Young Adult Social Histories
Breaking Through
How Female Athletes Shattered Stereotypes
in the Roaring Twenties
Foreword by Muffet McGraw, Head Coach, Notre Dame University Women’s Basketball
In the 1920s, women had to be downright revolutionary to compete in sports. Exercising was acceptable. Most people by then understood that physical fitness was beneficial to women’s health. But cutthroat competition was another thing entirely. Physical educators rallied to quash competition, worrying that women’s aggression in sports contests would undermine their femininity. And male sportswriters ruthlessly—and sometimes gleefullly—editorialized that competition made female athletes ugly and unappealing.
Despite these critics, women in the Roaring Twenties embraced sports—and competition—like never before. They made headlines, broke records, and sometimes even beat men at their own games. The inspirational female sports stars of the 21st century owe much to the women who staked their claim to athletic glory one hundred years ago. Breaking Through tells their story.
Published by National Geographic, 2020 • 96 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 978-1-4263-3676-8
Motor Girls
How Women Took the Wheel and Drove Boldly
Into the Twentieth Century
Foreword by Danica Patrick
When I set out to write Motor Girls, I started with the question, “Then what?” In my previous book for National Geographic, Wheels of Change, I had chronicled the liberating impact that the bicycle had on women’s lives in the 1890s. But what happened to these women as automobiles started crowding bikes off the roads in the 20th century? Did they grab the steering wheel and continue to drive toward equality, or did they take a back seat to men?
As I suspected, it was a bumpy transition. Many people saw the automobile as an inappropriate vehicle for women to drive. But that changed, thanks to technological innovations, the determination of some colorful “motor girls,” and historic developments—such as World War I—that gave women the chance to prove their skills in very challenging situations. You can read all about it in Motor Girls!
Published by National Geographic, 2017 • 96 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 978-1-4263-2697-4 • A Junior Library Guild Selection
Wheels of Change
How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom
(With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way)
Foreword by Leah Missbach Day, Cofounder,
World Bicycle Relief
I first came across Susan B. Anthony’s declaration that bicycling “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world” way back in 1995, when I was doing the research for my book, Winning Ways. I had always been intrigued by Anthony’s impression of the importance of the bicycle, and I was equally curious about the fact that Frances Willard, president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, had written an entire book on the epiphanies she had while learning to ride a bicycle at age 53. With two of the nineteenth century’s leading feminists attributing the liberation of women to the two-wheeler, it seemed there was a larger story to be told.
There certainly was! Because of the bicycle, women in the 1890s started to exercise on a grand scale, strengthening their legs and their lungs as they pedaled for hours on end. They found more practical, “rational,” forms of dress as corsets and heavy petticoats were downright dangerous on a bicycle. And they left behind the strict social conventions that required staid dates overseen by chaperones, instead embracing the freedom of socializing on the road. What’s more, the bicycle didn’t only affect women’s lives. Cyclists campaigned for good roads, literally changed the landscape of the United States as more and more streets were paved. And the burgeoning bicycle industry introduced modern advertising techniques, using posters and pumping ad dollars into cycling publications to sell their wares. The cycling craze of the 1890s did indeed set the Wheels of Change in motion as a new century was about to begin.
Published by National Geographic, 2011 • 96 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 978-1-4263-0761-4 (Hardback; 978-1-4263-2855-8 (Paperback) • A Junior Library Guild Selection
Freeze Frame
A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics
Foreword by Peggy Fleming
It takes a certain type of person to speed headfirst down an icy skeleton course or launch himself off a 120-meter hill with only skis and poles to break his fall. As a rather timid writer who practically hibernates during the winter months, I can only watch such daredevil competitors with a combination of shock and awe. So imagine my surprise when I was completely won over by the stories of the men and women who have competed in the Winter Games. It was impossible not to admire the valor and passion of athletes like early bobsled champ Billy Fiske, ice dancing masters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and indomitable speedskater Bonnie Blair.
Another factor in my newfound enthusiasm for the Winter Olympics is the relatively intimate nature of the gathering. With only about one-quarter the number of events and athletes as the Summer Olympics, the Winter Games seem more manageable, somehow, and more accessible. There are fewer athletes to focus on and fewer events to watch, so the stories that can be told are deeper and more complex. Freeze Frame presents those stories for hibernating sports fans everywhere.
Published by National Geographic, 2006 • 96 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 978-0-7922-7887-0 • A Junior Library Guild Selection
Swifter, Higher, Stronger
A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
Foreword by Bob Costas
When I was a kid, summertime meant lots of hours spent playing sports. I swam, perfected my volleyball serve, hit home runs, and even excelled as a “sharpshooter” in riflery. Although girls at my summer camp were encouraged to compete, there usually weren’t many female athletes for us to look up to. But that changed when the Summer Olympics rolled around. Every four years, female competitors seemed to come out of nowhere to fill us with awe and capture our imaginations.
During those Olympic summers, I was glued to the TV set cheering for the women—and men—who were reaching new heights as athletes. So it’s not surprising that I jumped at the chance years later when my editor suggested writing a history of the Summer Olympics. I started by examining each Olympiad and determining what made it special. Then I thought about which athletes to highlight and which themes to focus on. As I immersed myself in Olympic history, I was awed by the athletes’ heroics all over again. Even today, the first strains of the Olympic Fanfare send chills up my spine as I get ready for another fortnight of amazing, inspiring athletic feats.
Published by National Geographic, 2004; Updated in 2008 • 96 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 0-7922-6667-6 (2004 edition); 978-1-4263-0290-9 (2008 edition)
Winning Ways
A Photohistory of American Women in Sports
After I finished A Whole New Ball Game, I had a hard time deciding on a topic for a follow-up book. I wanted to continue writing about women’s sports, but no single athlete or event jumped out at me. In an effort to put things in perspective, I compiled a list of “firsts” in women’s sports and thought about major trends and turning points. Eventually, I realized that this research could form the backbone of a book.
Winning Ways is called a "photohistory" because it uses more than 100 photographs to tell the story of the struggles and triumphs of women athletes in the United States. But it’s also a social history because it looks at the relationship between women’s participation in sports and changing ideas about women’s roles in society. I studied women’s history in college, so Winning Ways gave me a chance to go back to my old books and think about sports in terms of what I read back when. But the driving force behind Winning Ways was my hunger to learn more about all of those groundbreaking women who had been forgotten by history.
Published by Henry Holt and Company, 1996 • Paperback by Scholastic, 1998 • 218 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 0-8050-4147-8 (Hardback); 0-590-76336-9 (Paperback)
A Whole New Ball Game
The Story of the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League
I was astonished the first time I first saw the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League mentioned in a book on women’s history. I grew up a huge baseball fan, but I never had a clue that women had played the game in organized leagues, let alone as pros. (This was years before the movie, A League of Their Own.) I remember a tingling feeling creeping up neck—a sure sign that this discovery was epic. I hurried to the library as soon as I could and stayed until I had photocopies of half a dozen articles about the league from the 1940s and 50s. It was the start of 11 years of research.
Along the way I got to know hundreds of ballplayers. A Whole New Ball Game reflects the memories that they shared with me. In it, you’ll read about the everyday players and the superstars, life on the field and adventures on the road. You’ll find statistics, accounts of games, and close to 60 photos, many from the players’ private collections. Writing A Whole New Ball Game was a labor of love for me, just as playing baseball was for them. I hope you enjoy it!
Published by Henry Holt and Company, 1993 • Paperback by Puffin Books, 1995 • 140 pages • Ages 10 & up • ISBN 0-8050-1942-1 (Hardback); 0-14-037423-X (Puffin Paperback); 978-1-6277-9060-4 (Holt Trade Paperback)