FIRSTS: Women Who Are Changing the World by Time Inc.

FIRSTS: Women Who Are Changing the World Reviews

• 
  Sheila

  I have been reading a variety of books with biographies of women to my daughter. This new release from Time was decent, but not the best of the lot. First off all of the women were current day Americans, which is okay, but a bit of worldwide diversity would have been appreciated, or they could have titled the book "American Women Who Are Changing the World". Second, the main way all these women are "changing the world" is that they were the first woman in America to do something, and not necessarily something "world changing". Such as the first woman gymnast to win solo and team gold medals in one Olympics, a nice achievement, but is it "world changing"?
  
  And my biggest peeve was the book was they included Kellyanne Conway for being the first woman to run a winning presidential campaign. Kellyanne Conway is a pathological liar who repeatedly lies to the American people, and I think that negates any "first" she may have accomplished, and I certainly don't hold her up as a "standard" for women to emulate. And what will they do if she becomes the first woman on a presidential campaign to go to prison for committing treason? Hmm....
• 
  Mandy Eve-Barnett

  It is inspiring, encouraging and marvelous even though many of these courageous women were demeaned, or subject to egregious comments when they voiced their wish to pursue a certain career or path.
  We need many more women to forge a path into careers formerly thought as male dominated.
• 
  Hayley

  This book is short but well worth your consideration. I loved the short essays by the pioneering women featured in the book, and the photography is fabulous as well. The women are from all sorts of different fields, and I especially enjoyed learning more about the businesswomen, entrepreneurs, and scientists who weren’t necessarily on my radar before I read the book. There is plenty of diversity in terms of ages, races, and political persuasions as well, making this a book with broad appeal. I may have to purchase a copy to keep around when I need inspiration. This would also make an awesome graduation gift for any woman about to make her way in the world. Don’t expect anything too in-depth with this book, but for what it is, it’s great.
• 
  Ananda Nadya

  Picking up this book randomly out of curiosity turned out to be a fascinating choice. I initially didn’t know that it consisted of stories from 45 women who had broken glass ceilings from what is thought to be the world of men.
  
  This book is fascinating not because these women achieved so much nor held in high regard by the society. It’s because it tells stories of how they keep going even when the world makes it hard for them to do so. These are women who mostly do their things for the sake of it, not driven by necessity or external pressure. It’s a reminder of how important it is to be authentic in order to live a meaningful life — one that is able to inspire others to do the same. An enjoyable read!
• 
  Luann

  I would describe this as a "coffee table" book -- one and two page entries shared by various women who have achieved a notable "first".
  
  Melinda Gibbs, the first woman named editor-in-chief of Time Magazine, provides the introduction and summarizes commonalities of experience that many of these women shared including setbacks, motivation coming from people who tried to stop them, a father, brother, boss, etc. that set no limits, and a thick skin to criticism and pushback yet able to remain empathic.
  
  The book ends with a pull quote from Gibbs introduction.
  "It is safe to climb. Come on up, the view is spectacular."
  
  
• 
  Dorothy

  Selected stories about women who were the first to accomplish breakthroughs. Serena Willlams, Rita Dove, Melinda Gates, Kathryn Sullivan, Mo'on Davis, Gabby Douglas, and Janet Yellen are among the 45 women feaured. There is a photograph and a short description other their achievement, and a few quotes from each person. Inspirational with great stories of women's empowerment.
• 
  Micaela Pereira

  This was a pretty easy read and a nice way to learn about the United States. It is somewhat disheartening to see so many 'Firsts' for women have only just recently taken place.
  
  This is not a life-changing book, but worth a quick read-through to learn about American women. The title does not make it seem as if it is about the USA, but it is about the USA.
• 
  Beverly Louise Warren-Lynch

  Wonderful book !
  
  Loved the pictures and the writing ! Hopefully , this is only the first of many more to come in the near and distant future !
• 
  Alejandra

  AMAZING! Loved knowing what each and every wonderful woman had to say about being the first to do whatever they did
• 
  Monique

  Women ROCK! These ladies are simply amazing. They didn't seek out fame and fortune...they worked hard for their accomplishments. I'm inspired.
• 
  Rinda

  I love, love, love every woman inside this book!
• 
  Rebecca

  Women are bomb-ass!!
• 
  Michelle Stewart

  I like reading about women who are doing it for themselves. I didn't even know a lot of these women profiled in this book.
• 
  Lauren

  3.5 Stars.
  Brief anthology of inspiring women, though I didn't always find the excerpts that illuminating - the text felt like these amazing women were given somewhat uninspiring prompts and/or questions to answer. However, I enjoyed learning about some different "firsts" in fields I wasn't familiar with and found many new stories that I had never heard before. Some interviews that stood out to me:
  
  - Rita Dove, 1st black U.S. poet laureate on the push-back she received when she first got this position: "but raising hackles means you're not being ignored; you're pushing the conversation forward."
  - Carla Hayden, the first woman and African American to be Librarian of Congress. On having diversity represented in literature, she says "It's so important that children see themselves, but are also exposed to the world. Books can be mirrors and windows, we like to say." She also discusses how 85% of the librarian workforce is female, but men make up almost all of the management and directorships (a pattern that is common in many other industries).
  - Mae Jemison, the first woman of color in space: "People say you can have everything. No, you can't. But you can have a lot more - and do a lot more - than you think."
  - Rita Morena, the first Latinx women to win an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony, and an Oscar on having been in therapy for 8 years: "It's very easy to just say "I don't need this, I already have enough problems." But to face them and then to talk about them? It's very, very difficult to face your own terrible feelings about yourself."
• 
  Kristina

  Raising hackles means you're not being ignored; you're pushing the conversation forward. --Rita Dove
  
  Part of a bigger online project, this book is short interviews and pictures of 45 women who are the first in their fields. Very quick and short read, but well worth every page. Every woman in this book was interesting and amazing.
  I think this book did an amazing job of portraying these women as everyday people, it really resonated with me that with enough persistence, I, and every other women, could achieve equally amazing things.
  
  "I wasn't seeking to be first. I was just doing my thing." -- Patricia Bath
  "You can't please everyone, so just do your normal." -- Gabby Douglas
  
  I also loved the layout of this book, the pictures were amazing (kudos to Luisa Dörr) and the different colors for every interview were very aesthetically pleasing.
  Some of my favorite interviews (in no particular order) were Madeleine Albright, Candis Cayne, Ellen Degeneres, Gabby Douglas and Ann Dunwoody, though they all were amazing!
  Definitely worth the read, then checking out on Time's website!
  
• 
  Lety

  As a daughter of immigrants, I found this book inspiring. I can’t wait to see the successes of every woman around me, and even though we do not hear or know of every woman who became the first at or of something, I admire them.