In celebration of the Girl Scouts' centennial, a lively salute to its maverick founder.
Born at the start of the Civil War, Juliette Gordon Low grew up in Georgia, where she struggled to reconcile being a good Southern belle with her desire to run barefoot through the fields. Deafened by an accident, "Daisy" married a dashing British aristocrat and moved to England. But she was ultimately betrayed by her husband and dissatisfied by the aimlessness of privileged life. Her search for a greater purpose ended when she met Robert Baden-Powell, war hero, adventurer, and founder of the Boy Scouts. Captivated with his program, Daisy aimed to instill the same useful skills and moral values in young girls-with an emphasis on fun. She imported the Boy Scouts' sister organization, the Girl Guides, to Savannah in 1912. Rechristened the Girl Scouts, it grew rapidly because of Juliette Low's unquenchable determination and energetic, charismatic leadership.
In Juliette Gordon Low, Cordery paints a dynamic portrait of an intriguing woman and a true pioneer whose work touched the lives of millions of girls and women around the world.
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"A biography that fully captures its dynamic subject and her greatest accomplishment."
(Boston Globe)
"Stacy Cordery's engaging portrait . . . paints a charming picture of Daisy as a warm-hearted force of nature."
(Chicago Tribune)
"Cordery . . . has written a detailed and well-researched book. She shows Low to be a strong woman ahead of her time."
(The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
"Of the three books pegged to the Girl Scouts' 100th, the most engaging by far is Stacy A. Cordery's Juliette Gordon Low. Ms. Cordery gives us the unexpurgated life—one that might make you want to shield the eyes of the nearest Brownie Scout but one that also lends depth and color to the American Girl Scouts founder's story. Ms. Cordery uses a wealth of historical detail to animate both an era and the author's flawed, sometimes exasperating but generally appealing subject. . . . The merit badge here goes to Stacy Cordery's biography."
(The Wall Street Journal)
"Cordery's extensive biography fully explores the complex and intricate life of Low."
(Deseret News)
"Delightful."
(BookPage)
"This biography brings to life the woman whose efforts galvanized an entire nation of young women. 'Long Live Girl Scouts!' may be the cry on readers' lips after finishing this tribute to a spirited and inspirational American leader."
(Kirkus Reviews)
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Stacy A. Cordery is chairman of the history department at Monmouth College in Illinois and is the author of Theodore Roosevelt: In the Vanguard of the Modern. She is the bibliographer for the National First Ladies’ Library. This is her third book.
Stacy Cordery is a historical biographer and professor of History at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Her newest book, Juliette Gordon Low: The Remarkable Founder of the Girl Scouts, has earned advance praise from the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Kirkus, and Publisher's Weekly. Her third book, Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker, was a New York Times notable non-fiction book and widely extolled for its depth of research and engaging prose.
Learn interesting and amusing tidbits about Daisy Low on Stacy Cordery's blog: www.stacycordery.com Follow Stacy on facebook: Stacy Cordery, Author or on Twitter. Like the book at its facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/JulietteGordonLowBook
If you are looking for a fascinating read about a brave, adventurous female role model, this book is it. After reading about the remarkable founder of the Girl Scouts, I wish that I could have met Juliette Gordon Low. This book will take you on a journey with this bold and brilliant woman who overcame deafness, a philandering husband and the stifling mores of her time. At age 51, an age when many women would have given in to a gloomy spinsterhood, she instead used her talents and her fortune to impact millions of girls around the world. Inspiring. A perfect book club selection.
I've been a Girl Scout for about 60 years and read everything I can get my hands on about Juliette Gordon Low. That said, I learned some things about her from this book that I've never seen or heard of before. The book is wonderful and is well worth reading. Our "Daisy" was a remarkable person who was ahead of her time in her lifetime, and would be ahead of her time even today.
Juliette Gordon Low is most famously known as the founder of the Girl Scouts. Born in Savannah right before the civil war, she was known as Crazy Daisy, a precocious child who defied conventional rules and wisdom. Vowing never to marry, she fell in love with an English aristocrat and moved across the sea. After realizing her husband was a wastrel and adulterer, she began divorce proceedings, only to have him die due to his bad health and excesses. After meeting Robert Baden-Powell, she became enthralled with the Boy Scouts and helped organize the Girl Guides in England. After returning to Savannah she began the Girl Scouts and dedicated her life to enriching girls lives.
I found the book interesting, yet at times it seemed to long. It read as a history book with lots of facts and dates. I would have enjoyed a more story-type book. But overall I found it to be well written and engaging.
