Still I Rise: The Persistence of Phenomenal Women

Riveting biographies of women from the 1700s til today who overcame all odds to prevail and make history. Some are household names, like poet Maya Angelou (the title is drawn from one of her poems), Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and actress Carrie Fisher. But you may not yet have heard of natural health entrepreneur Roxanne Quimby (she co-founded Burt's Bees), civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, Nobel laureate Nellie Sachs, and anti-bullying activist Lizzie Velasquez. The short but depthy profiles in this book give them all their due. Written for adults, but perfectly suitable for mature teens in need of role models in overcoming adversity.