The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women
Can a woman's version ofThe  Princeactually work?There's a sidelong sensibility at work in this post-feminist analog to the  Renaissance's great work of strategy.  Harriet Rubin urges women to triumph by  turning their enemies into allies and their fear into power; by enlarging their  sphere rather than defending it; and by learning tobestinstead ofwin.But there's a delicate wryness to the art of balancing tensions to one's  advantage. One of the most telling examples is that of Sun Tzu, who bet the  emperor he could turn the twelve royal concubines into fierce warriors, but was  bested by the concubines, who simply giggled when he barked orders at them.  Modern women may find interpreting this a challenge, but an entertaining one.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.