Is this site just for kids?
Hecks no! Awesome Women Library is for everyone! Whether you're a parent searching for good books to read with your kids, a student doing research, a budding activist looking for a little inspiration, or a plain old history buff expanding your already vast knowledge, the Awesome Women Library is a fantastic resource for you.
That said . . . this is a website about the lives of real people, and life isn't always kind, especially to women who defy social norms. While there are no graphic depictions or descriptions, there are references to challenges these women faced (violence, slavery, death, etc), so if you are a parent, you should preview any content your children will be reading.
That said . . . this is a website about the lives of real people, and life isn't always kind, especially to women who defy social norms. While there are no graphic depictions or descriptions, there are references to challenges these women faced (violence, slavery, death, etc), so if you are a parent, you should preview any content your children will be reading.
Aren't there other sites that talk about these people? What makes AWL so special?
It's special because you're here, obviously!
With regards to your first question, if you know the names already, then yes, you can definitely find information about all of these people on reputable websites. However, other than a handful of names, most people haven't heard of the likes of Hertha Ayrton or Ynes Mexia. So that's the first problem.
The second problem is that while there are a lot of interesting blogs out there introducing the world to Awesome Women, many of them have a singular focus -- American women, women in science, women from history, etc. -- and few cite sources or provide ways to learn more. Plus, almost all of them have epic dissertations on each woman and tons of ads. AWL is and always will be AD FREE, with bite-sized, easy-to-digest profiles on women of all backgrounds and specialities. And most of the biographical details are taken directly from reliable in-print biographies which are referenced in every profile. Call me old-fashioned, but I still consider books more reliable than websites. (Yes, this is a website. Yes, I see the irony.)
With regards to your first question, if you know the names already, then yes, you can definitely find information about all of these people on reputable websites. However, other than a handful of names, most people haven't heard of the likes of Hertha Ayrton or Ynes Mexia. So that's the first problem.
The second problem is that while there are a lot of interesting blogs out there introducing the world to Awesome Women, many of them have a singular focus -- American women, women in science, women from history, etc. -- and few cite sources or provide ways to learn more. Plus, almost all of them have epic dissertations on each woman and tons of ads. AWL is and always will be AD FREE, with bite-sized, easy-to-digest profiles on women of all backgrounds and specialities. And most of the biographical details are taken directly from reliable in-print biographies which are referenced in every profile. Call me old-fashioned, but I still consider books more reliable than websites. (Yes, this is a website. Yes, I see the irony.)
Did this librarian lady sign on for this? Or is she locked in a closet somewhere being forced to research Awesome Women while living on nothing but peanut butter and chocolate ice cream?
Believe it or not I'm doing this of my own free will (although I'll always -- ALWAYS -- accept payment in peanut butter & chocolate currency). I'm passionate about sharing the stories and accomplishments of these women, especially with parents of young children, and after regaling everyone I know with Awesome Women trivia (Did you know a woman invented the foot-pedal garbage can? Do you know where the term computer bug comes from?), a website seemed like the most logical way to get the word out to other likeminded folks.
Okay... but really. Why is she doing this?
You want to know why I'd spend hundreds of hours building a website without any guarantee that anyone will ever see it and before time travel is available for the common folk so I can go back and reclaim those hours if this turns out to be a bust?
Yeah, I see your point.
When my daughter was around 3 years old, I wanted to start exposing her to picture books with strong female leads - especially non-fiction books. At first I was thrilled to discover so many great books out there, but with every new Awesome Woman we learned about, the more annoyed I became that neither me nor anyone I knew had ever heard of most of them. I just had to spread the word about these inspiring women. Thus, Awesome Women Library was born.
Yeah, I see your point.
When my daughter was around 3 years old, I wanted to start exposing her to picture books with strong female leads - especially non-fiction books. At first I was thrilled to discover so many great books out there, but with every new Awesome Woman we learned about, the more annoyed I became that neither me nor anyone I knew had ever heard of most of them. I just had to spread the word about these inspiring women. Thus, Awesome Women Library was born.
Does the librarian employ any criteria when selecting Awesome Women? Or is she simply levitating by the seat of her knickerbockers?
My innate aversion to clutter, closely linked with my desire to see all things centralized and easily accessible, frames my ideal world in which every woman who is making efforts to improve her community would be listed on this website.
However.
I have other demands on my time (i.e. the aforementioned offspring), so for now I'm mostly limiting entries to women whose legacies are well established, and who have at least two non-fiction books about them. (Have any suggestions? Let me know!)
However.
I have other demands on my time (i.e. the aforementioned offspring), so for now I'm mostly limiting entries to women whose legacies are well established, and who have at least two non-fiction books about them. (Have any suggestions? Let me know!)
How are the entries organized? People can be multi-talented and multi-faceted, defying neat and tidy labeling systems.
Agreed. But there has to be some kind of order to the chaos. Thus the profiles are primarily organized by career, as that tends to be the compass that directs most other actions. Take Rachel Carson, for example, who was a trained biologist, but is most known for her book, Silent Spring. Do you put her under Engineers, Inventors, & Scientists? Or Artists & Entertainers because she was a celebrated author? I choose scientist, because the reason she wrote the book was to raise awareness of humanity's poor choices when it came to dealing with nature -- a concern that arose out of her scientific understanding that all life is interconnected. Make sense?
So if you're searching for someone who lived a dual life -- nurse and statistician (Florence Nightingale), mathematician and philanthropist (Maria Agnesi) -- look under their primary career first.
So if you're searching for someone who lived a dual life -- nurse and statistician (Florence Nightingale), mathematician and philanthropist (Maria Agnesi) -- look under their primary career first.
Some of the profiles list "Not So Awesome" stuff that they did. Why are people who did bad things considered Awesome?
Women are people too, which means that not even Awesome Women are perfect. While I made a conscious decision not to include downright villains on this website, I didn't want to make it seem like everyone featured is a saint either.
All of these women are progressive in some way or another, recognizing and fulfilling their potential despite deeply ingrained social prejudice. But if Susan B. Anthony eventually came to the conclusion that the only way to get women the right to vote was to stop openly supporting desegregation so segregationist politicians would partner with her, does that erase the positive impact she had on shaping the national debate on women's rights?
And women living hundreds or thousands of years ago had it even worse, risking their very lives by refusing to conform. If Cleopatra had to off her siblings in order to maintain her hold on power, does that negate all of the work she put into improving Egypt's economy and maintaining national security?
These women did the best they could in suffocatingly oppressive times, and while they may not always live up to our current standards of morality, and I obviously don't condone that kind of behavior (hence the "Not So Awesome" headline), it's because of them that women today can wear, learn, and do what we want with comparative ease.
(By the way, if you do want to learn about some incredible but not so well-behaved ladies, I highly recommend the fun and superbly illustrated book Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath.)
All of these women are progressive in some way or another, recognizing and fulfilling their potential despite deeply ingrained social prejudice. But if Susan B. Anthony eventually came to the conclusion that the only way to get women the right to vote was to stop openly supporting desegregation so segregationist politicians would partner with her, does that erase the positive impact she had on shaping the national debate on women's rights?
And women living hundreds or thousands of years ago had it even worse, risking their very lives by refusing to conform. If Cleopatra had to off her siblings in order to maintain her hold on power, does that negate all of the work she put into improving Egypt's economy and maintaining national security?
These women did the best they could in suffocatingly oppressive times, and while they may not always live up to our current standards of morality, and I obviously don't condone that kind of behavior (hence the "Not So Awesome" headline), it's because of them that women today can wear, learn, and do what we want with comparative ease.
(By the way, if you do want to learn about some incredible but not so well-behaved ladies, I highly recommend the fun and superbly illustrated book Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath.)
Is Awesome Women Library affiliated with the Awesome Women Awards from Good Housekeeping?
Negative. AWL is not related to nor affiliated with them. However, they do feature some remarkable and inspiring people, and I strongly suggest perusing the list of winners!
There are lots of Amazon links on this website. Is this whole thing a ruse to get me to go to Amazon? Does this "librarian" even really care about helping kids grow into strong, confident, informed adults who can make the world a better place?
I do care! I really do!
There are lots of Amazon links because A) it is a trusted online shopping platform with many many many books for sale, and B) they have an affiliate advertising program that helps little indie websites like mine recoup some of its costs, such as buying the domain name and subscribing to a site building platform so I don't have to know how to code (thanks Weebly!).
NO, Amazon doesn't give me your personal information if you buy something after clicking on one of the links, and NO, they don't charge you any extra either. I simply get a teensy cut (we're talking small single digit percentages here) of any sales that result from clicking on the links on this site.
Also, I'll point out that not every link on this site leads to Amazon. If a museum or non-profit related to that Awesome Woman has an online store, I include links to it in the Spread the Word section. Even though these sites do not have affiliate advertising programs (that I know about, at least), it's important to support these organizations and their missions.
There are lots of Amazon links because A) it is a trusted online shopping platform with many many many books for sale, and B) they have an affiliate advertising program that helps little indie websites like mine recoup some of its costs, such as buying the domain name and subscribing to a site building platform so I don't have to know how to code (thanks Weebly!).
NO, Amazon doesn't give me your personal information if you buy something after clicking on one of the links, and NO, they don't charge you any extra either. I simply get a teensy cut (we're talking small single digit percentages here) of any sales that result from clicking on the links on this site.
Also, I'll point out that not every link on this site leads to Amazon. If a museum or non-profit related to that Awesome Woman has an online store, I include links to it in the Spread the Word section. Even though these sites do not have affiliate advertising programs (that I know about, at least), it's important to support these organizations and their missions.
My questions are depleted, but I'm enjoying this banter. Is there anything else the librarian is willing to disclose about herself?
Umm... well, the point of this website is to learn about Awesome Women, so I suggest you go do that. But I guess I'll add that I've been a vegetarian for about twenty years, I try to eat only organic food, and pretty much all of my clothes are either from thrift stores, friends' hand-me-downs, or organic cotton.