33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R.A. - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0375811222 ISBN 13: 9780375811227

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2002

Synopsis

Here’s the perfect book for anyone interested in learning more about girls and women in the United States from the 18th century to the present. Featuring contributions from a wide variety of women, including well-known nonfiction writers, a children’s librarian, historians, and many more, this latest addition to the 33 Things series provides an engaging, inspiring, informative look at the role women have played in shaping American history.

About this title

About the Author

Tonya Bolden is the author of the children's book Through Loona's Door: A Tammy and Owen Adventure with Carte G. Woodson. Her books for teenagers include the novels Mama, I Want to Sing (co-authored with Vy Higginsen) and Just Family; the anthology Rites of Passage: Stories About Growing Up by Black Writers from Around the World; and a collection of biographies of ten epic women, And Not Afraid to Dare. Her books for grownups include The Book of African American Women: 150 Crusaders, Creators, and Uplifters . She is a native New Yorker.

Reviews

Grade 6 & Up--In an impressive collection of articles, poems, diary entries, and fiction, Bolden builds a strong historical foundation about women's history. The opening poem, "Past Is Prologue," sets the tone: "You can't go anywhere in this world really without knowing where you as a woman have been." Abigail Adams's remarkable 1775 correspondence with her husband, in which she asserts the need for equality, follows: "-I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors." Thoughtful selections about the suffrage movement, the 1848 Women's Convention at Seneca Falls, men who are feminists, women's firsts, fashion trends, and rebels are also included. Wise quotations by women will find their way onto many bulletin boards and mirrors: "What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down" (Mary Pickford) and "I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself" (Rita Mae Brown). The tone throughout is positive and informative, empowering teens with neglected facts about and contributions of women to the history of the United States. With plentiful black-and-white illustrations and photos and an appealing format, this is a valuable book.
Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The impressive, chronologically organized 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R.A., edited by Tonya Bolden, begins with Abigail Adams's 1776 letter to her husband, "Remember the Ladies," proceeds through Charlotte Perkins Gilman's groundbreaking "The Yellow Wallpaper" (excerpted) and includes thoughtful reflections on other leading women, such as Patricia McKissack's fictional essay narrated by Charlotte Woodward (the only woman in attendance at the Seneca Falls convention still alive to exercise her right to vote). Period photographs, quotes, timelines, bios and varied typography give the volume an attractive, accessible feel.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6-9. Bolden, the compiler of 33 Things Every Girl Should Know (1998), focuses on women's history this time, providing a cornucopia of information, some of which will surprise readers. Drawing from a number of sources and authors, she covers a wide range of topics, arranging her material mostly chronologically. There's the famous letter from Abigail Adams reminding her husband to "remember the ladies," essays about the suffrage movement, and information on women of the West and women in war, Eleanor Roosevelt, beauty, and girl singing groups of the 1960s. A chart shows the ways women's fashions have changed and a time line follows the progress (and lack thereof) of the women's rights movement. There are also bibliographies, biographical profiles, and poetry, with everything set down in a format that cleverly uses typeface and photographs to draw readers in. This is a very strong, highly readable offering that gives context to the feminist movement--and demystifies that controversial term. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

by Elizabeth Johnson

Past Is Prologue
When the earth was created
your ancestors gave respect to their ancestors.
They knew where they came from,
but do you?
You can't really call yourself a girl
without knowing what it really means to be a girl.
Being a girl is having the strength and wisdom of
Mary McLeod Bethune, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Rita Moreno.
You're feminine-less
for knowing less than you should about
Jane Addams, Sojourner Truth, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Frieclan, and Wilma
Mankiller.
You should know that Anna Mae Aquash was martyred
for fighting for the rights
she knew her people deserved.
And that Ming-Na has helped create a diverse Hollywood.
And every published woman should know that
Phillis Wheatley was one of the first published women in the United States,
and her words inspired George Washington.
Oh, you know who Mr. Washington is.

But the women who paved the way for you to be
a doctor,
a lawyer,
a writer,
an actress,
or a journalist aren't a part of your everyday story.
That's because you don't see the relevance of Gloria Steinem marching through
America
for woman's rights,
you just see that you have rights.
And you don't know why Dorothy Dandridge changed the movies, or
why Marilyn Monroe was so beautiful.
But you do know that JFK was a president loved by many,
and that Lincoln was assassinated.
You know the exact date Pearl Harbor was bombed.
But you don't know the battles your mother,
grandmother, and great-grand mother waged so you could live a better life.
You can't go anywhere in this world
really
without knowing where you as a woman have been.
To all the ferninine-lesses of the 21st century-
With every HisStory is HerStory,
find yours out before it's too late.

Edition details

• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375811222
• ISBN 13: 9780375811227
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Bolden Tonya