BORN READING

“Girls who read have become women who lead.”

From Cleopatra to Marley Dias, these entries, organized by birthdate, focus on a wide variety of women who stood out because they were empowered by a love of reading. The accounts emphasize the subjects’ childhood reading and learning. Scholar, feminist, and nun Juana Inez de la Cruz snuck out of her house to go to school with her older sister, while Indira Gandhi, India’s first female prime minister, discussed books in regular letters with her father, Jawaharlal Nehru. Scientist Temple Grandin, who has pioneered humane methods of animal slaughter, loved Black Beauty and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Each three-to-four-page biography begins with the subject’s name, dates, and a short quotation and features a cheery digital illustration of the subject as an adult. Smooth, engaging text illuminates these women’s achievements as adults. A final profile is devoted to co-author Krull, who died in 2021, leaving several unfinished manuscripts, including this one, which was completed by longtime friend Loh-Hagan. The work concludes with thorough backmatter, including feminist fun facts about the subjects, information on other women who didn’t make the cut, suggested activities to encourage kids to “spread the joy of reading along,” and extensive references organized by subject.

A refreshingly original approach to exploring the lives of famous women.