Leading the Way: Women in Power

Book excerpt: In this engaging and highly accessible compendium for young readers and aspiring power brokers, the authors spotlight the careers of fifty American women in politics — and inspire readers to make a difference. With foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton. Meet some of the most influential leaders in America, including Jeannette Rankin, who, in 1916, became the first woman elected to Congress; Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress; Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court; and Bella Abzug, who famously declared, “This woman’s place is in the House . . . the House of Representatives!” This engaging and wide-ranging collection of biographies highlights the actions, struggles, and accomplishments of more than fifty of the most influential leaders in American political history — leaders who have stood up, blazed trails, and led the way. Features: Bella Abzug Abigail Adams Madeleine Albright Tammy Baldwin Mary McLeod Bethune Hattie Wyatt Caraway Soledad Chávez Chacón Shirley Chisholm Hillary Rodham Clinton Elizabeth Dole Tammy Duckworth Crystal Bird Fauset Dianne Feinstein Geraldine Ferraro Betty Ford Ruth Bader Ginsburg Ella T. Grasso Nikki Haley Fannie Lou Hamer Kamala Harris Patricia Roberts Harris Carla Hayden Mazie Hirono Diane Humetewa Kay Bailey Hutchison Barbara Jordan Clare Boothe Luce Wilma Mankiller Susana Martinez Patsy Takemoto Mink Carol Moseley Braun Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Sandra Day O’Connor Nancy Pelosi Frances Perkins Jeannette Rankin Condoleezza Rice Eleanor Roosevelt Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Nellie Tayloe Ross Susanna Madora Salter Lottie Shackelford Margaret Chase Smith Sonia Sotomayor Elizabeth Cady Stanton Mary Church Terrell Elizabeth Warren Ida B. Wells-Barnett Edith Wilson Victoria Woodhull