MORE GIRLS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD

Like its predecessor, Girls Who Rocked the World (2012), this appealing compendium features brief profiles of women from around the world who achieved greatness at a young age.

The 45 short biographies of such well- and lesser-known women as Queen Esther of Persia, Jazz Jennings, Chloe Kim, and Mary Lou Williams are a disparate group, save that all their subjects made their marks on the world before the age of 20. Written in an engaging, conversational style, many profiles are followed with comments from girls and young women who explain their own plans for rocking the world. There are minor quibbles with some of McCann’s wording, as when she identifies Ada Byron Lovelace as a “computer programmer,” a bit of an oversimplification. Emma Watson is identified as an actress and activist, but only one paragraph explains her work as a United Nations goodwill ambassador. One perplexing inclusion is Naya Nuki, identified as a “survivor.” A Shoshone girl, Nuki was captured along with Sacagawea when both were 11 in a Hidatsa raid and forced to march over 1,000 miles from their home. Other than Lewis’ diary entry describing her reunion with Sacagawea during the Lewis and Clark expedition, there is no other record, so the profile is mostly speculative. These minor speed bumps don’t diminish the pleasure and inspiration to be had in the whole. There are suggestions for further reading on all the subjects.

A diverse compendium that will entertain, inform, and inspire.