LS 5623, 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History

Bolden, Tonya, ed. 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women’s History. Crown Publishers: New York, 2002.

ISBN: 0-375-91122-7

Subtitled From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R. A., Bolden’s collection is a very enlightening work. There are few known names that contributed to this collection; Abigail Adams and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are among the recognizable ones but don’t let it deter you from looking through this book. Among the selections are an essay on Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the creation of the Declaration of Sentiments, the women’s answer to the Declaration of Independence. There is a short guide (because there aren’t many) to the monuments to women in the United States and an illustrated biographical section on politically active women from the American Revolution, onward. Complimentary to the history, is a time line by another contributor of women’s moments in history. “The Faces of Feminism” tells us that not all feminists think alike and there are different types of feminism and defines them. In “Men Can Be Feminists, Too” there are the pro-feminists tenets of the National Organization of Men Against Sexism (NOMAS).

The July/August 2002 issue of The Horn Book states: “This welcome primer employs essays, poems, quotations, fictional testimonials, biographical blurbs, photographs, artwork, and even a play to guide readers through U.S. women's history—and to explain why the women's movement matters today as much as it mattered in the past.” Teen girls may be fascinated by all the history they may have missed through regular history classes and teen boys shouldn’t shy away from it, either; they will realize that women played important roles in history and did some pretty cool things. Photographs throughout the book and illustrations by different contributors add to the appeal. A glossary towards the back of the book defines terms important to “herstory”. Also included are short biographies of the contributors and editor of the book and an index makes finding certain subject matters easy. There is perhaps one drawback to this title and it’s that the contributions in only offer information up to the year 2000. Let’s hope Bolden updates the volume to include the last ten years!