's puppets and advocates of Russian aggression have a right to their opinion too -- it's just not history. The book is. ...more "
Sep 06, 2024 06:16AM · see review
Helena Schrader is currently reading The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Excellent analysis supported by sources. Excellent analysis of an important strain in American politics pre-existing Trump. Well argued and supported by historical evidence. It helps readers understand seemingly contradictory behaviours and has relev ...more
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Excellent analysis supported by sources. Excellent analysis of an important strain in American politics pre-existing Trump. Well argued and supported by historical evidence. It helps readers understand seemingly contradictory behaviours and has relev ...more
Sep 02, 2024 08:33AM · like · see review
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Quotes by Helena P. Schrader (?)

“All men are sinners, Eleanor. The greater the man, the greater the sins.”
― Helena P. Schrader, St. Louis' Knight

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