REMEMBER THE LADIES

This compilation of paragraphs about one hundred of America’s most famous women ranges from the dawn of the nation to the current millennium, highlighting the women trailblazers who have altered its history forever. Including the likes of Pocahontas and Abigail Adams, as well as Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, and Julie Taymor, there are few who have not been included in individual as well as collective biographies. Spies, poets, abolitionists, suffragists, politicians, scientists, painters, dancers, nurses, and doctors are all pictured within the context of their period of history. Each double-paged spread (“Turn of the Century,” “The Great War,” “The Great Depression,” etc.) opens with a very brief overview and includes four to six women. By design, each of these figures is reduced to a few lines, highlighting not much more than a basic fact or two. “They admired the flowers, and bones, and bright, bleak New Mexican landscapes painted by Georgia O’Keefe (1887–1986).” Harness’s signature colors are attractive and her intent is certainly laudable, but it would be difficult to determine exactly the purpose of giving such short shrift to these important women. Useful, perhaps, as a starting point with an eye toward inspiration, a timeline, glossary, and lists of historic sites and women’s organizations, as well as a bibliography and recommended reading list will help. (Nonfiction. 7-9)