From Publishers Weekly
Rappaport casts her fishing net over the vast and teeming waters of the 20th century and plucks out six American women who have little in common except grit. In a "you are there" reportorial style, she spotlights days in the lives of thrill seekers and explorers. But her book is dedicated to the woman whose story fills the final pages: Thecla Mitchell, who overcomes a physical handicap to run the New York City marathon. Children will be amazed by Rappaport's accounts of the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel (and live to write about it) and of a high-flying, reckless lady barnstormer who terrorized spectators. Other profiles include the first woman climber to conquer Huascaran mountain in Peru, an African explorer who hunted with the Pygmies, and a diver who discovered ancient fossils in an underwater cave. The variety of stories here could spark discussion on the difference between daredevil mania and thoughtful challenges to limits. Though the book's purpose is to dramatize lives lived on the edge, unfortunately it only hints at the curiosity, compulsion and inspiration that moved these women. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-- A collective biography that reads like a novel. Annie Edson Taylor, Annie Smith Peck, Bessie Coleman, Delia Akeley, Eugenie Clark, and Thecla Mitchell all have one thing in common--they are women who struggled against social conventions and physical challenges to accomplish amazing feats. In 1901, Taylor, 63, went over Niagara Falls in a barrel and lived to tell about it; Peck climbed to the top of the highest mountain in Peru; and Coleman became--20 years after the Wright Brothers' historic flight--the "world's first black licensed pilot." Taxidermist Akeley led a safari to a remote area of Africa in 1925; Clark, ichthyologist and diver, went 70 feet down in the waters of Little Salt Springs to uncover fossilized animal and human bones approximately 6000 years old; and Mitchell, in spite of extreme handicaps, trained for and completed the New York City Marathon. Each of these women's lives is candidly portrayed, making this an excellent starting point for learning about these little-known figures. Black-and-white photographs clarify and enhance the textual descriptions and add enormously to the overall appeal. The facts are well documented in the author's afterword. There is no index, but the extensive bibliography and appendix make the book useful for reports. However, it will serve primarily as interesting and inspirational leisure reading. --April L. Judge, Thousand Oaks Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
