Inspiring Women: A Celebration of Herstory

Naomi Brun is a freelance writer and a book reviewer for The Hamilton
Spectator.

Gender politics were a heady issue in 1972. Women were beginning to fill
the universities, but once in the workforce, they earned 67 cents to
every male dollar. They juggled marriage, children, and career, but were
not deemed fit for management roles in business. They were encouraged to
be excellent, but markedly less so than their husbands. In other words,
women did not receive the respect they deserved.

That same year, five students at the University of Saskatchewan decided
that Canadian women needed strong role models to combat injustice. They
researched the life stories of interesting women who achieved success on
their own terms. Beginning in 1974, they published Herstory, a calendar
that brought these heroines into the living rooms of Canadians from
coast to coast. These tales of courage, wisdom, and perseverance fill
the pages of Inspiring Women.

Perhaps what distinguishes this book from other feminist biographical
collections is its broadness of scope. Many such volumes focus on women
who have achieved greatness in the traditionally male sphere: business
executives, politicians, athletes, and the like. Still other anthologies
present “the woman behind the man”—in other words, wives or
mothers of famous historical figures. Although Inspiring Women does
include these kinds of stories, it is not limited by them. Women from
all cultures and classes have made their way into this rich compilation.
Readers will learn about the resourcefulness of pioneer farmwives who
ran large households with few provisions, the determination of female
doctors to give women control over their own fertility, and the calling
of female artists to spread the message of empowerment.

Inspiring Women is a complex and rewarding mosaic of female
accomplishment. Clearly written, easily digested, and powerfully
compelling, it challenges every woman to create a life of meaning for
herself.