March 9

She Persisted - Around the World (children's book)
By Chelsea Clinton

Sometimes a book for children offers an important message for adults as well.  Yesterday I had an opportunity to hear Chelsea Clinton read from her new book.  I joined my daughter-in-law Lilly and her two nieces for the reading and book signing at An Unlikely Story, a wonderful bookstore/cafe in Plainville, MA. Due to yesterday's snowstorm, the event at Unlikely Story ended up being the launch of Chelsea's new book.  Besides reading the book, she also answered questions about her own life and the things she was doing to change the world - first, being a mother to her two children, secondly, writing and serving on the Clinton Foundation and trying to inform people about some of the world's most pervasive health problems (e.g., dehydration as a cause of death among children in developing countries) - which, for the most part, could easily be addressed through clean water and education.  

Like her first book, She Persisted, this new around-the-world version, highlights women who have had to overcome struggles to accomplish their dreams: whether overcoming the refusal / reluctance to educate women (e.g., Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Marie Curie, Malala Yousafzai),  overcoming physical handicaps (Mary Verghese, Caroline Herschel), racial prejudice (Viola Desmond), or other obstacles.  There's just enough information on each woman to give a young child (say, 5-8 years old) a sense of the uphill battle women face (d) to gain equality with men, but not too much to lose their interest.  Alexandra Boiger's illustrations are simple but powerful, and also convey the strength and reach of these women.

Following the book signing (where over 1000 fans waited for Chelsea to write in their books), we stopped for dinner before dropping off the nieces.  I asked the older one how she might make a difference in the world.  As someone who suffers from a peanut allergy, she did not hesitate, and said she'd like to help find a cure for allergies or at least some kind of vaccine to protect sufferers.

What a great way to celebrate International Women's Day!

My new friend Chelsea and me at Unlikely Story