Module 12: Biography and Autobiography

"But Elizabeth didn't believe in couldn't or shouldn't. She refused to give up".

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?, Tanya Lee Stone

Book Summary:
In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but career options were few. Certainly no women were doctors.

But Elizabeth refused to accept the common beliefs that women weren't smart enough to be doctors, or that they were too weak for such hard work. And she would not take no for an answer. Although she faced much opposition, she worked hard and finally--when she graduated from medical school and went on to have a brilliant career--proved her detractors wrong. This inspiring story of the first female doctor shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors to come. Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? By Tanya Lee Stone is an NPR Best Book of 2013

Reference: 

Tanya, L.S. (2013). Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? Kowloon, Hong Kong: MacMillan.

Impressions:  
This story is impressive. I liked the beautiful illustrations, and the narrative is delightful. My daughter was born 15 weeks early and has had her share of the medical world. She has always said she wants to be a nurse or a doctor. So Tanya Stone's, the book hit home for us. I enjoyed the story and the simple text. I liked learning about people who are not heard of very much. Biographies about strong women are powerful to our girls. I applaud any women who dare to enter a man's world and seek justice for women. In the world where women are still treated as second-class citizens, sex objects, property or slaves anything that promotes women as independent and gives girls a better self-image deserves recognition.

"When they see the choices others have made and how those choices determined the courses of individual's lives, adolescents can begin to realize that they too can make choices and that their decisions will influence their future". (Bucher, 2014 Young Adult Literature) 

Professional Review: 
Women not able to be doctors? There’s a crazy thought! One woman had to be first. Stone and Priceman combine their considerable talents to tell the story of Elizabeth Blackwell, who fought the scorn, the sneers, and the barriers on her way to becoming a physician. Priceman’s always active art works particularly well here, beginning with her depiction of young Elizabeth, who liked to explore and was willing to take on both fights and challenges. As an adult, prompted by a friend who wished for a woman doctor, Blackwell decided to apply to medical school—and so the rejection began. Once accepted, she was treated abysmally by her fellow students, until she proved herself smarter than any of them. The gouache- and india-ink artwork, featuring rich colors accented by heavy lines, delights. Whether it’s a landscape tilted on its side, smaller vignettes that take Elizabeth from waking to sewing circle to tea and back to bed, or a flurry of No, no, no, no . . . swirling around a spread, the pictures feel like poetry in motion. They highlight Stone’s almost staccato text, short and snappy, easy to read yet full of information about both Blackwell and her times. The extended author’s note will further intrigue readers.

Cooper, I. (2013). [Review of the book Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? By Tanya Lee Stone], Booklist Online, Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Who-Says-Women-Can-t-Be-Doctors-The-Story-of-Elizabeth-Blackwell-Tanya-Lee-Stone/pid=5791238

Library Uses: 
This book could be highlighted in a display of women through history who have left their mark and changed the world. We could have cards with little facts about each of the women next to the book highlighting their accomplishments.