5 Stars

For the record, I hate that I have to review this. WHY in 2017 do I still have to seek out and devour books about incredible women? We were supposed to have jet packs and flying cars and a cure for cancer by now, but instead, we’re going backwards into the Dark Ages of gender inequality every single day. My two daughters never had to be given books like “Important Women Who Achieved Great Things” to build them up, but here we are.

But now that this is our reality, I’m so glad this book is here. Every time someone uses “she persisted,” it’s another reminder that an old, rich, white A-hole tried to shut up an intelligent woman…and society whispered, “No.”

In Still I Rise, though, the author not only profiled women who were phenomenal but maybe not always household names, she weaves the tale of their own rising into the story. The focus isn’t just on greatness and achievements; in fact, it’s actually more about really awesome women who overcame a crap-pile that most people would have just drowned in.

At times, it felt like I was whispering behind my hands with the author, dishing on these women’s dirty laundry, but that feeling quickly went away when I remembered that these women owned their stories and–while maybe proud is the wrong word–they certainly weren’t ashamed. They’d risen, after all.