Review Detail

Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America

Middle Grade Non-Fiction 703

Essential Book on Important Legislation

April 01, 2023

Overall rating

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Learning Value

5.0

I loved the original 2005 book, and this is fairly similar. It still has the story of Donna de Varona at the beginning; this made a big impression on me. To win an Olympic gold medal and be unable to get a college scholarship because there were no women's swim teams? My young readers are appalled. The chapters are titled with a mixture of sports game references, but the deeper implications of what Title IX meant for education is not neglected. My favorite part of the book is the charts that show how the enrollment in athletic and academic programs changed as the years went on after Title IX was enacted. Now, I think, there are MORE women than men who go into law fields!

The other thing I enjoyed were the short biographies of a wide range of women who fought for the passage of this legislation. Sidebars featuring well known feminist figures like Patsy Mink and Sally Ride are there, along with more obscure figures such as Myra Bradwell, America's first female Lawyer, and Representative Martha Wright Griffiths. There are also side bars with definitions of things like "libbers and bra burners" and explanations of key historic occurences like the Equal Pay Act and female cadets at U.S. military academies. The inclusion of political cartoons and comic strips like Tank McNamara give a humorous look at events of the 1960s and 70s through the lens of primary sources.

Good Points

This new edition, published to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX, has some new chapters that show the different extents to which Title IX has been implemented. These include "Expanding the Field", which addresses issues of transgender players, "Crossing Boundaries", which delves into Title IX's role in dealing with sexual harassment, and "Extra Innings", which gives powerful examples of the effects of Title IX on women in athletics since the first edition was published. These new topics update the first book and show the continuing success of this important legislation.

This is a fantastic book for any young sports enthusiast or budding feminist. It will be well used for history projects, and should be required reading for any girls who are very fond of sports. I do wish that the original photographic cover had been kept. First and Second Wave Feminism often comes underr attack for its lack of intersectionality, but I love that the faces of girls from the 1970s when they were the same age as the tween readers appear on the cover.