She Takes a Stand by Michael Elsohn Ross

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.