By Charlene M. Brown
I don’t really consider myself a “feminist” per se, but I do enjoy learning about women who are pioneering mavericks. The book, Cool Women: The Thinking Girl’s Guide to the Hippest Women in History, is one such adventure in learning.
While it has a decidedly American slant, Cool Women, edited by Pam Nelson, gives good information on quite a variety of women throughout the history of the world.
From Althea Gibson and Annie Oakley to the Amazon Women, Queen Njinga (Nzinga) and MuLan the warrior; from Georgia O’Keefe and Nancy Drew to Lady Pirates and Lady Spies; from Rosie the Riveter and Lucille Ball to Isabella de Castille and Lakshmi Bai, Cool Women traces the lives of women the world over in tiny tidbits of tasty knowledge.
In an easy- to –read format designed for teens, each page has a new woman (or women) to learn about. I don’t know about you, but I always feel empowered when I see women doing their own thing (perhaps an undercover feminist after all . . . ) and enjoy that fact that there is a book full of them right here at my fingertips.
Cool Women delves into topics that cross cultures and borders and considering what kind of information is available about women throughout history (based on a decidedly male-dominated account of history), does a surprisingly good job.
Letting our imagination guide us, we learn about daring warrior women, soulful singers, female pilots and Hollywood heiresses. Cool Women travels from Joan of Arc to the Harlem Renaissance and back again.
These renegade women ripped and roared their way right into history, though often left out of the written down, “mainstream” portion. Rightfully, these rueful historical refugees, redesigned their relegated spaces by riveting their male counterparts. These captivating catalysts creatively catapulted themselves into history.
Because of the pioneering spirit of the women mentioned in this book, women of today, everywhere, have examples to follow, even if in their own little corner of the world.
What I like most about these Cool Women is that there are resources listed on many of the pages for young girls (or young women!) to check out if they want more information. This book also doesn’t shy away from some of the ugly truths surrounding some of the women and talks straight about such things as breaking color barriers in the United States, and, of course, gender barriers the world over.
Cool Women is a great gift to any young woman trying to find her way in the world and seeking examples.
“[W]hat made each of these women glorious was not her flawlessness, but her humanity . . . Cool Women aims for that moment . . . when a girl or woman finds the story that sings to her.”
Do You Love Your Cool-Woman-Life Now!? I Do!!
Cool Women: The Thinking Girl’s Guide to the Hippest Women in History
Edited by Pam Nelson; Written by Dawn Chipman, Mari Florence, Naomi Wax
© 1998 by Girl Press, New York, NY
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- Googling the Renaissance: Real Women and Feminism!
- How To Be A “Lady”: Her Shifting Ways, Part I
- Charlie’s Angels, Kept Women, and Buying Your Own Drinks
- Real Women: Renaissance All the Way!
- How to Be “A Lady:” Her Shifting Ways, Part II
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© 2009 You Can Love Your Life Now!
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