The 2012 theme for Women's History Month is Women's Education—Women's Empowerment. A celebration of women's contributions to American history, culture, and society, Women's History Month has been observed annually in the United States since 1987. As with many month long celebrations, this event was developed by a small group; in this case, the Sonoma, California school district. Their week-long celebration caught on and in 1980 President Carter issued the first proclamation declaring a week in March as National Women's History Week. In 1987 the National Women's History Project (a group still in existence) pushed Congress to declare all of March as Women's History Month.
Today, more women are enrolled in college than men but this is only a very recent occurrence. Historically, educational opportunities for men and women have not been equal. It has taken generations of hard work to change the standards of what makes a successful woman. The books in this year's feature showcase many of the amazing and trailblazing women who helped pave the way for change.
For further information about Women's History Month visit:
First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low
Ginger Wadsworth
2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and a fresh, comprehensive biography of founder Juliette Gordon Low is most welcome. Since Mrs. Low did not embark on her best-known enterprise until relatively late in life, Wadsworth faces the challenge of keeping readers engrossed in decades of prefatory material before finally reaching what will be, for most, the main event. Fortunately, Low's life reads like a series of novels: an early childhood in a family divided into opposing sides of the Civil War, a privileged adolescence in boarding schools and frolicking with an extended family of aunts and cousins, a young adulthood of courtships and European tours, a romantic marriage that devolved into adultery and divorce. Finally, well into her fifties, the restless Mrs. Low settled on an enthusiasm worthy of her energy and talent—working for the betterment of American girls. The tone here is admiring and enthusiastic but never hagiographic; it's always clear that "Daisy" could be a bit flighty and more than a bit pushy. Plenty of black-and-white photographs are included, and Girl Scouts who are familiar with the solidly built Low in her tailored uniform will be delighted to see her more youthful images of a quite beautiful woman of fashion. Endnotes are included, as well as a timeline, a bibliography of print and online sources; the bound book will include an index. Pass the Thin Mints, please. Review Code: R — Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2011, Clarion, $17.99. Grades 5-8. Reviewer: Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2011 (Vol. 65, No. 5)).
ISBN: 9780547243948
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