She Represents: 44 Women Who Are Changing Politics…and the World

Gr 7 Up–This alphabetically organized collection highlights a variety of prominent, international women leaders who have made major political and social contributions to their countries. In her introduction, Donohue stresses that the book was not written “for fangirls”; rather, her goal is to help readers “learn about them to understand them.” Each profile includes the subheadings “Life Story,” “What’s on Her Agenda,” “Awesome Achievements,” and “Quotables.” The text does not focus solely on the positive aspects of these women’s careers; it also features moments where the women and their policies have been criticized. This balanced approach offers a fuller, more realistic view of these individuals. In addition to the larger spreads on women currently in politics, there are smaller sections labeled “Historic Heavyweights,” “Fix What Ain’t Right,” “History’s Firsts,” “Noteworthy First Ladies,” and “Women Judges and Justices.” These sections offer short, detailed paragraphs describing important figures in history such as Benazir Bhutto, Aya Kamikawa, and Shirley Chisholm. Liberals and conservatives are included. Illustrations of many but not all of the women are shown. Boxes that highlight important terms, such as filibuster and constituency, are also included throughout the book. Back matter contains source notes organized by the profiled individual.