She Dared: True Stories of Heroines, Scoundrels, and Renegades

Marie St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

In She Dared, Ed Butts writes about true life stories of 15 women who
dared take up the challenges that society thought were destined only for
men. Young readers can read about some famous women who flew fighters
and bombers in World War II, or about a Native woman who stopped a war.
There is a story of a woman doctor who had to masquerade as a man until
the day she died, and stories of women who made incredible journeys
across our cold and desolate north. She Dared includes a story about an
incredibly brave woman who worked as a Yankee spy in the Civil War. The
author also profiles several notorious women such as Cassie Chadwick,
who conned bankers of a vast fortune, and Pearl Hart, who became a Wild
West desperado.

These intriguing stories reflect the author’s special interest in
Canadian history, and his research through the Public Archives of
Canada, the Archives of Ontario, and the Hudson’s Bay Company
Archives. A Further Reading list at the end of the book will no doubt
encourage the young reader to continue some independent research on more
remarkable Canadian women of the past.

The simple illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are graphite
with the book’s pages off-white, reflecting the archival flavour of
the book; however, the cover illustration of Pearl Hart detracts from
the interesting information that lies within. Filled with fascinating
facts woven together by a good storyteller, She Dared provides us with
more than a glimpse into the lives of some very interesting women.
Highly recommended.