Unstoppable

January 1, 2022

Gr 4-7-Wolfe, who has a physical disability herself, highlights the lives of 10 women with disabilities. They are a refreshingly diverse bunch; Wolfe has carefully selected women who have a range of disabilities, are employed in a variety of careers, and hail from all around the globe. Included, for example, is Greta Thunberg, a young Swedish climate change activist with autism. Haben Girma, an American whose parents emigrated from Eritrea, is blind and Deaf and in her work as a lawyer advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. Zhang Haidi is Chinese and lost the use of her legs as a child; she will be the head organizer of the Chinese Paralympians in 2022. A spread is devoted to each woman. The left side has a large colorful illustrated image of the subject, while the right side contains a page of text with biographical information that includes the subject's disability and recounts their significant accomplishments. Entries include a direct quote that encapsulates some of the principles guiding the work of the individual. VERDICT This collection of biographies is a great window into the lives of 10 contemporary and accomplished women with disabilities. Recommended for middle school readers.-Ragan O'Malley

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2021
Grades 4-7 Each of the 10 disabled women profiled in this book has made invaluable contributions to the world in a wide range of fields. Full-page color digital portraits by Patkau accompany short bios, which include a quote from each woman along with a description of her life and accomplishments. Readers will likely recognize some names, like Greta Thunberg, while others may be encountered for the first time, like Malvika Iyer, from India, a motivational speaker for inclusion who lost her hands at age 13 in an explosion. Additional compelling subjects include American Karin Muraszko, a neurosurgeon born with spina bifida, Ethiopian lawyer and activist Yetnebersh Nigussie, who is blind from a childhood case of meningitis and who runs her own school, and American Haben Girma, who lost her sight and hearing as a child and is now a lawyer helping the disabled battle discrimination. These brief biographies, insightfully presented by an author with a physical disability herself, may motivate readers to do further research on these inspiring women.

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August 1, 2021
Wolfe, herself physically disabled, introduces 10 contemporary women with disabilities. As a teacher, writer, and social worker, the author "hardly saw any people like [her]" in her 40-year career: "Imagine how great it would have been to learn about other women with disabilities!" she exclaims. Her conversational profiles of disabled women from various countries and cultures turn her wish into reality. Most subjects' disabilities are physical, ranging from spina bifida to limb difference; their careers include advocacy, law, and entertainment. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is autistic. Yetnebersh Nigussie, who is blind, co-founded the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development, which promotes accessibility in employment and public life. Maysoon Zaid, who is Muslim and has cerebral palsy, became a comedian and established the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. A motivational quote from each woman concludes each single-page profile. On the facing pages, Patkau's vibrant, realistic illustrations spotlight the subjects' accomplishments: Canadian singer/songwriter Christa Couture, who lost a leg to bone cancer and is of mixed Cree and Scandinavian heritage, appears with a guitar; wheelchair user Zhang Haidi, the head organizer of the 2022 Chinese Paralympians, reads a document as an amputee athlete skis in the background. Noting that a newly disabled adult "asks many questions that a [disabled] child wouldn't ask," the author refreshingly explains that congenital disabilities are experienced differently from those acquired later. An eclectic, accessible, and upbeat introduction to accomplished disabled women. (Collective biography. 7-10)

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