Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels

by Linda Skeers, Livi Gosling (Illustrator)

Women have been doing amazing, daring, and dangerous things for years, but they’re rarely mentioned in our history books as adventurers, daredevils, or rebels. This new compilation of brief biographies features women throughout history who have risked their lives for adventure—many of whom you may not know, but all of whom you’ll WANT to know, such as:

• Annie Edson Taylor, the first person who dared to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel
• Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman who dared to fly in space
• Helen Gibson, the first woman who dared to be a professional stunt person
• And many more!

This is the perfect read for anyone who wants to know what it means to explore, discover, play, climb, and fight like a girl!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Middle Grade, Biography, Childrens, Biography Memoir

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short biographies of 52 women in history who did unique things for their time.
My daughter greatly enjoys biographies of this type so we read these aloud together.

[Katie Loftin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book! This is exactly the kind of thing kids should be reading. There were several women featured that I had never even heard of, and I learned so much. Like did you know a woman discovered dinosaurs? How have I never heard that before? And did you know the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail was 67 years old and had over 20 grandkids? This book would be a great addition to your classroom or home library, especially if you want the important people in your life to learn about following their passions, overcoming obstacles, and being the change they want to see in the world.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divided into chapters by topic like daredevils, adventurers, and rebels this book shares brief, two page profiles of unconventional women. Some are from the long-ago past and others more recent. Each profile is illustrated with an image of the woman and an appropriate heading image. I've heard of some of them, read extensively about others, therefore I skipped those profiles. Surprisingly, there are many, many I haven't ever heard of! This book does a really good job including Indigenous women, Black women and even a few Latinas but Asian women are still missing. There's only one Asian woman profiled. I can think of a few others who should be included.

The writing style is informal and approachable for a young reader. The profiles are short enough to keep a youngster's attention but include enough information so the reader can look up more if they wish. (I stopped and did just that a few times). I wish the profiles included dates for all of them. I had to search for the woman to find out when she was active. The book includes a bibliography but not a list of sources for further research.

I'm sure this book is inspiring for young girls. I enjoyed it as an adult reader as well but more critically, being a women's historian.

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'l confess from the get-go that I'm a sucker for any book that features Bessie Coleman, Kate Warne, and Mary Anning and puts Queen Bess on its cover, to boot.

A great introduction to amazing women for younger readers. The short one-page biographies omit most of the less-pleasant aspects of these women's lives (racism, early death) and focus on their accomplishments. The colorful illustrations should capture the attention of even the youngest audience, and the illustrated borders can be used as a game—they're sprinkled with a variety of items connected to each woman's story. Additionally, the author focused on lesser-known amazing women. There's no Marie Curie or Amelia Earhart, but there are Ynes Mexia and Valentina Tereshkova. Fewer than half of the women featured were white Americans: 20 were from other countries and 17 are women of color, with some overlap between the two.

This book would be best for the 7-10 age group or as a read-aloud for those even younger. Older readers will find it a a little light on information, but may find it useful as a starting point for discovering amazing women with whom they were unfamiliar and then doing their own research to learn more about their lives.

[Staceyj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Many women I've never heard of makes you inspired to do more with your life.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hurray for strong women! Women Who Dared is a collection of brief stories of women who broke into the action/adventure realm that was, at the time, open only to men. The first stories were of women who took on physical tasks, the daredevils of the title, and these were stories of women who tried things that were dangerous just to do them, and I think I was not terribly interested in them and I almost gave up on the whole book. But I warmed to Valentina Tereshkova, a woman cosmonaut from Russia, and enjoyed hearing the stories of Barbara Hillary and Eugenie Clark and Ferminia Sarras, and suddenly I couldn't stop turning pages.

The most interesting thing about these stories, for me, is the fact that other than Bessie Coleman and Margaret Bourke-White, these are stories that are completely new to me. How many more great stories about women are out there, untold?

[Eva-Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring read!

[Marj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief look at courageous women throughout history. Each double-page spread features a charming illustration of the person in question and a short biography. It's split into three sections: daredevils, adventurers, and rebels and includes scientists, explorers, soldiers, athletes (and a librarian!) from around the world.

There's not a lot of depth in the biographies (how much can you fit on a single page?), but it highlights achievements and is a great jumping off point for further investigation.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women have been doing amazing things for centuries, but many of the women who were noted in history are often forgotten. It’s important to remember these people because women have always played an important role in society even if some try to say otherwise. This book presents short biographies on 52 notable women whose stories should be shared with every generation in a format that is geared toward younger generations, telling them that women have always been amazing.

I saw this book and knew I had to read it because I’m all about badass women that are often forgotten or glossed over. While I was excited to read it, I did wish that the biographies were a little more in-depth, but I know that its target audience is kids through pre-teens so there’s no complaint there. If anything, I’m excited that books like this exist to introduce kids to people they may have otherwise never heard of. In fact, there were several people featured that I had no idea about. Now I can add them to the list of people I want to learn more about!

The artwork is cute and fun, which makes it perfect for kids. I also like that we do learn a lot of important information about the women featured that also encourages readers to check out more about their lives. This would make a great gift for anyone, but especially for kids. It can really encourage them to get into history and empowering women. It’s also inspiring because all of these women did great things and it shows that it’s possible to reach your goals even when the odds are against you.

[Carolyn Breckinridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are searching for affirming, positive books for tween-and-early teenaged females, check out ‘Women Who Dared,’ by Linda Skeers and illustrated by Livi Gosling. (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2017). The author has written fifty-two short biographies of women who dared to challenge themselves and their societies’ expectations related to women’s abilities and roles. This book spans centuries and continents, and is broad in coverage related to the challenges these females embraced, as well as being inclusive ethnically and racially. It is a book written for all young women but will surely support those who feel different, bullied, confined by traditions and expectations, and/or inspired to follow paths of their own.

[Hebah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very approachable, elementary-middle grade overview of a broad panorama of phenomenal women. A fair number of the women profiled in these short, one-page biographies are American, but other nationalities and a variety of ethnicities are represented. It doesn't go deep, by dint of the format, but any reader will be able to find an inspiring story or two in here.

[Jonathan Crabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

My youngest daughter was given this book for her birthday and it’s been a joy reading through it with her. The stories of brave women are awesome and highlighted a wide variety of challenges, professions, and accomplishments. Great book to inspire young women while having stories which are short enough to not get bogged down.

[Brynne Schweigel-Skeers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book for middle grade readers. I have given it as a gift several times and found that it inspired every reader. Literally cannot day enough good about it!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

We learned so much about courageous women in history many of whom I’ve never even heard of.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the introductions to these women who dared, but each woman's story was limited to one page. The information was so superficial (but there are a few really intriguing and unique, though quick nuggets of information from time to time), that I stopped reading the book solo and read it with a 12-year-old girl I work with on her reading. She liked the general idea of the book, but the brevity of each woman's story failed to inspire or motivate her as I'd hoped.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a nice range of people represented. My only issue was the inclusion of a wrestler who, by the time this book was written, had been accused of abusing other women and pimping them out, as well as a confederate spy. I'm sure they could have used better examples of female wrestlers and spys.

[Heather McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short bios and essays on women from around the world that were pioneers in their field, dared to dream, and charted their own path - lovely illustrations to complement the narratives.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating vignettes about interesting women.

[Leigh Barrios · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Confederate spy? I was enjoying the book up until that point, then that page ruined the whole thing for me.

[Rayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had only heard of a few of these remarkable women, so I really enjoyed learning about some amazing figures from throughout history. There were so many "firsts" accomplished by this group of wonderful ladies who fought for the right to live their lives by their own rules. Six stories really stood out to me and left me wanting to know more.

Rebel Irena Sendler: A member of a Polish resistance organization who took advantage of her permission to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to look for disease by smuggling supplies in and smuggling children out. Her steadfast morals and ingenious record keeping of the true identities of the children she rescued embody the phrase not all heroes wear capes.

Adventurer Margaret Bourke-White: A world-traveling photographer who pushed her limits to get the perfect shot and reported on some of the biggest events of her time. Her photos tell stories and have so much depth; those taken during the liberation of Buchenwald are truly haunting.

Rebel Alia Muhammad Baker: A librarian who saved thirty thousand books from being destroyed in Iraq during the war. She knew how priceless many of the books were and how important the collection was.

Daredevil Helen Gibson: A trick rider and stuntwoman who pulled off amazing feats in the circus, movies, and TV. Horses weren't wild enough for her, so she moved on to motorcycles.

Adventurer Sylvia Earle: A record-setting oceanographer who discovered many underwater plant species. She knew what she loved and totally pursued it while having an awesome career.

Adventurer Libby Riddles: A lover of animals and the outdoors who forged her own path in the world of sled dog racing. She was the first woman to win the Iditarod after pushing through extreme weather conditions.

There will surely be someone who stands out as inspiring and admirable to every reader of this book!

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains the stories of 52 women who accomplished great things during their lifetimes. Each woman is given a page long biography covering their outstanding feat and an illustration of themselves. The time periods covered start in the 1700s all the way into the present century. While many of the women come from North American countries, other parts of the world are represented as well including Ghana, France, Japan, Poland, and Australia. Some of the achievements featured include the first woman to win the Iditarod, a librarian in Iraq who saved thousands of books from being destroyed in the war, the first Native American physician, and a lighthouse keeper who went on daring rescues in order to save others.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the author included many women who aren't familiar to the general public. These women were really ahead of their times and it is nice to share their accomplishments with a younger generation of girls. The book captures the fearless attitude of the women and sends a positive message to kids that if you are willing to work hard, you can achieve great things. This book is probably best for ages 8 and up but I do think a parent reading a story at bedtime to a slightly younger child would work too.

The only slight criticism I have with this book is I wish it had included an introduction by the author. The book just dives right into the the story of each woman. I would have loved to read a little note about the similarities between the women and why they were chosen for the book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinions.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

I really don't think there will ever be enough of books of this nature. This collection of women focuses on those who dared to be different and weren't afraid to break the rules. From explorers, wrestlers, and stunt women to detective and spies, these women didn't let social convention get in their way of making their dreams come true and their lives worth living.

I enjoyed this collection, especially learning about women I had never heard of before. There are so many inspirational women throughout history, so every time I read one of these books (Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2, The Little Book of Feminist Saints), I learn about someone new and it is fascinating.

The majority of the women highlighted are from the United States (less than half are from other countries), but there are multiple African Americans and Indigenous women included.

The illustrations were a nice way to make the book for engaging for younger readers and I enjoyed the stylized presentation.

Overall, a good read.

[leiah jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

women have been doing amazing things for centuries, but many of the women who were noted in history are often forgotten. it’s important to remember these people because women have always played an important role in society even if some try to say otherwise.

this book presents sort biographies on 52 notable women whose stories should be shared with every generation in a format that is geared toward younger generations, telling them that women have always been amazing.
i saw this book and knew i had to read it because I’m all about badass women that are often forgotten or glossed over.
while i was excited to read it, i did wish that the biographies were a little more in-depth but I know that it’s target audience is kids through pre-teens so there’s no complaints there.
if anything, i’m excited that book(s) like this exist to introduce kids to people they may have otherwise ever heard of.
in fact, there were several people featured that I had no idea about. now I can add them to the list of people I want to learn more about. ☺️

the artwork is cute and fun which makes it perfect for kids. i also like that we do learn a lot of important information about the women featured that also encourages readers to check out more about their lives. this would make a great gift for anyone, but especially for kids.

it can really encourage them to get into history and empowering women. it’s also inspiring because all of these women did great things and it shows that it’s possible to reach your goals even when the odds are against you.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read to or with your under 10 kids. Although it has 52 short stories about fearless women don't just read it to your girls, read it to your boys also. Let the stories open all genders eyes.
The stories have an illustrated color picture of the daring female before the story begins. It might take you 7-10 minutes to read a story, but oh what a diverse group of daring women you'll meet.
The author has daring women from preteen through senior citizen daring women. From the 18th century to today. From all points of this wonderful world we live in. Australia, Europe, Alaska, England, China, Japan. It's amazing! You could spend a year or 6 months or less reading this book with the little ones and then spend an afternoon, a day or a week on learning more about the daring female who's story you just read.
That is why I suggest you don't leave the males out of your reading club. After reading a few stories from the 18th century through today, the theme of they weren't allowed because they were girls should knock that idea out of anyones mind.
My favorite section was the Rebels, but maybe because I'm a bit of one myself.
Please, buy it to keep on hand if you don't have children in your life or give it to someone who does. It's a sweet, fun read for everyone. It will also make you think of what daring thing you can do at whatever age you are.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels is written by Linda Skeers and illustrated by Livi Gosling and pays homage to a collection of fifty-two women who did daring things from adventurers, daredevils, and rebels. The book is divided into three sections with at least fifteen featured women in each category. The categories are: Adventurers, Daredevils, and Rebels – hence the subtitle.

Skeers seemingly mixes biography and imagery rather well and writes in a straightforward manner. Each fifty-two entries are well researched and explore and elevate the women in questioned with well written mini-biographies. Gosling's illustrations were simple and done rather well, albeit not as realistic as I would have liked, but it got the spirit of the person.

All in all, Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels is a wonderfully written book and a magnificent collection of mini-biographies of diverse women. It is a good read and reference book for anyone who wants to learn more about women in history.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels by author Linda Skeers, I didn't find many of the ones I would have expected. No Amelia Earhardt, or Marie Curie, No Edith Cavell or Rosa Parks either. In fact I only recognized four or five of those included in the book like Unsinkable Molly Brown and Bessie Coleman, for example. Everyone represented here had amazing accomplishments like winning the Iditarod or being the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel! Many had become famous for athletic abilities as performers in a circus or doing stunts for Hollywood movies. I thought that if they weren't from various time periods spanning hundreds of years, it would be interesting to have them all gathered together in one place. At first I felt like "what about so and so, or why not include this one" but, trust me, there are plenty of impressive women to fill not only this book, but many more!

[Brigitte Brulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone has heard of Amelia Earhart, but the women discussed in this book are women who are not as well known. I liked that the 52 women featured were not "the usual lineup of famous women". Each page had a different woman and had just enough information to get us to know a little bit about each one. I think if there was more information included for each woman, it may have made the book long and boring trying to drudge through all of the details. I feel that there was just enough information about each of the women to give us an overall view of them. When my daughters read this book, they wanted to look up more information about some of the women, which makes this book a success in my opinion. I like when I can take a book like this and turn it into an educational experience together with my daughters (we homeschool).

[LynnDee (LynnDee's Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about the women who were ballsy and badass. Reading the daredevils section nearly gave me heart palpitations because of all the amazing stunts these ladies performed. The thing that is holding me back from giving this book 5 stars is that it was hard for me to reconcile reading about a Confederate spy on one page and then multiple African Americans across other pages. I can understand wanting to include Belle Boyd because she was fearless and a female spy in a time when women were limited, but she was a spy for the Confederacy. She was trying to help the Confederacy win. It's not like we honor Nazis in the same books we honor victims of the Holocaust. Her inclusion just rubbed me the wrong way. Overall though, Women Who Dared is a great addition to any fearless females collection.

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: parents, do NOT let your little girls read this book. They will want to emulate the women involved in these stories. As a result, they will end up far too badass for you to handle. I repeat, do not let your little girls read about these amazing women unless you want them to grow up to be phenomenal themselves.

Now that that’s taken care of, this is exceptional. Not only are the stories super compelling, but they cover a vast time period and a lot of different races and nationalities. There is so much awesome Indigenous rep!! I’ve never heard of half of these women and I’m so glad I have now. I think this would be really fun to own and take one week at a time with a young girl in my care. Read about the person, then go deeper to see what else we can learn. As I don’t own a small girl, I hope someone else will do this instead.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like that this book has stories about women from different countries and ages. I haven't heard of many of them so I am learning a lot too. I love being able to read this with the girls, it is a nice change from old fashioned fairy tales. The stories are short and each one has an accompanying illustration.

I have no idea what the proper age range is for this book but I think it has good stories for all children. The three year old likes hearing the stories and it has been a good to read with the 6 year old. She reads it and one of us follows along and helps if there is a new word she doesn't recognize.