A collection of articles, quotes, comics strips, and other pieces of the fight for Title IX.

RGG: What might have been a very dry read instead is engaging and inspiring, and a shocking reminder of what was and still isn't Reading Interest: 12-YA.

Describes the history of Title IX and the key players who brought it about and supported it, including Congresswomen Edith Brown of Oregon and Patsy Mink of Hawaii. It was a struggle also to enforce it in the early years. Ingrained attitudes about men and women did not help. But thanks to Title IX, girls and women have enjoyed more or less equal rights to education and athletics. Statistics charts illustrate the increasing numbers of women participating in sports and obtaining advanced degrees, in some cases outstripping the men.

This book was about the implementation of Title IX and the ripple effects it had. Title IX was a law that was passed that said for every boy’s sport an equal girl’s sport had to exist. The book showed some statistics of how the law increased female participation in sports. I liked the amount of pictures shown and the quotes from powerful and respected females about how Title IX changed things. More females were able to go to college because they were now able to get sports scholarships. Females also continued to outpace males in college graduation.

I would definitely have this book in my library because many students are unaware that there was a time where females didn’t have sports teams. It’s important for students to realize how far we’ve come, but also how much further we have to go. I think this book will help students appreciate the opportunities they have and maybe push them to demand more. ( )

I never really thought much about Title IX. Like most people, I assumed it just dealt with girls being allowed to play sports. I have absolutely no interest in sports, never played, and am pretty skeptical about all the "building teamwork" claims, but I'm a strong advocate for girls doing anything they want to do.

However, reading this book was fascinating and I learned there was so much more to Title IX than I had thought. Blumenthal walks the readers through a history of Title IX, giving snapshots of key personages along the way, along with personal stories of girls and women affected by the act and statistics of how it changed educational opportunities for women. The author does a really good job of condensing the many complicated issues, groups, and people down into a cohesive narrative.

Unfortunately, with all the photos being black and white and the poor design of the book I'm not sure I would be able to convince any kids to pick this up and read it. The layout is confusing and oddly random, breaking up paragraphs and even sentences and it gives an overall cluttered feel to what's really a very strong narrative. It's also directed at older readers, middle school more than middle grade, and nonfiction is a hard sell for that group.

Verdict: I enjoyed reading this and found it very educational; I'm definitely going to remember to buy more sports books featuring girls next time I have a shot at updating the sports section (periodically I try to do this and usually end up just sighing and letting it go again). It would be great if publishers had more series featuring contemporary female athletes. However, I probably won't buy this book for my library.

ISBN: 0689859570; Published 2005 by Atheneum; Borrowed from another library in my consortium