Women’s History Week was established by President Carter in 1980 and then in 1987 Congress established it as Women’s History Month. For the month of March, I will be celebrating the lives of amazing women and their contributions to the world. So often their contributions haven’t been recognized or celebrated as they should. I love that in the past several years, the number of biographies about all of these women have shined a light onto their incredible work.
To kick off Women’s History, I am sharing three books…
Hedy Lamarr's Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark, Illustrated by Katy Wu (Sterling, February 5, 2019)
I was aware of Hedy Lamarr’s life as an actress but had no clue until a couple of years ago that she was quite the inventor. Sadly, I am not surprised that it took 50 years for her work in discovering frequency hopping to be recognized. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, women were expected to get married and have children. They were not expected to be thinkers and scientists and inventors and engineers. Wallmark provides young readers with a fabulous introduction to this incredible woman.
A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan, Illustrated by Xia Gordon (Sterling, January 1, 2019)
Gwendolyn Brooks would have been a contemporary of Hedy Lamarr and yet I suspect that their lives were very different. Brooks was an exceptional poet and writer and became the first Black Writer to win the prestigious Pulitzer Award. Duncan intertwines her poetry and verse about Brooks with actual poetry written by Brooks. Definitely a love song for a very talented woman.
Gloria Takes a Stand: How Gloria Steinem Listened, Wrote, and Changed the World by Jessica Rinker, Illustrated by Daria Peoples-Riley (Bloomsbury Children’s Book, March 12, 2019)
When I was growing up, I remember hearing about and reading about Gloria Steinem. At the time, I don’t really think I thought about how significant her work was and the contributions she made in moving forward equal rights for women. Rinker providers young readers with a general overview of Steinem’s life and contributions. It has motivated me to read more about her.
Look for each of these books at your local indie bookstore or community library.
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…