Overview

In mid-twentieth-century America, women faced a paradox. Thanks to their efforts, World War II production had been robust, and in the peace that followed, more women worked outside the home than ever before, even dominating some professions. Yet the culture, from politicians to corporations to television shows, portrayed the ideal woman as a housewife. Many women happily assumed that role, but a small segment bucked the tide-women who wanted to use their talents differently, in jobs that had always been reserved for men. In They Called Us Girls: Stories of Female Ambition from Suffrage to Mad Men, author Kathleen Stone meets seven of these unconventional women. In insightful, personalized portraits that span a half-century, Kathleen weaves stories of female ambition, uncovering the families, teachers, mentors, and historical events that led to unexpected paths. What inspired these women, and what can they teach women and girls today?

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9781947976498

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Reviews

How do smart girls become great women? There's no simple recipe or path. Thanks to the fortitude of the women profiled in this book-who came of age at a time rife with obstacles and low expectations-the course is clearer. Kathleen Courtenay Stone has crafted an important and engaging book that should be required reading for every young woman. They Called Us Girls reminds us what women routinely encountered not so long ago, and how these particular estimable women transcended and triumphed. -Lisa Napoli, author of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR They Called Us Girls is the happy product of a deeply engaged pursuit. Kathleen Courtenay Stone has used research and heedful and empathic interviewing to create a genuinely inspiring study. Searching for the secret of later life success, she speaks with women from all backgrounds and professions and weaves interludes from her own life into the presentation. The book is tightly written and broadly illuminating. -Sven Birkerts, author of Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet Age They persisted! The adventurous lives of seven women who soared past the barriers of patriarchy in the decades before the women's movement began. They brought their gifts to the world. But, as Kathleen Courtenay Stone reminds us, they were only doing something that would have been normal for a man. They Called Us Girls is a reminder of what talented women once endured, and the stories it tells so deftly should continue to inspire us today. Not every barrier has disappeared. -Louis Menand, author of The Free World and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Metaphysical Club Kathleen Courtenay Stone introduces us to seven remarkable women, all born in the early twentieth century, whose contributions to American society are largely unknown. Distinguished by race, ethnicity, and circumstance, they all overcame seemingly insurmountable barriers to make their mark in typically male areas of work, including medicine, law, and science. Stone also shares her own experiences from girlhood to the legal profession, weaving together the women's stories with her own to craft a captivating and inspiring narrative. -Virginia G. Drachman, Tufts University They Called Us Girls, riveting and inspiring, illuminates the remarkable lives of amazing women born in the first half of the last century. Kathleen Stone's subjects are diverse in their backgrounds and professions, but all are trailblazers whose quiet triumphs opened doors for us who follow behind. This is an important book. -Claire Messud, author of The Emperor's Children and The Woman Upstairs

How do smart girls become great women? There's no simple recipe or path. Thanks to the fortitude of the women profiled in this book-who came of age at a time rife with obstacles and low expectations-the course is clearer. Kathleen Courtenay Stone has crafted an important and engaging book that should be required reading for every young woman. They Called Us Girls reminds us what women routinely encountered not so long ago, and how these particular estimable women transcended and triumphed. -Lisa Napoli, author of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR They Called Us Girls is the happy product of a deeply engaged pursuit. Kathleen Courtenay Stone has used research and heedful and empathic interviewing to create a genuinely inspiring study. Searching for the secret of later life success, she speaks with women from all backgrounds and professions and weaves interludes from her own life into the presentation. The book is tightly written and broadly illuminating. -Sven Birkerts, author of Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet Age They persisted! The adventurous lives of seven women who soared past the barriers of patriarchy in the decades before the women's movement began. They brought their gifts to the world. But, as Kathleen Courtenay Stone reminds us, they were only doing something that would have been normal for a man. They Called Us Girls is a reminder of what talented women once endured, and the stories it tells so deftly should continue to inspire us today. Not every barrier has disappeared. -Louis Menand, author of The Free World and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Metaphysical Club Kathleen Courtenay Stone introduces us to seven remarkable women, all born in the early twentieth century, whose contributions to American society are largely unknown. Distinguished by race, ethnicity, and circumstance, they all overcame seemingly insurmountable barriers to make their mark in typically male areas of work, including medicine, law, and science. Stone also shares her own experiences from girlhood to the legal profession, weaving together the women's stories with her own to craft a captivating and inspiring narrative. -Virginia G. Drachman, Tufts University They Called Us Girls, riveting and inspiring, illuminates the remarkable lives of amazing women born in the first half of the last century. Kathleen Stone's subjects are diverse in their backgrounds and professions, but all are trailblazers whose quiet triumphs opened doors for us who follow behind. This is an important book. -Claire Messud, author of The Emperor's Children and The Woman Upstairs

Author Information

Kathleen Stone knows something about female ambition. As a lawyer, she was a law clerk to a federal judge, a litigation partner in a law firm, and senior counsel at a financial institution. She also taught seminars on American law in six foreign countries, including as a Fulbright Senior Specialist. Kathleen's work has been published in Ploughshares, Arts Fuse, Los Angeles Review of Books, Timberline Review, and The Writer's Chronicle. She holds graduate degrees from Boston University School of Law and the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Boston with her husband. Her website is https: //kathleencstone.com/.

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