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

by Karen Blumenthal

Overview

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the law that opened the door for greater opportunities for girls and women, with this refreshed edition of the nonfiction illustrated middle grade book about an important victory in the fight for equality.

Not long ago, people believed girls shouldn’t play sports. That math and science courses were too difficult for them. That higher education should be left to the men. Nowadays, this may be hard to imagine, but it was only fifty years ago all of this changed with the introduction of the historical civil rights bill Title IX. This is the story about the determined lawmakers, teachers, parents, and athletes that advocated for women all over the country until Congress passed the law that paved the way for the now millions of girls who play sports; who make up over half of the country’s medical and law students; who are on the national stage winning gold medals and world championships; who are developing life-changing vaccines, holding court as Supreme Court Justices, and leading the country as vice president. All because of Title IX and the people who believed girls could do anything—and were willing to fight to prove it.

This updated edition of Let Me Play includes new chapters about how Title IX is being used in the fight for transgender rights and justice for sexual assault survivors and a refreshed epilogue highlighting the remarkable female athletes of today and the battles they’re still fighting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665918756
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/01/2023
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	266,962
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1150L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Karen Blumenthal (1959–2020) was a financial journalist and editor whose career included five years with The Dallas Morning News and twenty-five with The Wall Street Journal before becoming an award-winning children’s nonfiction book writer. Three of her books were finalists for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award, and she was the author of Sibert Honor Book Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: The Champion

At just fourteen years old, Donna de Varona graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a world-record holder.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A View from the Sidelines 1

Chapter 1 The Champion 5

Chapter 2 The Playing Field 9

Chapter 3 Pregame Preparation 23

Chapter 4 Opening Kickoff 29

Chapter 5 Political Football 41

Chapter 6 Changing the Rules 51

Chapter 7 Crying Foul 65

Chapter 8 Play Ball! 75

Chapter 9 Time-Out 89

Chapter 10 Comeback 101

Chapter 11 Expanding the Field 115

Chapter 12 Crossing Boundaries 123

Epilogue: Extra Innings 127

A Title IX Time Line 136

Then and Now 139

Personal Notes 141

Source Notes 143

For Further Information 154

Photo Credits 156

Selected Bibliography 158

Index 161

Editorial Reviews

Three books demonstrate a host of individuals who offer inspiration. Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, the Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal, author of Six Days in October, explains how pivotal the year 1972 was for women, with both the passage of the ERA and Title IX. As Blumenthal points out, Title IX was not just about sports. She describes the law's impact on everything from basketball to science and math classes. Profiles of individuals give the dramatic changes a human face, from Myra Bradwell, the first female lawyer in America, to Ruth Ginsburg's valiant struggle to get into a law firm, let alone make it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. A Title IX timeline and a "Then and Now" contrast demonstrates how far females have come in American society. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up-A fascinating look at the birth, growth, stagnation, and final emergence of Title IX. While acknowledging the controversy surrounding this law, the author is unwaveringly supportive of its passage and implementation. Interesting and easy-to-follow chapters highlight the process of creating, revising, fighting for, and ultimately passing this legislation that gave girls and women equal access to physical-education classes, gymnasiums, universities, and graduate schools. Human-interest stories personalize the issues, and photographs of congresswomen fighting for equal opportunities for girls, women demonstrating, and the ultimate victory-a woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated-show how challenging, yet ultimately rewarding, the battle has been. Charts depict amazing statistics about the increase in athletic participation by females from 1970 to 2001. Cartoons show the humorous but painfully true attitudes of our culture toward women as they have strived to achieve equality in this country. The book closes with a "Then and Now" section highlighting the changes Title IX has brought about. Lynn M. Messina's Sports in America (H. W. Wilson, 2001) and Victoria Sherrow's Encyclopedia of Women and Sports (ABC-CLIO, 1996) both offer bits of information, but nothing out there comes close to Blumenthal's portrait of the emergence of women athletes in our society.-Julie Webb, Shelby County High School, Shelbyville, KY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The history of the small but wildly influential amendment known as Title IX receives a thoughtful, enlightening and inspiring treatment from the Sibert Honor-winning Blumenthal. Her narrative begins with the story of Donna de Varona, the Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who watched her male colleagues receive swimming scholarships to college even as her own career abruptly ended. From this miscarriage of justice to the present, the text compellingly lays forth both the legislative fight to enact Title IX and the struggle to interpret the rules subsequent to its passage. Although the revolution Title IX created on the sports field gets the majority of the attention, the author is quite clear in detailing the overall educational advances women were able to make thanks to Title IX. This really splendid story receives absolutely criminal treatment from the designer, however, allowing page turns and sidebars to split sentences over whole pages, resulting in a sadly fragmented effect. Magnificent backmatter, including a time line, "then and now" comments from key players, extensive source notes, and suggested resources for further information, complement the narrative in making this a nearly perfect book, were it not for the execrable design. (Nonfiction. 10 )

Kirkus Reviews