11/18/2019
In this well-researched account, Macy (The Book Rescuer) profiles female athletes in the 1920s who paved the way for future generations of women. Each chapter begins with a spotlight of a single athlete whose story opens up a larger understanding of the decade. Archival photographs and news stories add further context, as do additional sidebars, timelines of other notable events from each year, and short “Trailblazer” biographies of accomplished women. Along with inspiring accounts of how the athletes debunked common beliefs about what women could or should be able to do, the profiles reveal the complex barriers of racism as well as sexism. For example, Sportswoman magazine, started in 1924, celebrated the accomplishments of female athletes but focused mainly on upper- and middle-class white women, skipping events and athletes at historically black colleges. An epilogue covers opportunities that followed the passing of Title IX, and a timeline of “Defining Moments in Women’s Sports” begins with the impact of cycling on women’s lives in the 1890s. While young researchers may be the most obvious audience for this title, the attractive design and compelling subject will likely entice young browsers as well. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)
"[Breaking Through] gathers a good deal of pertinent information and presents it chronologically in two-year chapters that end with intriguing roundups of other contemporary events and concerns. Sidebars offer period quotes from sportswriters. Illustrated with well-chosen vintage photos, this colorful book offers a lively introduction to women’s athletics during the 1920s and follows it up with an engaging epilogue titled “Approaching Equality” and a detailed time line, “Defining Moments in Women’s Sports.” The author of Wheels of Change (2011) and Motor Girls (2017), Macy writes perceptively about the history of American women’s sports." — Booklist Starred Review
A feminist look at how events of the 1920s informed the role of female athletes through the next century of American sports. Art deco page designs, colorized archival photos, and reprinted news articles bring readers into the Roaring '20s, illustrating a time of radical change in women's liberation through the lens of sports… A recommended introduction to an often overlooked aspect of feminist history.” — Kirkus Reviews
"This book is ….visually appealing and includes high quality, well-selected photographs.... VERDICT: A fascinating and credible overview of women in American sports in the 1920s. A win for most public and school library collections." — School Library Journal
"The content is direct and precise, its perspectives treated with nuance and care. When possible, the book relies on primary sources, including newspaper articles and quotes from athletes themselves... A satisfying ending shows that the initiatives of the 1920s reverberated through the following decades, laying the groundwork for continued pushes toward equality. Breaking Through is a stirring saga that uses excellent visual storytelling to capture a unique time in women’s athletic history." — Foreward
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02/01/2020
Gr 4–8—Macy chronicles the emergence of American women into collegiate, amateur, and professional sports during the 1920s despite harsh and powerful critics. The lively narrative, organized in five chapters, describes the challenges, injustices, and victories women experienced as they competed for the first time in baseball, biking, diving, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Each chapter contains a two-page time line that provides historical context with notable sociopolitical, popular, and technological events of the time. The similarities echoing today's struggles are often striking: the fight for an Equal Rights Amendment in 1923 (still not ratified as an official law) and the Immigration Act of 1924, which established strict visa quotas into the United States from certain countries. Trailblazers such as Jewish immigrant Ida Schnall and African American tennis and basketball champion Isadore Channels are spotlighted with one-page overviews. Newspaper clippings provide entertaining snippets about groundbreaking women like Eleonora Sears, a multitalented athlete who walked over 42 miles in record time in her 50s. The book, which uses an art deco font and layout, is visually appealing and includes high quality, well-selected photographs. Eye-catching, colorized historic photos at the beginning of each chapter are a clever stylistic choice, showing that women were "coming to life" during this era. The back matter includes a lengthy epilogue, a time line of defining moments, and an author's note that acknowledges the lack of historical sports records on Asian American, Latina, and Native American women in particular. VERDICT A fascinating and credible overview of women in American sports in the 1920s. A win for most public and school library collections.—Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library
2019-11-05
A feminist look at how events of the 1920s informed the role of female athletes through the next century of American sports.
Art deco page designs, colorized archival photos, and reprinted news articles bring readers into the Roaring '20s, illustrating a time of radical change in women's liberation through the lens of sports. Chapters, broken down in two-year increments, focus on athletes and events that moved women forward in an arena dominated by men. Contextualized primary-source articles presented in sidebars help show how women challenged the era's preoccupation with femininity, at odds with athleticism, though at times the main narrative repeats this information. Efforts are made to explore racial segregation in sports and to highlight the important roles played by athletes of color as well as how historically black colleges and universities were more forward-thinking in supporting women athletes than white institutions tended to be. The author's note addresses the challenge of drawing a full picture due to lack of documentation of athletes of color. When discussing sports and athletes outside the U.S., the narrative is Eurocentric with the exception of a spotlight on Japanese athlete Kinue Hitomi. An epilogue ties events of the 1920s to pinnacle moments such as the passing of Title IX and the 2019 Women's World Cup while discussing the disparities still prevalent in sports.
A recommended introduction to an often overlooked aspect of feminist history. (table of contents, foreword, index, timelines, source notes, illustration credits, annotated resource list) (Nonfiction. 11-14)
