Revolutionary Women

June 13, 2022
Shen (Legendary Ladies) spotlights “underrepresented women” in this vivid and inspiring illustrated history. Her profile subjects include actor and singer Eartha Kitt; Annie Easley, one of the first Black women who worked at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor to NASA; fashion designer Anna Sui, whose career took off when Madonna wore one of her dresses on the cover of Vogue; bestselling novelist Isabel Allende; and Annie Dodge Wauneka, a public health activist and the second woman elected to the Navajo Tribal Council. Throughout, Shen’s capsule biographies document her subjects’ accomplishments while shining a light on social issues including disparities in healthcare access between white women and women of color and the stereotyping of Asian women in Hollywood. She also sketches historical episodes when women led the fight against injustice, including the campaign to overturn “Juan Crow” laws targeting Mexican Americans in the early 20th century, the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the 1965 Delano grape strike. Stylish graphics and vibrant gouache portraits complement the book’s impressive range of profile subjects, including drag queens, engineers, and athletes. This is a fitting tribute to women whose achievements and struggles deserve to be better known.

Starred review from August 1, 2022

Shen's (Legendary Ladies) new book goes beyond the usual overview of exceptional women; it should become required reading for anyone interested in digging deeper into the complex achievements of women who have revolutionized their fields and, by extension, the cultural, political, and social systems. Broken into categories focused on art, excellence, exploration, expression, and knowledge, all designated as active pursuits and progress rather than final destinations, the text examines the contributions that women--Eartha Kitt, Misty Copeland, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mae Jemison, Wilma Mankiller, Ida B. Wells, and many others--have made to challenge deep cultural biases and assumptions. She uses accessible, visually clear designs to provide chronologies for the women, quotations, and clear analyses of their roles in changing history. VERDICT A much-needed book suitable for readers of all ages interested in learning how women have disrupted systems of oppression and how people can continue to build on their work.--Emily Bowles

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