February 2, 2010

Books celebrate Canadian achievements


by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Brief biographies of 27 women from the fields of sports, pioneer days, arts, and science. A final chapter profiles those who followed unique career paths.

An interesting and enlightening book, especially since the women often had much adversity to overcome on their roads to success. 

A minor quibble is the author's choice of subjects. For example, why did she choose long retired athletes such as Abby Hoffman and Marilyn Bell? Considering that the book was published in 2001, she could have chosen athletes who were still competing. Also, most of the women mentioned in the book are either deceased or over 40 years of age. I was expecting more balanced coverage, i.e. women of all ages. However, the book should appeal to kids who like biography and history.


note: A revised edition of the book has since been published. Its cover is on the left. The above link is for this edition.








Thirty biographies of Canadian male athletes, scientists, explorers, entertainers, and businessmen. The focus is on men who achieved success before age 20. However, like the author's previous book, I wonder why she chose men who may not be well-known to today's kids. Hopefully, readers will be inspired to research more recent figures.



No comments: