'Rad American Women A-Z' Is The Empowering Book Both Girls <em>And</em> Boys Need

The children's book world is about to get a lot more rad.

Writer Kate Schatz teamed up with illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl to create an empowering and educational book for kids about 26 women who helped shape American history, society, and culture. Titled Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future!, this book presents an alphabet that spans from Angela Davis to Zora Neale Hurston.

rad american women

Unable to find the kind of book she wanted for her young daughter, author Kate Schatz decided to write it herself. "I want her to grow up to be empowered and strong and inspired, and I’m very conscious of the images of women and girls in the media," she states in the press release.

Rad American Women A-Z features a diverse array of women who don't typically appear in history books, but deserve recognition for their daring work. Their identities represent different geographical backgrounds, classes, sexualities, abilities and races.

Including women from various backgrounds was important to Schatz, who is a strong supporter of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. "Children should have easy and plentiful access to books and characters who reflect their lives," she said. "They should be able to see illustrations that reflect their skin, their hair, their communities, their families, their interests."

The author also hopes that parents will read Rad American Women A-Z to both their daughters and sons. "I definitely want young girls to be inspired and empowered, but this book is absolutely for boys and men as well, including my own son. These women’s stories are America’s stories -- they just don’t always get included in the textbooks."

Rad American Women A-Z is available for purchase on the City Lights Books website. Below is a sample of some of the strong, smart and brave women featured in the book.

Angela Davis