The latest in the Exploring American Historic Treasures series spotlights girls and young women. While “treasures” may conjure up images of crown jewels, the focus here is on day-to-day objects, homes, and occasionally the bones of the girls themselves. Photos set the stage for stories about lives of girls ranging from care of the dead in 9500 BCE to activist letters in 2016. Some items, such as an embroidered sampler, a pledge card, or an early sanitary puff, remind us that girls and women created art, worked, and lived varied lives throughout history. Others are tied to specific hardships and suffering, such as a bill of sale for a Black girl or a letter from a Japanese-American girl in a California internment camp. Others still celebrate achievements, sharing stories of Sacajawea and Dominique Dawes. Fictional girls, like Barbie or Judy Blume’s Margaret, are highlighted for their effect on girls and culture. The authors faced an incredible challenge in choosing only 50 entries and have succeeded in showcasing a vast range of the American experience of girlhood.

Booklist

Meticulously researched and captivating, Exploring American Girlhood through 50 Historic Treasures illustrates and elevates the cultural impact and historical legacies of girls through art, stories, and artifacts. This book showcases girls’ contributions, resilience, courage, and agency in a way that will give readers a new respect for girls – and empower girls to assert their vital position in society.

Jessica R. VanLanduyt, senior vice president of guest experiences, Atlanta History Center

Exploring American Girlhood in 50 Historic Treasures is an exceptional book that will spark curiosity, inspire further learning, and set readers on a path to ensuring that girls - past, present, and future - are recognized for their momentous contributions to change.

Dina Bailey, CEO, Mountain Top Vision

Remer and Isselhardt bring together a fascinating collection of historic sites, archaeological evidence, artifacts, literature, and music to tell the rich and complex story of girlhood in America. Readers will enjoy the stories of familiar treasures they may recognize from their own childhood while being challenged to consider their lives against the sweeping backdrop of millenia of girl culture in North America. This groundbreaking book gives voice to American girls from diverse backgrounds and epochs, restoring historical agency to these traditionally marginalized groups.

Susan A. Fletcher, director of History and Archives, The Navigators, author of Exploring the History of Childhood and Play Through 50 Historic Treasures