Game changers The unsung heroines of sports history

Filmmaker Schiot runs the Instagram account @theUnsungHeroines, which serves as the inspiration for this encyclopedic book. After unsuccessfully pitching documentaries about women in sports, Schiot began researching the topic at the LA84 Foundation's library, where she came across the archives of womenSports magazine and started her Instagram account using the photos and stories she found within, posting a photo a day of a female athlete from the pre-Title IX era. Nearly 150 women are profiled here in random order, with a page of narrative information facing a photograph. Time periods range from the 1920s to the 1984 Olympics, with the bulk in the 1960s and 1970s. Not everyone is an athlete (Melissa Ludtke, the reporter who successfully sued for the right to enter MLB locker rooms, is profiled, as is Robin Herman, the first female New York Times sports reporter). This browsable compendium will be an important addition to the sports collections of most libraries and should do well with sports fans of all types.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2016 Booklist

Inspired by the success of her Unsung Heroines Instagram account, filmmaker Schiot's first book chronicles women athletes and trailblazers who were "forever told no." Biographical entries of women such as tennis player Althea Gibson and Olympic track and field sprinter Wyomia Tyus range from obscure, nearly forgotten figures to household names, and are not limited to the mainstream. Sportswriters, coaches, Title IX advocates, team owners, and reporters are given equal space next to bullfighters, boxers, and archers. With a nod to its Instagram origins, this extravagantly illustrated book is browsable rather than historically linear; some summaries consist of a brief paragraph, while others are in-depth stories complete with cultural context. Also included are conversations between notable women athletes and pioneers of different generations, which validate the progress made and clarify the challenges ahead. Ideal as a motivational starting point for students, researchers, sports fans of all ages, and teachers who cover female athletes and history. VERDICT Appropriate for school and public library collections, this book is a timely combination of photographs and biographical essays that bring trailblazing sportswomen of the past and present to life.-Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.