The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience

by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton

Overview

Now an eight-part docuseries on Apple TV+

Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, share the stories of the gutsy women who have inspired them—women with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done.

She couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old. “Go ahead, ask your question,” her father urged, nudging her forward. She smiled shyly and said, “You’re my hero. Who’s yours?”

Many people—especially girls—have asked us that same question over the years. It’s one of our favorite topics.

HILLARY: Growing up, I knew hardly any women who worked outside the home. So I looked to my mother, my teachers, and the pages of Life magazine for inspiration. After learning that Amelia Earhart kept a scrapbook with newspaper articles about successful women in male-dominated jobs, I started a scrapbook of my own. Long after I stopped clipping articles, I continued to seek out stories of women who seemed to be redefining what was possible.

CHELSEA: This book is the continuation of a conversation the two of us have been having since I was little. For me, too, my mom was a hero; so were my grandmothers. My early teachers were also women. But I grew up in a world very different from theirs. My pediatrician was a woman, and so was the first mayor of Little Rock who I remember from my childhood. Most of my close friends’ moms worked outside the home as nurses, doctors, teachers, professors, and in business. And women were going into space and breaking records here on Earth.

Ensuring the rights and opportunities of women and girls remains a big piece of the unfinished business of the twenty-first century. While there’s a lot of work to do, we know that throughout history and around the globe women have overcome the toughest resistance imaginable to win victories that have made progress possible for all of us. That is the achievement of each of the women in this book.

So how did they do it? The answers are as unique as the women themselves. Civil rights activist Dorothy Height, LGBTQ trailblazer Edie Windsor, and swimmer Diana Nyad kept pushing forward, no matter what. Writers like Rachel Carson and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie named something no one had dared talk about before. Historian Mary Beard used wit to open doors that were once closed, and Wangari Maathai, who sparked a movement to plant trees, understood the power of role modeling. Harriet Tubman and Malala Yousafzai looked fear in the face and persevered. Nearly every single one of these women was fiercely optimistic—they had faith that their actions could make a difference. And they were right.

To us, they are all gutsy women—leaders with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done. So in the moments when the long haul seems awfully long, we hope you will draw strength from these stories. We do. Because if history shows one thing, it’s that the world needs gutsy women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501178412
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	141,183
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first woman in US history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party. She served as the 67th Secretary of State after nearly four decades in public service advocating on behalf of children and families as an attorney, First Lady, and US Senator. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author of seven previous books, all published by Simon & Schuster.

Chelsea Clinton is a champion for girls and women through her advocacy, writing, and work at the Clinton Foundation. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She lives in New York City with her husband, their children, and their dog.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Early Inspirations 1

First Inspirations

Harriet Tubman

Anna Pavlova, Isadora Duncan, Maria Tallchief, and Virginia Johnson

Helen Keller

Margaret Chase Smith

Margaret Bourke-White

Maria von Trapp

Anne Frank

Rigoherta Menchú Tum

Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Florence Griffith Joyner

Education Pioneers 53

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Margaret Bancroft

Juliette Gordon Low

Maria Montessori and Joan Ganz Cooney

Mary McLeod Bethune

Esther Martinez

Daisy Bates

Patsy Mink, Bernice Sandler, and Edith Green

Ruby Bridges Hall

Malala Yousafzai

Earth Defenders 95

Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Rachel Carson

Jane Jacobs and Peggy Shepard

Jane Goodall and "The Trimates"

Wangari Maathai

Alice Min Soo Chun

Greta Thunherg

Explorers and Inventors 127

Caroline Herschel and Vera Rubin

Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper

Margaret Knight and Madam C. J. Walker

Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie

Hedy Lamarr

Sylvia Earle

Sally Ride

Mae Jemison

Healers 161

Florence Nightingale

Clara Barton

Elizabeth Blackwell, Rebecca Lee Crumpler, and Mary Edwards Walker

Betty Ford

Mathilde Krim

Dr. Gao Yaojie

Dr. Hawa Abdi

Flossie Wong-Staal

Molly Melching

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha

Vaccinators

Athletes 199

Alice Coachman and Wilma Rudolph

Junko Tabei

Billie Jean King

Diana Nyad

Abby Wambach

Michelle Kwan

Venus and Serena Williams

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Tatyana McFadden

Caster Semenya

Aly Raisman

Advocates and Activists 241

Dorothy Height and Sojourner Truth

Ida B. Wells

Eleanor Roosevelt

Elizabeth Peratrovich

Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin

Coretta Scott King

Dolores Huerta

The Peacemakers

Victoria Mxenge

Ai-jen Poo

Sarah Brady, Gabby Giffords, Nelba Marque/Greene, Shannon Watts, and Lucy McBath

Nza-Ari Khepra, Emma Gonzalez, Naomi Wadler, Edna Chavez, Jazmine Wildcat, and Julia Spoor

Becca Heller

Storytellers 303

Maya Angelou

Mary Beard

Jineth Bedoya Lima

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

America Ferrera

Ali Stroker

Amani Al-Khatahtbeh

Elected Leaders 329

Bella Abzug

Shirley Chisholm

Ann Richards

Geraldine Ferraro

Barbara Jordan

Barbara Mikulski

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Wilma Mankiller

Michelle Bachelet

Danica Roem

Groundbreakers 371

Frances Perkins

Katharine Graham

Constance Baker Motley

Edie Windsor

Ela Bhatt

Temple Grandin

Ellen DeGeneres

Maya Lin

Sally Yates

Kimberly Bryant and Reshma Saujani

Women's Rights Champions 411

Rosa May Billinghurst

The Suffragists

Sophia Duleep Singh

Fraidy Reiss

Manal al-Sharif

Nadia Murad

Epilogue 438

Acknowledgments 441

Index 443

Photo credits 449

Editorial Reviews

It’s also a testament to women — say, ceiling-shattering major-party presidential nominees? — who deserve more recognition, and to the mother-daughter relationship that endures throughout the history the two have lived through together.
— Refinery29

From the Publisher

11/08/2019

Former first lady, secretary of state, and senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and daughter Chelsea Clinton (Columbia Univ. Mailman Sch. of Public Health) collaborate on this inspiring collection featuring influential women doctors, scientists, inventors, educators, politicians, athletes, and more. Notable figures, including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Sojourner Truth, and Florence Nightingale, are cast alongside those shaping the history of tomorrow, as the authors show the power of these women's influence to effect change. The book is grouped into categories such as "healers" or "inventors," and each section features a few pages of biographical narrative with brief commentary by the authors. While the author remarks can be distracting in some cases, in others it adds interest, such as Rodham Clinton's account of her interactions with the women of South Africa's Victoria Mxenge community postapartheid. VERDICT Broad in scope, this will appeal to a wide audience owing to the range of women spotlighted. Given its length, this is a book to savor over multiple sittings, allowing readers to revisit well-known heroines or discover new ones among the pages.—Stacy Shaw, Denver

Library Journal

2019-10-28
An homage to prominent women of the world who made a difference.

Hillary Clinton (What Happened, 2017) collaborates with her daughter, Chelsea (Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe, 2019), in this celebration of more than 100 pioneering women who inspired them most. Written as a conversation between the distinguished mother-and-daughter team, the book profiles women whom the Clintons have found to be greatly inspirational not only to them, but to the world, based on their contributions to global society and female empowerment. The book is attractively designed and arranged based on the women's areas of knowledge and expertise. The opening section features women the authors have been personally inspired by. In addition to profiles of intergenerational extended family members, the authors also appreciate the legacies of Helen Keller, Anne Frank, and outspoken 1964 presidential candidate Margaret Chase Smith. The Clintons' informative back and forth also affords readers a closer glimpse into the specific, myriad ways both of their lives were influenced by these innovators. Elsewhere, they dive into achievements in a wide variety of fields, including education, literature, environmentalism, sports, diplomacy, and activism, eloquently illuminating their subjects' years of valiant heroism in the face of massive obstacles. The narrative range is vast and features distinctly inspiring women such as Shirley Chisholm, "the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination"; Ellen DeGeneres, who leveled homophobic speculation by coming out publicly in 1997; Rosa May Billinghurst, a leading British suffragist in early-20th-century England; and Fraidy Reiss, the founder of Unchained at Last, an organization that fights against child marriage. Overall, the collection—which also features Harriet Tubman, Rachel Carson, Clara Barton, Jane Goodall, Maya Angelou, Temple Grandin, and Malala Yousafzai, among many other major figures—will bond optimistic readers together in remembrance of the major contributions of a sisterhood that is smartly and accessibly presented by the Clintons.

A sterling educational text and a memorable commemoration of female trailblazers, past and present.

Kirkus Reviews

"The powerful voices of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton deliver their new audiobook. Based on a lifelong series of conversations between mother and daughter, this work gives listeners an opportunity to embrace the impact, major and minor, of various women throughout history. Whether fighting for equality or going where no woman has gone before, the women in this audiobook come from all walks of life. Hillary's delivery is delightfully candid, even throwing a few jabs at the sexism she faced during the 2016 election. In warm tones, Chelsea shares personal stories of how these women have influenced her family. The result is an audiobook that packs a powerful and personal message."

AudioFile Magazine

The powerful voices of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton deliver their new audiobook. Based on a lifelong series of conversations between mother and daughter, this work gives listeners an opportunity to embrace the impact, major and minor, of various women throughout history. Whether fighting for equality or going where no woman has gone before, the women in this audiobook come from all walks of life. Hillary’s delivery is delightfully candid, even throwing a few jabs at the sexism she faced during the 2016 election. In warm tones, Chelsea shares personal stories of how these women have influenced her family. The result is an audiobook that packs a powerful and personal message. V.B. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile