Review Detail

Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All

Kids Fiction 210

Inspiration from Two Influential Women

March 12, 2026 (Updated: June 08, 2026)

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Inspired by an Easter Sunday kitchen table conversation between Steinem and Gbowee in 2009, this picture book, this ode to sisterhood is both poetic and empowering. It compares and contrasts the childhoods of both of these changemakers, showing how they were inspired to work to make the world a more inclusive place, especially for women. Steinem traveled around the US with her parents, who sourced and sold antiques, while Gbowee grew up in Liberia and experienced the fear and deprivation cause by the war in that country that started in 1989.

Both women realized that they had more in common than not, especially since they held to tenets such as equality, self-determination, respect, and freedom. Together, they celebrated building community, working together, and relying on the wisdom of those who have gone before. This is a rallying call for sister-friends to gather and work for positive change. Notes at the end tell us more about this conversation, as well as the authors.

Good Points

Yangni's illustrations are bright and bold, and filled with lots of diversity and details. There is a primitive feel to the multimedia drawings. It would be fun to use this book as a springboard for readers making collages of their own experiences and desires for change.

This exuberant anthem would be a great companion to Risbridger and Shepeta She'll be the Sky, Watson and Holmes' Black Girl, You Are Atlas, and Charlton-Trujillo, Morris and Zietlow Miller's A Girl Can Build Anything to inspire a new generation of readers to make positive changes in their communities.