Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead by Michelle Markel

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead Reviews

• 
  Sarah

  From the very beginning, this book has major problems. The first page is a mess and it only goes downhill from there. In talking about the 1950's, it says "only boys had no ceilings on their dreams". EXCUSE ME? I think the black people who couldn't vote or drink from white water fountains might have something to say about that. That is just so.... inaccurate, terrible, and white feminism at its worst. Then later one of the illustrations shows her arguing against a black man against the war in Vietnam, which is ridiculous because 1) she was a Goldwater girl and 2) most of the support for the Vietnam War was NOT coming from black people.
  
  This is basically a sanitized, whitened, and feel-good book about Clinton, not something that really teaches kids anything about the nuances of her life.
  
  The only thing good about it is the quality and skill of the art. It is bright and colorful and easy for kids to get behind. Otherwise, PASS.
  
  
• 
  Jon Nakapalau

  Great introduction to a very important political figure in US history. No matter how you feel about HRC she has had an impact on US policy. Young children will get a very good overview of her life from this book.
• 
  Katie

  I have a lot of mixed feelings. The illustrations were great. Two thumbs up. I guess my two biggest problems were the assertion that any male could do whatever he wanted in the 1950s, and the picture includes black men. I mean, there were black men who were able to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness at that time, but my goodness. Asserting that they could do whatever they wanted in the 50s, and only women were oppressed? Ick. My other problem is that for a book that wants so badly to show that girls can be or do anything, it's really ultimately about the fact that Hillary is a woman. It all revolves around that. This book honestly felt more like part of the problem than the solution.
• 
  Donalyn

  While there are several picture books about Hillary Clinton, I think this one is the best. LeUyen Pham's illustrations are outstanding and I appreciated how she wove images of notable women from history throughout the story.
• 
  Betsy

  5 stars for illustration; 3 for text.
  
  First reviewed on
  Literaritea
  
  What It Is: A picture book biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton
  
  What It’s About: Ostensibly a picture book biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton, this book is championing all the noteworthy things Hillary’s accomplished as a girl/woman. Attention is given to Hillary’s childhood, adolescence, college, and professional life.
  
  What Works: The illustrations are *amazing.* Pham did serious research and peoples the backgrounds with key historical figures. Reading the illustration notes at the end is an education in itself! The illustrations, saturated in bold colors, pop and dance off the page. Hillary is a bright spot of red on nearly every page, regardless of her age. The primary colors are prominent throughout, a nice artistic choice to show Hillary’s patriotism (and an interesting change from many of Hillary’s public appearances where she is notably NOT in red or blue).
  
  What Doesn’t Work: The text! There are folks who are wild over this book, but this is propaganda, folks. I think this book will turn away all non-Hillary lovers (particularly Republicans) and win wild acclaim from many Democrats. That might be part of the author’s intent, but it’s not a solid choice for a picture book biography that should present a more balanced view of its subject.
  
  What I Think: This book is worth tracking down as a lesson in phenomenal illustration. That is definitely its strong suit.
  
  What I Recommend: Regardless of your politics, this is an interesting book to examine in terms of propaganda. For younger children, it’s an okay introduction to Hillary herself as it’s young child friendly (short text and vibrant illustrations). But please pare it with a more balanced view. It would be a fine choice for a school or public library to have on hand.
• 
  Agnė

  Pham's illustrations are great: beautiful, clever, and very well-researched (as evident from an extensive artist's note at the end of the book).
  
  
  
  
  But although Markel's text offers a VERY inspiring introduction to Hillary Clinton's life achievements, it is so cheerful that occasionally it sounds a little bit too much like propaganda to me. Maybe a better balanced perspective would help?
  
  Finally (and most importantly), this picturebook is undeniably feminist, but the feminism in it is very white and badly lacks intersectionality. For example, claiming that, in the 1950s, "[o]nly boys had no ceilings on their dreams" is wildly inaccurate: what about black people in America living under Jim Crow laws?
• 
  Ameya Warde

  UGH. I read this to my 6 year old, and for him, it was mostly all right. If I consider it a work of fiction, it's pretty good, though awkwardly and uncomfortably unwoke for a book very heavily trying to play up her solidarity with POC. I like him being able to see a strong woman who is fighting against constant gender discrimination, and to learn a bit about how politics work, so for that I give it an extra star.
  
  But as the grown-up reading it, it was kind of painful. I've never read anything more heavily, suffocatingly propaganda-ey before, and so much of it is just... straight up problematic and/or seems like it's taking creative liberties with the truth.
  
  I really like the illustrations, and it succeeds in making a 6 year old (and their parents if they aren't particularly politically aware) think she's a super awesome great unproblematic fighter-for-justice, which is a great thing to have kids look up to-- but ughhhhh. So biased. So problematic in parts. Sigh.
• 
  Kellee Moye

  Reviewed at
  http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=9874
  
  Alyson Beecher shared with me that Pham did a tremendous amount of research for this book though she had no issues researching because Hillary is so fact-checked. I think the idea of how much research LeUyen did for this book is fascinating and is also evident in the book. I am also a huge fan of Pham’s illustrations (she does Princess in Black also), and it was so much fun to see Hillary being represented so brightly. I loved learning about Hillary’s journey to the current presidential race. Right now so much is focused on negativity, it is nice to see why she is such an inspirational woman.
• 
  Elisabeth

  I remember my dad saying in 1992, during Bill Clinton's election "I wonder why Hillary isn't running instead." This simple statement really made an impression on 14 year old me and has stuck with me throughout the years, especially as I learned more about her amazing accomplishments. The wonderful illustrations bring her story to life in a very accessible way.
• 
  Emily

  The most adorable propaganda picture book. Very cute illustrations but the message is a little heavy handed. The point she wants to make is that it shouldn't be remarkable that a woman can accomplish what she has accomplished but the whole book is about how remarkable Hillary Clinton is.
• 
  Pauline

  Bittersweet to read this one tonight...so many accomplishments. So many obstacles. Critiques at every turn. This definitely teaches the importance of resilience, tenacity, and strength. PLUS, the illustrations are gorgeous and meticulously include other historical figures!
• 
  Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)

  I really loved this pb biography. After hearing LeUyen Pham the illustrator talk about her research and knowing Markle's work, I knew I would love it.
• 
  Mary Lee

  Whatever your politics, you can agree that Hillary Clinton is an amazing woman.
  
  LeUyen Pham's illustrations are AMAZING. The amount of research and detail...wow.
• 
  Christine

  My 7-year-old daughter found this book at the library and enjoyed it (minus the illustrations). Although I was a Hillary voter in the general election, this book seemed to me to have an undue pro-Hillary slant without actually having the effect of humanizing her or leaving me especially impressed by her accomplishments.
  
  I'm a bit surprised that in includes: "The two of them loved politics as much as they loved each other." Not surprised based on untruth but because it seems a bit jaded in book that is otherwise so favorable to Hillary. I suppose the author doesn't view this as negative.
  
  Some parts that I didn't like:
  
  "Through her church, Hillary learned about the troubled world beyond the green lawns and tree-lined streets of her town. Her youth group met with poor black and Latino teenagers in the inner city." To me, this passage in a children's book, without further explanation, seems to encourage stereotyping minorities as poor (and vice versa) and conveys a sort of paternalistic attitude.
  
  "Hillary's hard work got her into a prestigious East Coast women's college." Quite odd not to name the college.
  
  "Many of her classmates were brilliant prep school girls." Without further explanation, this seems to associate wealth with brilliance.
  
  No mention in the main text of what law school she was attending.
  
  "That year the college was erupting with violent demonstrations over civil rights and a war in Vietnam. When angry students and professors met to discuss a strike, who calmed everybody down? Young Hillary, in her bell-bottoms, sitting onstage, cool as can be." What does this even mean? Did she discourage protest?
  
  "Hillary was a new breed, a superwoman. But sometimes it was hard, like when she had to rush out of the courtroom to call the babysitter about her sick child..." Perpetuates the expectation of mothers as primary caregivers.
  
  The illustrator's note that "this amazing woman woman has broken so many barriers in her lifetime that I know without her, my life and the lives of many professional women today would simply not be the same" seems to me to exaggerate Hillary's importance to women's equality.
  
• 
  Akilah

  Hillary Clinton is a badass. Whether you like her politics or not, some facts cannot be denied. Also, this is a great, age-appropriate primer to class, race, and other justice issues.
  
  The illustrations in this book are FANTASTIC. They are gorgeous and so well-detailed and amazing. Really, they made this book. I need to seek out more of Pham's work because I also enjoyed her art in
  Grace for President.
• 
  Tracy

  This is a well researched children's biography of Hillary Clinton's life to share with your children, especially girls to show them that they can aspire to be anything they want to be in life. The illustrations are amazing! There is a timeline of Hillary's history. There is a page of 32 well-known personalities of the 1950s and 38 well-known women that your child can guess whose who that will lead to more learning about history.
• 
  Gary Anderson

  Although a little too gushy, SOME GIRLS ARE BORN TO LEAD makes the important point that Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent a lifetime challenging expectations and assumptions about the roles of girls and women in American society and beyond. This will also provide young readers with an overview of the main events of her life, beginning in Park Ridge, Illinois, two train stops down the line from where I live.
• 
  Courtney

  Illustrated so wonderfully but even more important is the message it I stil a for young girls. As a librarian and a mom of a four year old I enjoyed every minute of reading this to my daughter and talking about all the big ideas. I don't think of it as a propaganda tool. And I know my daughter won't be voting this season. Although maybe one day I'll be voting for HER!
• 
  Julie

  LOVE!!
• 
  Sarah

  The illustrator really did a fantastic job.
• 
  Barbara

  Perhaps the appeal of this picture book is slightly diminished by the fact that the 2016 Presidential campaign has finally concluded, and Hillary Clinton will not be assuming office as the first female president in the nation's history. Still, while that fact might make the book less appealing, I enjoyed it because of the way it explores Clinton's early years and her involvement in campus and later, national, politics. As a girl born in the 1950s, I can certainly attest to the changes that have occurred over the decades as women took their rightful places in various jobs and positions. That's one of the things I particularly loved about this book--the way it explores women's rights as human rights and the hard fight that occurred to change the perceptions of others toward women, especially women in politics. From the first double-page spread showing the man's world into which Hillary was born--featuring 31 different individuals, all males, who were important in the 1950s--all the way through to the last double-page spread featuring 38 well-know personalities today, all females, the book is a marvelous reminder of how women across the globe are coming into their own. The barriers she has broken are impressive in their own right, especially when considered against the attitudes of those who made fun of her looks and focused on her clothing and hairstyle. The text itself is engaging, sprinkled as it with anecdotes about this woman's accomplishments, but the illustrations show how much research went into completing the book. The author and illustrator have combined to depict Hillary Clinton in a positive light, even showing her in her trademark pantsuit and pointing out issues or personality characteristics that made her unpopular with others. It is difficult to read this picture book or consider the most recent campaign without reflecting on the changing roles of women during the past five decades. Although there is no mention of the misdeeds of her husband, the former president, or the scandals associated with Hillary herself, many readers will see evidence here of why her supporters cried so hard on election night and why they mourned so deeply what might have been. Readers will certainly want to pay attention in the back matter to the identity key provided for each of the illustrations. These are not merely arbitrary choices, but the results of much homework to get the images right. I find that admirable and rather interesting in a world in which image seems to matter so much more than substance. As other reviewers have noted, there are several picture book biographies devoted to Hillary Clinton. I consider this one to be the best one although it is enlightening to have students compare and contrast the different depictions of this groundbreaking woman in the various books.
• 
  Laura

  Oh Gag! This book is a sanitized insult to the strong women who came before and after Clinton--upon whose foundation she built. The book's description contains a perfect example of the ludicrousness of the book:
  
  "In the 1950s, it was a man’s world. Girls weren’t supposed to act smart, tough, or ambitious. Even though, deep inside, they may have felt that way. And then along came Hillary."
  
  Really? And then along came Hillary? The publishers don't see the ludicrousness of this statement when they mention a book about Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart in their description?!!
• 
  Ana

  This picture book isn't perfect. Although I'm tremendously glad it exists and is available for littles to learn about both the obstacles overcome and the accomplishments earned by the hardworking Hillary Clinton, the text makes some statements/generalizations that aren't inclusive or mindful of the struggles encountered by minorities and people of color in that period of American history. It would've been good to've seen the author pay the same degree of careful attention/consideration to the writing as LeUyan Pham did to her extensive and detailed research for her phenomenal illustrations.
• 
  Darshana Khiani

  really well-written
  love the energy of the story and the art
• 
  Elaine

  Inspiring, but somehow too much positivity.
• 
  Brittany

  I had high hopes for this, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it made me more determined to do more and I hope it inspires other readers, young and old, similarly.
  Great art, too.