The Book of Gutsy Women (Simon & Schuster, $35) is the first book that Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton, both prolific authors, have written together. In it they identify 103 women they define as “gutsy”—women who have changed the world through their ideas, actions, creativity, courage, and persistence. The list is diverse. It includes women across generations, races,
cultures, ethnicities, geographical boundaries, vocations, and avocations. And while some are well known—former congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, tennis champion Billie Jean King, and teenage
climate activist Greta Thunberg, for example—others work or worked in virtual anonymity: scientists like Ada Lovelace and Flossie Wang-Staal, education activists like the rebellious 17th-century nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and modern crusaders like child marriage activist Fraidy Reiss and workers’ rights champion Ai-Jen Poo, and dozens more. In recounting these stories, the authors give voice to women collectively, helping to flesh out a historical narrative that has systematically excluded, ignored, or discounted the experiences, perspectives, and accomplishments of half of the world’s inhabitants. For that alone, and on behalf of womankind, thank you Hillary and Chelsea. P.S. Hope there is a volume 2!