Through years of starvation, illness, and fear, the women continued to work together as a nursing unit, caring for thousands of people imprisoned with them.

In 1942, 77 American Army and Navy nurses were captured by the Japanese, marking the beginning of what would become one of the greatest, yet little known, stories of heroism and sacrifice during World War II. Incredibly, every single woman survived three long years of starvation, illness, and fear as prisoners of war, all while continuing to work as a nursing unit, providing medical care to the thousands of people imprisoned alongside them. "They were a tough bunch. They had a mission," says Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Cantrell, an historian with the Army Nurse Corps. "They were surviving for the boys… and each other. That does give you a bit of added strength." Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of girl-empowering books for middle grade readers!

One of the great joys of summer for avid young readers is the opportunity to explore books all on their own! Tweens are ready for intriguing, original, and complex stories, which means that middle grade readers can find titles perfect for them in every genre. And with new titles coming out all the time — many of them starring Mighty Girl characters — there is an ever-growing selection of books to choose from! Continue reading → Continue reading

Our top picks of Mighty Girl books about mermaids!

For hundreds of years, and in ocean-bordered countries around the world, people have dreamed about mysterious creatures — part human, part fish — that live under the waves: mermaids! Many traditional fairy tales turn mermaids into passive figures, waiting around to be discovered or to fall in love with a human man. But there are much more engaging and empowering mermaid stories to be told, ones that play with the myth to tell stories of secret underwater worlds, exciting adventures, and magical friendships! Continue reading → Continue reading

The seven essential body positive lessons every Mighty Girl should learn.

One of the most freeing feelings in the world is loving yourself just as you are — but in a world where girls are constantly bombarded with messages about what their bodies should look like, raising them to be body positive can feel like an impossible task. A study by the Girl Scouts found that 80% of 10-year-old girls are afraid of getting fat, and other studies have found that 85% of women and 79% of girls have opted out of activities due to a lack of body confidence. With kids and teens being exposed to narrow standards of beauty in media, marketing, and online, many adults may wonder what they can do to turn the tide. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books, toys, and clothing for dino-loving girls of all ages!

All too often, books, toys, and clothing featuring dinosaurs exclusively feature boys — but what about the countless dino-loving girls out there? There are plenty of girls who know a plesiosaur from a pachycephalosaurus, or who can talk for hours about the plant life of the Jurassic versus Triassic periods! And if you've got a dino-crazy Mighty Girl in your house, you may want to stock her bookshelves, toy box, and closet with things that remind her that dinos are definitely for girls. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of body image positive books for Mighty Girls of all ages!

It doesn't take long living or working with girls to realize that body image can be a big problem — and that it can start sooner than you expect. Studies have shown that over 40% of 1st to 3rd grade girls want to be thinner and that girls' self-esteem peaks at the age of 9. Parents and educators often want to help the Mighty Girls in their lives develop a positive body image, but aren't sure where to start. Continue reading → Continue reading

Janie Forsyth McKinney stood up to a violent mob to bring aid to the bloodied and beaten Freedom Riders attacked by the Ku Klux Klan.

12-year-old Janie Forsyth McKinney performed a heroic act of compassion in response to the firebombing of the Freedom Riders bus in Anniston, Alabama on May 14, 1961. It was Mother's Day when the bus carrying civil right activists was viciously attacked in this small Southern town. Horrified by the scene before her, the brave girl pushed through the violent crowd to bring water to the bloodied riders laying on the ground. McKinney knew that her actions would anger the local Ku Klux Klan, but she explained that she was driven to act by one of her favorite passages of scripture: "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do it to me." Continue reading → Continue reading

"Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?"

"Laws change. Conscience doesn't." — Sophie Scholl

When Sophie Scholl was born to a German family in Forchtenberg on May 9, 1921, nobody could have expected that she would give her life at age 21 for her anti-Nazi resistance work. Scholl was a key member of the White Rose, a student resistance group in Munich, and remains one of Germany's great dissenting heroes of the World War II. Despite that, few people outside of Germany know of her name or of the courage that allowed her to face death rather than give up her belief in what was right. Continue reading → Continue reading

The best biographies, memoirs, and historical fiction for adults about heroic women of World War II.

Women have always served their countries in many ways during wartime, but the sheer scope of World War II demanded more of them than ever — and they answered the call. Around the world, women served as military nurses, pilots, resistance fighters, codebreakers, spies, and in other roles. For decades, their stories were little known. Sometimes, details were classified so women couldn't tell anyone, even their families, about the work they had done during the war. Other times, they hesitated to share their experiences, often because they humbly believed that their contributions were "ordinary." And, in some cases, their work was left out of histories because society did not recognize that women could be veterans, and that an Army nurse or a WASP pilot or an SOE spy deserved just as much celebration for her heroism as any soldier. Continue reading → Continue reading

'Shark Lady' Eugenie Clark was one of the foremost shark experts of her generation.

When Eugenie Clark was applying for graduate school at Columbia University, a scientist there told her, "If you do finish, you will probably get married, have a bunch of kids, and never do anything in science after we have invested our time and money in you." Instead, she earned a PhD from New York University, and went on to become known as the "Shark Lady," one of the leading marine biologists of her generation! Clark's pioneering research on sharks, an animal that had enthralled her since she was a child, helped changed attitudes towards these misunderstood creatures and emphasized the importance of caring for our oceans. "I don't get philosophical. Love fish. Love sharks," she once wrote. "Keep the water and their habitats as clean and protected as possible." Continue reading → Continue reading