Nellie Bly was born in 1864, and, after the death of her father, and her mother's remarriage and subsequent divorce, was determined to earn her own living - yet no one would hire her, despite the fact that she was more educated than her brothers. She wrote to a newspaper in response to a sexist column, and won a job writing. As a journalist, Nellie (born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, called Pink), set out to prove the male editors and newspaper owners wrong by taking on challenging assignments, such as going undercover at an asylum and traveling around the world in less than 80 days.

Back matter includes a numbered list of "how you can persist" and author and illustrator bios; a timeline would have been a nice inclusion. However, this straightforward biography of an impressive woman from history is an interesting read and would be an excellent source for a grade-school paper or project. I expect the rest of the "She Persisted" series is of equal quality. ( )