Part of its series Women of Action, Chicago Review Press presents these brief

biographies of women past and present who have made a difference that resulted in

betterment for all. These fighters for human, civil, reproductive, worker’s, farmers’

rights and world peace are engagingly presented by the author, who includes resources,

useful bibliographies and notes to aid readers in future study. Further, sidebars put

stories in the context of the locations and prevailing customs and practices of the times.

Ross crosses ‘barriers’ of age, place and time to highlight the bravery of 16

women who took action rather than accepting the status quo and in so doing, changed

the face of history and the lives of all women. Often, their activism carried a high cost –

jail, attack, assassination attempts, vilification, ostracism, and outraged society. Still,

they prevailed, gathering to their causes other strong, dedicated women to whom the

struggle was well worth the cost.

Readers learn about Megan Grassell (empowerment through bras), Margaret

Sanger (abortion rights), Alice Paul (Equal Rights), Maggie Kuhn (Grey Panthers), Sampat

Pal Devi (the Gulabi Gang), Dana Edell (Girl Power), Malala Yousafzai (girls’ education),

Mary “Mother” Jones (organizing), Vandana Shiva (food and farmers), Rigoberta

Menchu Tum (indigenous rights), Kalpona Akter (garment workers’ struggles), Jane

Addams (peace and the safety net), Ida B. Wells (anti-lynching), Buffy Sainte-Marie

(Native activism through music), Judy Baca (mural activism), and Leymah Gbowee

(Women in White for peace). Each exploration into these lives is fascinating, vibrantly

depicted and filled with new information about each woman in the context of her time.

It is an important document for times like these and a worthy new addition to collective biographies for you library.

Recommended.