Native women changing their worlds

Twelve Native American and First Nations women are featured in this informative entry in the Native Trailblazers series. Many have experienced hardships--poverty, abuse, gender and racial discrimination--but have persevered to become mentors and community leaders in fields like law, engineering, and education, believing that obtaining an education was the best way to succeed and help others. Included in the profiles are Ruth Anna Buffalo, enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and first Native American Democratic woman elected to the North Dakota Legislative Assembly; Dr. Loriene Roy, Anishinaabe and enrolled on the White Earth Reservation, who was the first Native American president of the ALA; and the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, Sharice Lynnette Davids, of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguno. Each entry includes a quote, each woman's awards and honors, and their given Native name alongside English translations, though the black-and-white photos identify only the subject of each profile. This useful resource will help fill a void.

Gr 6 Up--The ninth entry in the "Native Trailblazers" series explores the lives of 12 Native American and First Nations activists and changemakers, from Kansas Representative Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk Nation) and New Mexico Representative Debra Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) to tribal leaders Roberta Jamieson (Six Nations of the Grand River Territory) and Elsie Marie Knott (Mississauga Ojibwe) to scientist Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee). Each brief chapter narrates a different woman's life, showcasing themes of perseverance, determination, and education. Cutright does not shy away from the traumas endured by many of her subjects. She frequently references the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women, a cause that unites several of the women featured in the book. Each chapter includes a few photographs of the spotlighted woman and concludes with a list of awards and achievements. There is a useful bibliography. Cutright's text is accessible, making this title both an appealing entry point for adolescent students researching Native women activists and a productive teaching tool for upper elementary and middle school. VERDICT This wide-ranging look at Native American and First Nations female leaders will inspire further reading.--Dana West, Nathan Hale H.S., Seattle

Twelve profiles of Native American and First Nations women are collected in this engaging work. The individuals included here have achieved success in many fields, from Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna), a U.S. Representative from New Mexico, to the late Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee), an elite aeronautical engineer at Lockheed. Each profile begins with an inspirational quote, features approximately six to eight pages describing the subject's early life and later achievements, and concludes with a list of their awards and honors. Photographs enhance the text. While their lives and talents are diverse, the women share strong beliefs in the sanctity of family and the preservation of their cultures and languages. Some of the women grew up on a reserve, some moved around in their youth, but all faced challenges. The book shows how they have overcome racial and gender discrimination, poverty, abuse, and other obstacles to become leaders in their professions and communities. Highlighting how each found a way to keep a positive outlook, it also shows that when their goals seemed unachievable, there was a family member or a teacher who believed in them and pushed them to move beyond the expectations of Indigenous women in the non-Native world. These remarkable stories, relayed in straightforward and accessible prose, will serve as catalysts, propelling young people to seek the potential they have within themselves. Inspiring portraits of accomplished Indigenous women. (references, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.