How FEMALE ATHLETES SHATTERED STEREOTYPES in the ROARING TWENTIES
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Opportunities to watch our modern day female athletes excel at their chosen sport are available without a problem. It could be a superstar in tennis, basketball, golf, and soccer or a world class athlete in the Olympic Games. They’re truly outstanding and inspire young girls to follow in their footsteps.
But what these young women are able to do in 2020 is thanks to those who laid the groundwork one hundred years ago. With BREAKING THROUGH we can now celebrate this other time. Here’s the the official description:
Award-winning author Sue Macy offers a fresh and timely account of women in sports in the pivotal decade of the 1920s, and how their determination, talent, and defiance in the face of criticism promoted women’s rights, redefined femininity, and changed the course of history. Featuring bold and talented female athletes, this book documents how the social issues and morals of the decade — from politics to segregation to the media — helped shape the changing narratives around women and alter the course of history entirely. It is a fascinating window into a rich and seldom explored history, and also a topical reminder of the many discussions surrounding femininity and the role of women that continue today. Featuring a foreword by Muffet McGraw, the lionhearted Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach, this is an excellent selection for Women’s History Month (March) and National Girls and Women in Sports Day (Feb 5, 2020).
Arranged in five chapters, each covering two years of the decade, it’s likely you will not have heard of these superstars of the past. Such greats as sprinter Wanda Danley, basketball star Kathy Miller, or track standout, Norma Zilk are just a few of the athletes who appear with fascinating stories of their struggles and triumphs.
Also included are the critics, those who did everything in their power to make sure sports were for men only. Thanks to many women athletes and others who insisted on equal opportunities, it is a much better world today. But there’s still a ways to go, especially in the area of equal pay on par with what men earn in the same sport.
Each chapter ends with a summary of other events that took place during the period. A perfect historical accompaniment.
Breaking Though ends with four pages of defining moments in women’s sports from the 1890’s right up to present day. It’s an eye opening account that you might consider reading before delving in to the 1920s.
Make sure this one is in your library. Budding superstars along with their parents and teachers, will benefit greatly from the stories told here.
A book long overdue!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SUE MACY is the author of close to two dozen books for children and young adults, many of which focus on sports and women’s history. Her nonfiction picture books, middle-grade biographies, and young adult social histories have been named to many Best Books lists and have garnered many awards from state and national organizations. A graduate of Princeton University, Sue spent much of her early career at Scholastic Inc., supervising classroom magazines and serving as editor in chief of the best-selling Scholastic Children’s Dictionary. She lives in Englewood, New Jersey. (For more visit her author website)
*********************************************
Coming up this Monday is another edition of…
Always in the Middle... 
Sounds like a book every library should have!
It surprises me that no one has written a book about inspiring female athletes 100 years ago who paved the way for others.What an excellent choice and read. Definitely belongs in school libraries.
NatGeo does so many great books for kids. This sounds like a great addition to any library. Thanks for the post.