Native Women of Courage (Native Trailblazer Series) [Paperback]

Kelly Fournel (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Native Trailblazers

Native Women of Courage profiles ten outstanding women leaders in the Native community. All of these successful, trailblazing women are stellar role models who have raised the profile of indigenous culture in North America. From heroines of the past to women making history today, this exciting work of non-fiction reminds readers of the extraordinary contributions of Native American women to our daily lives and to our country's social fabric.

Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabeg) - Author, environmentalist, vice-presidential candidate
Sarah Winnemucca (Paiute) - First Native American woman to write and publish a book
Maria Tallchief (Osage) - Prima ballerina with the New York City Ballet
Mary Kim Titla (Apache) - First Native American television news reporter in Arizona
Sandra Lovelace Nicholas (Maliseet) - Petitioned the United Nations on behalf of First Nations women's rights, and won
Susan Aglukark (Inuit) - Singer/songwriter and winner of 3 Juno music awards
Wilma Pearl Mankiller (Cherokee) - First women Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Susan Rochon-Burnett (Metis) - First women to be granted a Canadian FM broadcasting license
Lorna B. Williams (Lif'wat First Nation) - Educator who developed native curriculum for First Nations schools in Canada
Pauline Johnson-Tekahionwake (Mohawk) - Author and early advocate for Native women's rights

The Native Trailblazer Series shines a spotlight on the contributions of Native Americans and First Nation Canadians who provide inspirational role models for young readers.

High interest text and easy to read format is ideal for teen and adult literacy programs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

- We all need role models, regardless of age. And parents hope their daughters will follow the steps of a female role model, or what Kelly Fournel describes as a trailblazer - women who have overcome obstacles and barriers to find their own brand of success.

The 10 Native women she selected for her debut novel, "Native Women of Courage," are the condensed life stories of some of Indian country's most prolific female trailblazers, an attractive group for her target audience, girls 9-13. Each story is simply written, and could easily appeal to girls of all ages. ... ----Babette Herrmann, Indian Country Today

... The stories are engaging and will draw the reader into lives of people who many may never have heard of. It will fit well into a diversity curriculum or a study of Native Americans. The women discussed are from both Canada and the United States. The pictures of each of the women will help the student see each as a real individual. I recommend the purchase of this book for the elementary library. It might be useful in junior high for the student who is struggling with reading. ----Patricia S. Brown, The SouthWestern Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group

The ten Native women featured in this carefully structured book all had to fight for what they believed in as they crafted their careers. Some of them are from a century or two ago. .... Other women featured are part of our more recent history. ... In each chapter, the moral of the story is made quite evident. believe in who you are, trust your heritage and work hard. The ten women here are offered as role models for today's young Native women. --Patricia Moore, KLIATT, May 2008

About the Author

Kelly Fournel - Metis - said finding which 10 women to pick was the easiest part of the job. She has read numerous publications in both aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities and felt that "The images and stories of the book's featured women found me."

Fournel holds a Bachelor of Science in Archaeology. She moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to complete graduate school and completed a one-year graduate diploma in book and magazine publishing from Centennial College in May 2006. This is her first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 84 pages
• Publisher: Seventh Generation Books (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977918327
• ISBN-13: 978-0977918324
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, inspiring biographical sketches, August 23, 2009

By 

Jyotsna Sreenivasan "Gender Equality Bookstore" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Native Women of Courage (Native Trailblazer Series) (Paperback)

This 82-page book contains short biographies of 10 native women from the United States and Canada. Some of the women are fairly well-known, such as Wilma Mankiller (first woman chief of the Cherokees), Winona LaDuke (environmentalist and vice presidential candidate), and Maria Tallchief (ballerina for the New York City ballet). Others I had never heard of, such as Suzanne Rochon-Burnett, a Canadian radio broadcaster, and Lorna Williams, an educator who developed a native-centric curriculum.

I enjoyed reading the stories of all of these women. The author describes the challenges these women faced as well as their triumphs. I learned that Pauline Johnson-Tekahionwake, a poet and performer, had written down legends told to her by Chief Capilano of Vancouver, British Columbia. These are collected in a book called Legends of Vancouver, first published in 1910. I was able to request this book from my library to read to my kids. I also learned about Susan Aglukark, an Inuit singer who has won 3 Juno awards (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy award). I'm glad to know about a new singer I might like to listen to.

I included this book on my online Gender Equality Bookstore.