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This non-fiction selection is a solid choice for late middle
school and early high school students. Part
of the Women of Action series, the focus of She Takes a Stand by
Michael Elsohn Ross is on strong women – 16 in all – who have made an impact in
the area of social justice, especially for women.
Even with the relatively small number of women who are profiled,
quite a range is represented – from Megan Grassell, founder of Yellowberry and a contemporary advocate on body image issues, to
more historical role models like Margaret Sanger, birth control advocate, or Ida
B. Wells, journalist and civil rights activist.
Ross profiles an interesting mix of choices, and I particularly like the
inclusion of the international figures such as Malala Yousafzai or Rigoberta
Menchu Tum. In fact, these are some of the people who are included in our “Make
a Difference” project which I have mentioned previously on this blog. Since the book
contains a nicely annotated set of resources and web addresses, plus extensive
notes, a bibliography, and an index, She Takes a Stand could
support our curriculum project and would complement other published group
biographies like Headstrong
by Rachel Swaby.
The Words We Live By from Linda R. Monk has long been a
personal favorite for use in teaching about the US Constitution and Supreme
Court rulings. Monk, a graduate of
Harvard Law School is an award-winning author and recognized authority. Her
work feels very interactive, with images, definitions and multiple sidebars. In fact, I remember when it inspired a
precursor to the National Constitution Center’s website where Monk is still quoted. The Words We Live By continues to be
an extremely helpful guide for students since it describes the sections and
amendments of the Constitution and intersperses that interpretation with
examples of actual cases.
We often use The Words We
Live By in various projects related to civil liberties, court cases, and Constitutional law. It is exciting that a digital edition (with passages
from President Obama, Justice Ginsburg and others) is coming out in August prior
to Constitution Day which is on September 17 this year. Monk has also authored Ordinary
Americans which is another invaluable resource containing primary sources
and explaining, as its subtitle notes, U.S. history through the eyes of everyday people.
2 Billion Under 20 is sub-titled “how Millennials are breaking down age
barriers and changing the world” and shares the story of 75 young entrepreneurs
and innovators in a variety of fields like business, medicine, athletics and
the arts. The authors themselves
certainly have an impressive set of credentials: Stacey Ferreira is CEO of
AdMoar and was a cofounder of MySocialCloud (receiving over $1 million in
funding from sources including Richard Branson) while Jared Kleinert is a
teenage international public speaker who has been featured in numerous
business publications. A couple of other examples of people who are profiled in
this book include Sam Mikulak, who's represented Team USA in the Olympics and is
a seven-time NCAA champion in Men's Gymnastics, and Jack Andraka, who developed
an early detection test for pancreatic cancer at fifteen. In sections labeled
“Start,” “Risk,” “Journey,” “Learn,” and “Succeed,” the contributors each offer
reflections and valuable suggestions for their peers. To learn more about 2 Billion Under 20,
visit the website or take part in the book tour which will
be virtual in part.
It is great to see the impact that
the profiled young people are having, but I am not sure if I can call this work
truly inspirational. With almost 30% of the world’s population under 20, these
75 individuals are by any definition beyond exceptional, as the above examples show. And while I do not
mean to detract from their many accomplishments, my first impression in reading
2 Billion Under 20 was that it would, in some ways, just add
unrealistic pressure for young people to excel. This feeling was reinforced by
this article, “Campus Suicide and the Pressure of
Perfection,” in yesterday’s New York Times (and another, “Schools Face the Teen Cutting
Problem,” in today’s Wall Street Journal). All this while professors and employers say high school grads are not adequately prepared. 2 Billion
Under 20 does take a global approach and so, too, must we encourage a
holistic, supportive attitude if we are to buoy all of our kids in an
increasingly complex world.
