She Persisted
“When someone tells me I can’t do anything...I’m just not listening anymore.”
Author Chelsea Clinton introduces the story by saying “Throughout U.S. history, there have always been women who have spoken out for what's right, even when they have to fight to be heard.” Unfortunately, we don’t hear about women’s accomplishments nearly as often as we hear about those of men.
She Persisted, written by Chelsea Clinton celebrates thirteen American women who helped shape our country through their tenacity in unique ways. All of their differences aside, they each are examples of persistent, resilient, people. This book features remarkable women such as Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Nellie Bly, Sonia Sotomayor, and many others.
The book is written as a set of mini-bios that serve as an introduction to these important women. Hopefully, these teasers will inspire young readers to ask more questions, reading and more books, and find ways to be amazing in their own way.
Books about amazing women inspire young feminists, boys, and girls alike. They show us all the potential that women and girls have especially when they tap into their resiliency. We need books like this to better represent the accomplishments of American women.
Teachers
This book is great for PreK through 4th grade.
As your students to find their own example of a woman who changed the world, learn a little about them, and then share what they learned through a writing activity. Collect each of the stories to create a class-created book about women that are important to them. You could also have students write a story titled, “I Persisted.” Prompt their writing for this exercise by asking “What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?”
Some Things to Think About…
Discussion questions
Do we need books that focus only on girls or women? Why or why not?
What women would you include in this book if you could add to it?
Who is a remarkable woman in your life? What has she done that you think is amazing?
Activity:
Go through the books on your bookshelf. Make a quick tally of how many of the books have female main characters and how many have male main characters. What do you notice? Do you have any books where the main character is non-binary or transgender?
illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
