For Girls, and Those Who Love Them
For Girls, and Those Who Love Them
by
Kate Marley
Sexism is one of the most enduring, widespread and
misunderstood prejudices in this world today. Many countries
imposed economic sanctions to protest the plight of blacks
who were denied equal rights in South Africa, but there is
no such movement against the Taliban government for it’s
similar treatment of women. If we discovered a culture that
whacked off the penis of teenage boys to control their
libido, one can just imagine the outcry (remember the
Bobbitts?)…and yet girls in Africa who face genital
mutilation don’t seem to get much help from “enlightened”
societies. Heck, there are still places in Switzerland where
women can’t vote!
So I wanted to focus on books to help everyone - mothers,
fathers, brothers as well as sisters - be more aware of the
dangers of prejudice and the advantages for us ALL when
females are free to learn and grow to their full potential.
PICTURE BOOKS
Seven Brave Women
by Betsy Hearne. c 1997, Greenwillow Books
While most historical accounts revolve around the deeds and
efforts of war, this author talks about another kind of
heritage, one passed down through the women of her family.
It includes harps and hardiness, quilts and courage, teapots
and tenderness, books and bravery of the quiet, unsung
heroines of everyday life. Vibrant illustrations by Bethanne
Andersen are an excellent compliment to this neat book, that
extols the homemaker as well as the professional woman.
Beautiful Warrior
by Emily Arnold McCully. c 1998,
Scholastic.
From the fertile grounds of 17th century Chinese art,
philosophy and martial arts comes the inspiration for this
original story about a nun’s kung fu. Mingyi goes to the nun
for help when a bandit threatens her and her family, and
receives far more than she had ever dreamed. Illustrations
by the author evoke the magical, mystical aura of that
faraway time near the famous Shaolin Temple.
TRANSITIONAL BOOKS
Tomboy Trouble
by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. c 1998, Random House.
Georgia has moved, and her short haircut causes confusion
among some of her new schoolmates. She doesn’t see what’s
wrong with liking baseball, or having short hair, but has to
deal with the sexist attitudes of grownups as well as kids.
The colorful illustrations are by Lynne Woodcock Cravath.
WNBA, We Got Next!
by Gail Herman. c 1998, Grosset & Dunlap.
Filled with plenty of color photos as well as illustrations
by Edward Heins, this short recap of the first year of the
Women’s National Basketball Association is a positive look
at how far women’s sports teams have come. There’s a short
history of women in basketball, some player profiles, and a
look at what’s ahead.
Women of Hope
by Joyce Hansen. c 1998, Scholastic.
Each woman profiled in this beautiful book has a double page
spread - on one side is her picture and on the other, a
brief biography of her contribution to society, her gender
and her race. It’s a great introduction for kids, to see
just a few of the courageous examples of what hard work,
determination and talent can mean not just to one person,
but to those around them as well.
Anita! The Woman Behind the Body Shop
by Jules Older. c 1998, Charlesbridge Publishing.
This works really well in three ways. First, it’s a modern
day success story of an unconventional woman in the
conventional field of business. Secondly, Anita Roddick kept her
conscience even when rich, and has tried to use her money to
help worthy causes. And third - this book was just so much
fun to read! Written in a colloquial, breezy style, with
plenty of weird details, the cartoony illustrations by Lisa
Kopper, and the interesting beauty hints scattered
throughout made this entertaining as well as educational.
FOR OLDER READERS
Rosie the Riviter
by Penny Colman. c 1995, Crown.
It’s amazing how so many people think that modern woman’s
discontent arose out of the sixties, when there is so much
evidence that it began earlier. This fascinating book on
women and work on the home front during World War II talks
about the social changes created by the desperate need for
workers in defense factories, complete with photos, cartoons
and lots of interviews. It’s a side of World War II that
most kids have never seen, and still relevant to today, for
many seeds of change that were sown back then would later bear
fruit that directly benefits today's generations.
Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages
by Vicki Leon. c 1998, Wiley.
Another fun book in the Outrageous Women series! Short
biographies of several outstanding women who defied
conventions and left their mark in history reminds girls
that even if the history books don’t always mention them,
there were still women out in the world making waves.
For Girls Only
by Carol Weston. c 1998, Avon Camelot Books.
Inspirational, pithy, practical and insightful - this nifty
collection of quotes from everyone, all over, is great to
read one page at a time, in one sitting, or by sections.
Unlike most such advice books, which are organized day by
day, this has sections devoted to specific topics such as
friends, love, work, etc. A neat little book.
And Not Afraid To Dare
by Tonya Bolden. c 1998, Scholastic.
This is another collective biography of African-American
women who have transcended the double burdens of racism and
sexism to achieve greatness. Sometimes what they accomplished
was widely recognized, sometimes not…but they achieved nonetheless.
While similar to "Women of Hope", this book has much longer sections
on each woman profiled. Their stories are inspirational for girls
of all colors.
Changing Bodies, Changing Lives
by Ruth Bell and others. c
1998, Times Books, 3rd edition.
This is the teen version of OUR BODIES,OURSELVES, which most
of you will remember as one of THE most no nonsense
books about sexuality when we were growing up. It was honest,
and thorough, so don’t get upset about this book being the same way!
Hopefully, this will be as useful for our children as the
original was to us, saving them from grief through misinformation
because they were too shy or embarrassed to ask.
FOR ADULTS
Once Upon A Heroine
by Alison Cooper-Mullin and Jennifer
Marmaduke Coye. c 1998, Contemporary Books.
Actually, kids can read this too - it’s a really great
listing of 450 books with a positive role model or message
particularly relevant to girls. (Although it wouldn’t hurt
boys to read these books, either!) To leaven out the
listings and summaries recollections by some famous
women of the books that influenced them when growing up are
sprinked liberally throughout. It was incredible how often
Nancy Drew popped up, and the
comments are very interesting. I was impressed with the
breadth - old fashioned titles like UNDERSTOOD BETSY are
there as well as some of the newer stuff, like GALAX-ARENA.
All contents © 1999, Kate Marley. All rights reserved.
