Women in Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky

Women in Sports (Women in Science)

by Rachel Ignotofsky

Illustrated profiles of fifty pioneering female athletes, from the author of the New York Times bestseller Women in Science

Women for the win!

A richly illustrated and inspiring book, Women in Sports highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable women athletes from the 1800s to today, including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than forty sports. The athletes featured include well-known figures like tennis player Billie Jean King and gymnast Simone Biles, as well as lesser-known champions like Toni Stone, the first woman to play baseball in a professional men’s league, and skateboarding pioneer Patti McGee. The book also contains infographics on topics that sporty women want to know about such as muscle anatomy, a timeline ofwomen’s participation in sports, pay and media statistics for female athletes, and influential women’s teams. Women in Sports celebrates the success of the tough, bold, and fearless women who paved the way for today’s athletes.

Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

5 of 5 stars

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4.5 Stars
Women in Sports is a beautifully illustrated look at women athletes who broke the mold, change the game, and paved the way for other women to join them on the podium.

WiS highlights fifty women who come from a multitude of backgrounds, countries, and participate in a wide variety of sports. There are women who were the first to participate, women who broke down barriers, and those who broke records. It also includes a few little infographics about things like musculature and even the pay gap between men’s and women’s sports. It’s a short book but it’s packed with great information. I really think this is the perfect book for those who enjoy learning about sports history and/or feminism, and it’s written in such a way that it’s very accessible to kids. It’s easy to understand and all the entries cover the women’s career and achievements while remaining brief.

The art for this one is amazing as well, and I could easily see a few of these being framed. I think back to the time I had a US women’s Soccer team poster on my wall and I could totally see me pasting up some of these alongside it. Each image also comes complete with a few bullet points from the women’s history and even a quote on their success, struggles, and fight.

In short, I adored this one! I’ve really enjoyed a lot of these brief history books recently and I think this one is certainly one of my favorites. I’m going to try and find a copy of Women in Science as well and I hope the author continues to make more of these books for other fields of interest.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 September, 2017: Finished reading
  • 11 September, 2017: Reviewed