Over the years, many women have made contributions to soccer. Mia Hamm gained international attention in the 1990s and many talented athletes soon followed, including Sun Wen, Marta, Megan Rapinoe, and Crystal Dunn. Read this book to learn more about each woman’s struggles and successes, and find out what makes them trailblazers. Includes sidebars, fun facts, glossary, websites, and bibliography for further reading.
Impressive! Innovative! Influential! Discover and celebrate the amazing stories and achievements of 120 of America’s most inspiring women! Women have accomplished incredible things throughout American history. They’ve made and changed history. They've contributed revolutionary new ideas and moved science forward. Their inventions, businesses, literature, art, and activism helped build the nation. They've succeeded in a whole host of professions, including media, medicine, politics, government, education, sports, and the military. Trailblazing Women! Amazing Americans Who Made History shines a welcome light on some of America's most remarkable women and their enduring stories and amazing accomplishments. This fun and fascinating read covers the long history of America's heroic women. It brings you the biographies of some of America's boldest and bravest. Read about obstacles they overcame and how they flourished. It covers the lasting legacies of well-known and lesser-known stars, including ... As a young child, she sang solos and duets with her Aunt Mary at the Union Baptist Church and by the age of 6 was earning money singing at local functions throughout her hometown of Philadelphia. (Marian Anderson (1897–1993), Singer) She made headlines when she became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in the science of geology from the elite Baltimore research university, Johns Hopkins. (Florence Bascom (1862–1945), Geologist) She said about the “me too” movement she founded: “When one person says, ‘Yeah, me, too,’ it gives permission for others to open up.” (Tarana Burke (1973–), Civil Rights Activist) The nation’s first four-star woman general has a long family history of U.S. military service—going back five generations. (Ann E. Dunwoody (1953–), Army Officer) When this celebrated U.S. Supreme Court justice served on the high court with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as one of only two women justices, she and O’Connor decided to wear special collars on decision days to carve out their visual space in a sea of black robes and ties. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), Attorney, U.S. Supreme Court Justice) She made many discoveries in physics, but the most important was identifying the “magic numbers” that make protons or neutrons stable within an atomic nucleus. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for her work. (Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1906–1972), Physicist) A soccer icon who was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame, she started playing the sport at the age of two, while her family was living in Italy. (Mia Hamm (1972–), Soccer Player) Her first name means “lotus” in the Sanskrit language, and her name, Devi, means “goddess.” (Kamala Harris (1964–), Vice President of the United States of America) She coined the term “bug” to describe computer errors after she found a moth inside one of her team’s computers. (Grace Hopper (1906–1992), Computer Scientist, Navy Rear Admiral) An acclaimed architect and artist best known for designing Washington, D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lin once said, “I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That’s art to me.” (Maya Lin (1959–), Architect) When this former first lady was growing up, she was a great athlete, but she didn’t like playing competitive sports. The reason, her big brother said, was that “she hated losing.” (Michelle Obama (1964–), Attorney, First Lady) A Cuban American and the first Latinx elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, she delivered a Spanish version of the Republican rebuttal to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address in 2014. (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (1952–), Congresswoman) This acclaimed prima ballerina was the daughter of an Osage Indian father and a white mother. The Osage people gave her the name Wa-Xthe-Thomba, meaning “Woman of Two Worlds.” (Maria Tallchief (1925–2013), Ballet Dancer) A labor leader and educator, she is the current president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the former president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), and she became the first openly gay individual to be elected president of a national American labor union. (Randi Weingarten (1957–), Educator, Labor Leader) This mathematician is the hidden hero behind the development of GPS apps on cell phones. (Gladys West (1930–), Mathematician) And many more. America has had more than its share of amazing women. The influence, inspiration, and impact of women on U.S. society and culture cannot be ignored. Explore the vital roles and vibrant experiences of some of the most impressive women in American history with Trailblazing Women! Amazing Americans Who Made History. It brings to light all there is to admire and discover about these extraordinary women.
A deeply moving and painfully honest memoir from the trailblazing, World Cup–winning, Olympic gold medalist, and US Women’s soccer goalie Briana Scurry Briana Scurry was a pioneer on the US Women’s National Team. She won gold in Atlanta in 1996, the first time women’s soccer was ever played in the Olympics. She was a key part of the fabled “99ers,” making an epic save in the decisive penalty-kick shootout in the final. Scurry captured her second Olympic gold in 2004, cementing her status as one of the premier players in the world. She was the only Black player on the team, and she was also the first player to be openly gay. It was a singularly amazing ride, one that Scurry handled with her trademark generosity and class—qualities that made her one of the most popular players ever to wear a US jersey. But Scurry’s storybook career ended in 2010 when a knee to the head left her with severe head trauma. She was labeled “temporarily totally disabled,” and the reality was even worse. She spiraled into depression, debt, and endured such pain that she closed out her closest friends and soccer soulmates. She pawned her gold medals. She walked to the edge of a waterfall and contemplated suicide. It seemed like the only way out until Scurry made her greatest save of all. A memoir of startling candor, My Greatest Save is a story of triumph, tragedy, and redemption from a woman who has broken through barriers her entire life.
A star athlete shares her trailblazing account of triumph in the face of sexism, self-doubt, and injury, gives a remarkable global tour of the women's soccer world, and presents a stirring call-to-action to secure equal pay and conditions. When Susie Petruccelli won a place on Harvard University's soccer team, she felt on top of the world—talented, strong, and worthy. Unfortunately, after sustaining injuries and developing health problems, she felt her worth slip away. In this remarkable memoir, Petruccelli reveals how she battled her way back onto the field and continued to fight even after she hung up her cleats. She distills the significance of not giving up on oneself and inspires players of all sports who've faced injuries to persevere. She also brings to light the inequities and discrimination female athletes face that she's traveled the world to see and document firsthand, and introduces the international athletes and activists fighting for equal pay and conditions. In so doing, she reveals the progress made, as well as the battles ahead and the force of the movement. Raised a Warrior is the winner of the Vikki Orvice Prize and has been praised by a wide range of sports icons from Pelé to Billie Jean King.
From Michelle Akers to Megan Rapinoe, bold and inspiring profiles of the pioneers, champions and future heroines of women's soccer around the world. Women's soccer has come a long way. The first organized games on record -- which took place three hundred years ago in the Scottish Highlands -- were exhibition matches, where single women played against married women while available men looked on, seeking a potential mate. Today, champions like Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Brazil's Marta and China's Sun Wen, have inspired girls around the world to pick up the beautiful game for love of the sport. Inevitably, given the hardships and discrimination they face, women who play soccer professionally are so much more than elite athletes. They are survivors, campaigners, political advocates, feminists, LGBTQ activists, working moms, staunch opponents of racial discrimination and inspirational role models for many. Based on original interviews with over 50 current and former players and coaches, this book celebrates these remarkable women and their achievements against all odds.
This lively illustrated survey captures the spirit of the sport that has entranced fans across the world. A celebration of the players and soccer's rich history, the book contains in-depth profiles coaches and reps as well as world-renowned North American athletes like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain (U.S.); Christine Sinclair and Kara Lang (Canada); Birgit Prinz (Germany); Sun Wen (China); as well as anecdotes, stats, and schedules. It also covers the teams, from more than 130 countries, from such perennial powerhouses as the U.S. and China to emerging headliners from Brazil and Japan. Here too are the international competitions, the Olympic Games and the Women's World Cup, that have served as proving grounds for these athletes and their teams. The book includes highlights from the history of the sport, from the first golden age of modern women's soccer in the late 19th century to the spectacular triumphs of professional players in worldwide competitions at the end of the 20th century.
A complete history of the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team from the 1980s to its 2019 World Cup victory. In the summer of 2019, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team swept the field and decisively won their fourth World Cup, further cementing their place as the most decorated, ground-breaking, and outspoken team in women’s sports. But in The National Team, a complete history of the team, leading soccer journalist Caitlin Murray shows how their story is not only one of triumph on the pitch. From the team’s foundation in the 1980s to today, these women have face numerous challenges off the field: sexism, striking inequality, low pay, poor playing conditions, and limited opportunities to play in professional leagues. Through nearly one hundred exclusive interviews with players, coaches, and team officials, including Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Heather O’Reilly, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, Pia Sundhage, Tom Sermanni, and Sunil Gulati, Murray takes readers inside the locker rooms and boardrooms in engrossing detail. A story of endurance and determination, The National Team is a complete portrait of this beloved and revolutionary team. Updated to include the 2019 World Cup victory. Praise for The National Team “I gobbled up every page of this deep dive into the incredible history and culture surrounding this team.” —Alexi Lalas “I’ve always had tremendous respect for the Women’s National Team but, after reading The National Team, that level of respect skyrocketed. This is a fantastic story about perseverance, overcoming obstacles and following your passion in life.” —Landon Donovan “In The National Team, Caitlin Murray has told an inspiring tale of the long arc of the U.S. women's national team, shedding new light on all the major tournaments while revealing fascinating details on its decades-long fight for better treatment from the men who run soccer. I learned a lot of new things from this terrific book.” —Grant Wahl, author of Masters of Modern Soccer “The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is one of the greatest collectives the United States has ever produced. For all its World Cups and Olympic Golds, it has never had a history worthy of its name. Caitlin Murray has put that right with this book. The National Team is the definitive telling of the team’s journey, giving the reader a behind the scenes understanding of the dreams, elite skills, and enormous sacrifices that have brought success on the field, and the huge battle for equality still to be won off it.” —Roger Bennett, Men in Blazers
Adapted for young readers! Join two-time Women's World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and trailblazing activist Megan Rapinoe in the fight for equality and justice in this middle grade adaptation of her New York Times bestselling memoir, One Life. You know Megan Rapinoe as an international soccer superstar! She’s also a fierce activist, boldly speaking out about issues of equality and justice—from LGBTQ rights to the equal pay movement to Black Lives Matter. In this adaptation for middle school readers of her memoir One Life, get to know Megan: from her childhood in a small California town where she learned to play soccer and how to fight for social justice; through high school, college and beyond; to 2016 when she became the first high-profile white athlete to take a knee in support of Colin Kaepernik, and also suing the United States Soccer Federation along with her teammates over gender discrimination. Using stories from her own life and career, Rapinoe discusses the responsibility we have to speak up. In this edition specifically for young readers, she reveals the impact everyone, even kids, can have on their communities and how kids can get involved in making the world a better place.
Over the years, many women have made contributions to track and field. Betty Robinson became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport, paving the way for athletes such as Fanny Blankers-Koen, Wilma Rudolph, Joan Benoit, and Elaine Thompson-Herah. Read this book to learn more about each woman’s struggles and successes, and find out what makes them trailblazers. Includes sidebars, fun facts, glossary, websites, and bibliography for further reading.
