LS 5623 Mod 5

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33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women’s Historyby Tanya Bolden


Module 5 History, Biography and Nonfiction



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bolden, Tonya. 33 things every girl should know about women's history: from suffragettes to skirt lengths to the ERA. New York: Crown Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0375911227



CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Bolden has skillfully selected articles, poetry and entries to be included in this album of important history. Readers are taken through the toughest and most merciless trials of women in America as they struggled to ensure a fair and equally valued life for all future women in this country. We meet the female athletes, artists, politicians, astronauts and soldiers that pressed through unimaginable obstacles to secure their own dreams and to provide a way for others to follow their dream as well.

After gleaning the knowledge one does from reading this book, empowered readers may also be awakened to a sense of responsibility and duty to all who will come after them. A common message throughout the anthology is that it is imperative that the freedoms enjoyed today are not taken for granted tomorrow.

Readers cannot read this collection and not feel indebted to the women who dared to fight for our future. Some of these warriors gave up their dignity, physical health and lives for girls and women they would never meet but believed would have a more fulfilling life due to their sacrifices.

Bolden has provided an important resource for all Americans; one that should be studied by every young woman and the men who care for them.

BOOK HOOK/EXPLEMPLARY OR FAVORITE LINES

“Some leaders are born women.” Geraldine Ferraro, politician (Bolden 66)

“I am not belittling the brave pioneer men, but the sunbonnet as well as the sombrero has helped to settle this glorious land of ours.” Edna Ferber, novelist (Bolden 66)

“She (First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt) called weekly press conferences restricted to women reporters (as a way of forcing newspapers to hire some)…” (Bolden 106)

“History is full of women who stuck their neck out, heroic women who braved isolation or ridicule to be the first females in their fields.” (Bolden 141)



EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS



School Library Journal

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.

Booklist

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.