With a cargo of books in tow, author Vicki León visited the Upper School campus as a guest of history teacher Dr. Ruth Meyer on Wednesday and Thursday, part of Women’s History Month.

Students were able to talk with the historian and purchase signed copies of León’s books, including the Uppity Women series about unconventional women, Working IX to V, about ancient jobs, as well as How to Mellify a Corpse, about a novel embalming process. She spoke to Dr. Meyer’s World History classes, and students also participated in an interactive activity, discussing some artifacts from different civilizations.

“I thought what she said was pretty interesting. She’s a knowledgeable and informative person, and she also brought some artifacts that were pretty interesting to look at,” freshman Alex Jang said.

León is an avid history researcher, who enjoys exploring the less well-known women of world history: the female healers, pirates, writers, and deceivers of the ancient world. The historian began her research when she was in college, when she asked her history professor for a quarter of independent historical research about women.

“I said that I would really like to find out what real women did back then, and not just the literary ones like Helen of Troy or goddesses,” she said.

According to León, it was difficult to find accurate and interesting primary sources, but by assuming the role of a “historical detective,” as she calls herself, León was able to collect enough clues to tell the story of an “uppity woman.” She shared some tips with the students listening to her presentation.

“It isn’t really research until you go to it,” León said, referring to the travel she did to see first-hand sources. In fact, the author entered the writing field by writing travel articles for a local newspaper.

Some students also used León’s books as sources for their research papers.

“I thought [meeting León] was a good experience because I used one of her books for a research paper, so it was nice meeting her in person,” Angeline Pan (9) said.

Next year, León will be releasing a book about sex and love in the ancient world. Future projects also include a book about medicine’s evolution through time.