Of course, the most enduring theme is the fiery-tempered redhead, aggressive, sexual, and, often, bad. Though I can’t say I found anything surprising here, it is a pretty book that is easy to read and covers a lot of good ground. Still, I guess my fascination makes me a target reader for this book. Perhaps it is my Irish heritage (though there is no red hair in my family) or perhaps it is the comparative rarity of the color that captures my attention. It should be more surprising that so many books on redheads have been published through the years however, I myself am intrigued by redheads for no reason that I can logically comprehend. Yes, the negative must be explored to give a concise history, but cripes, explore all avenues.

I wish the book had concentrated more on the positive aspects of having red hair than focusing so thoroughly on all the negative connotations. From that point on I felt unique and embraced it. I will say I always hated having red hair (I was convinced I was adopted at one point) until I was about 11 or 12 and found out that only about 4 percent of the world's population has red hair. aren't teased as vehemently as in other parts of the world (though I did endure some teasing because of my hair color), so maybe this explains it. She does make a claim that redheads in the U.S. The author also seems to have carried a real complex throughout her life about being a redhead. At other times the author is trying too hard to sound 'hip'. At times comes off in textbook-like fashion and, too often, a science textbook. She goes on to explore red hair in the ancient world the prejudice manifested against red hair across medieval Europe red hair during the Renaissance as both an indicator of Jewishness during the Inquisition and the height of fashion in Protestant England, under the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I the modern age of art and literature, and the first positive symbols of red hair in children's characters modern medicine and science and the genetic and chemical decoding of red hair and finally, red hair in contemporary culture, from advertising and exploitation to 'gingerism' and the new movement against bullying.Being a redhead, I was quite excited to read this book. With an obsessive fascination that is as contagious as it is compelling, author Jacky Colliss Harvey (herself a redhead) begins her exploration of red hair in prehistory and traces the redhead gene as it made its way out of Africa with the early human diaspora to its emergence under Northern skies.

A book that breaks new ground, dispels myths, and reinforces the special nature of being a redhead, with a look at multiple disciplines, including science, religion, politics, feminism and sexuality, literature, and art. Red is a brilliantly told, captivating history of red hair throughout the ages.

Red jacky colliss harvey