Do you know who Nelly Bly was? Or Hellen Keller? Or Claudette Colvin? Or maybe Virginia Apgar (whose family name is codified as the Apgar scale, an evaluation me, at least, always asked about seconds about the birth of my children)? All of them, and eight more, are featured in this children book by Chelsea Clinton, She Persisted.
Besides being women, those personalities were strong enough to resist any efforts of the society or even their family to step back from their dreams. They persisted and refused to give up their human right to education and personal and professional accomplishment.
Is such an endeavour greatly anachronic and out of context as nowadays women can be actually whatever they want? Every couple of days I'm shared thoughts about how women should still calm down their career dreams and think instead of their mother and wife roles, that it is important to fish for a rich and career driven husband which would guarantee the financial security for the rest of your life - and you can be busy with your hobbies when he is away, or after you cooked his favorited pie. And so on and on an on. We are almost in the 2018 CE.
Reading such stories to both girls and boys - the age target is 4 to 8 years old - is preparing them to cope with the real life challenges that gender or education background or race (unfortunately, I join other reviewers of the book who noticed that there is no Asian-American woman featured in the book) could bring to your dreams. Although it might be hard, terribly hard, you need to persist. 'So, if anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn't important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you'.
A very inspirational book that every mother should read it too.
The illustrations are not so impressive, just fine.
Rating: 4 stars
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