She Persisted: Patsy Mink

She Persisted

by Tae Keller, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator)

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger comes a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Patsy Mink!

When Patsy Mink won her seat the House of Representatives as a Democrat from Hawaii, she became the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. A co-author of the Title XI amendment of the Higher Education Act, she was a champion of rights for women, children, immigrants, and minorities throughout her twenty-four years in Congress. She helped paved the way for many other women to succeed.

In this chapter book biography by bestselling and award-winning author Tae Keller, readers learn about the amazing life of Patsy Mink--and how she persisted.

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Patsy Mink's footsteps and make a difference!

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

80 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2022

About the author

TAE KELLER is the Newbery award winning and New York Times bestselling author of When You Trap a Tiger and The Science of Breakable Things. She grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she subsisted on kimchi, purple rice, and stories. Now, she writes about biracial girls trying to find their voices, and lives in Seattle with her husband and a multitude of books.

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Reviews

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit)]

This children's biography is about Patsy Mink, a female politician from Hawaii who spent her life fighting for equality.

Includes an important and succinct note on the terminology of concentration camps vs internment camps in the back of the book!

Read with my 7yo.

[Jennybeast]

I continue to be really impressed with the She Persisted series of chapter books, but this one blew me away. The sheer unending hard work and accomplishment that Patsy Mink displayed is extraordinary. Keller does a great job telling her story, and making it a really engaging read. I had no idea that she was the author of Title IX, or anything about her background as a Japanese American woman growing up in Hawai'i. This book covers such an important and pivotal time period of our recent history, one that continues to impact our every day lives now, and it does a beautiful job setting the political work into context. This is a really inspiring story about someone who never gave up, and who worked tirelessly to make the world a better place.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

[Rachel]

Excellent history.

[Rubi]

I owe this woman a thank you

As a woman, I'm ashamed I had never heard about Patsy Mink. Besides the few woman we learn about in elementary school and middle school, like Rosa Parks......I never even thought about any women making a difference in politics.
I owe Pasty Mink a huge thank you! Her and all women who fought for MY rights! Thanks to them I was able to be go to college, play fútbol, and have right to a job without discrimination based on my race and sex.
There is still a lot of discrimination to fight against like the books say, but at least women can be heard more. I feel like I owe it to Patsy and others to do more for those around me. Especially when I see my government doing wrong to those of other ethnic backgrounds and different genders.

[Jennifer]

I knew a little bit about Patsy Mink from seeking out information about Asian American history, but I didn't know (or maybe just didn't retain) that she was the driving force between Title IX. I appreciate that, as much as possible in a short section and at a an elementary-school level, that the author mentions the complicated nature of Hawaii becoming a US territory and state. The author also pulls no punching in stating that Japanese Americans were injustly sent to concentration camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This might seem like a low bar, but in the current social and political climate, it feels huge.

[Pam]

Part of the She Persisted series.
Keller shares information about Patsy Mink at a mid-elementary level. She offers a look at her life from childhood through her political career with an emphasis on her commitment to equality. Information is shared about Title IX and other equality bills that were passed by the US Government with her passionate support.
Further resources are shared at the end of the book for readers who want to learn more.

[Cheryl]

I sure do appreciate this series. Concisely written, with lots of information (and a bibliography) for all ages, and honest about the horrible things these heroes had to endure.

I'd never heard of Patsy Mink, as far as I can recall. Turns out that she's responsible for Title IX (which has since been renamed after her). And for a lot of other stuff. Not the least for overcoming both sexism and racism to earn her place in history.

[myblackbookish_life]

I picked this one up from a library display on a whim and I’m glad I did. Before this read, I had not heard of Patsy Mink or realized the impact of her legacy and how instrumental her work in politics was. I’ll definitely be checking out other books on her to learn more.

[SamSamSam]

I learned a lot from this! I love that it's brief, informative, and includes details of Patsy's personal life as well as her political career. The vocabulary was very advanced for the intended age group (6-9) so I did remove a star for that reason.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Cassie Schultz]

She wrote TItle IX! I never thought to wonder who was behind that.

[Danica is Booked]

One of my favorites of the series so far. Title XI is super important. And it was fun to learn about one of its architects.

[Earl]

Inspiring to read everything Patsy Mink accomplished. Frustrating to read all the things she had to overcome especially now when we seem to be backtracking on progress.

[Rene Del Bosque Moncayo]

La primera mujer de hawaiana en ser ell lo egida a la cámara de los representantes

[Rosa]

Would like to rate it higher but it is just too bias. Patsy Mink deserves better

[Joleen]

Well written. What an inspiring amazing woman.

[Lauren]

I am consistently impressed by the chapter books in the She Persisted series. I had never heard of Hawaiian Patsy Mink, so I really enjoyed learning about such an important female trailblazer. Patsy Mink was responsible for Title IX, among other pivotal legislation in our nation's history. I thought this book in the series was well researched and I liked how the author also wrote about Hawaiian history and how it related to Patsy Mink and some of the decisions she had to make in her life. Overall, it is a very well rounded book on Patsy Mink and her tremendous legacy.