Brazen

Pénélope Bagieu shares the bold stories of thirty-two women from many different places and many different time periods who acted in ways that were true to their deepest desires and dreams. Some are stories I have heard many times, like those of Nellie Bly and Temple Grandin and Peggy Guggenheim, and all of these familiar stories are stories I never get tired of hearing and they are stories Bagieu manages to tell in fresh ways with fresh details. Many of the stories are stories that are completely unfamiliar to me (Raise your hand if you know the life of the most accomplished volcanologist Katia Krafft. I thought so.) You will want to read about the warrior Lozen and the crime miniaturist (who even knew that was a job?) Frances Glessner Lee and lighthouse keeper Giorgina Reid. Everyone will find someone to admire here, I think, though I would recommend parental perusal for younger readers (Take a look at the title again. It's a perfect description of the folks profiled here.)