Elizabeth Blackwell: First Woman Doctor to Modern Times

I purchased this book for my 11 year old daughter who has shown a great interest in science. She enjoyed it thoroughly. Blackwell's story is an inspiration to anyone and this book does an excellent job of telling it in a way that a child can fully appreciate. The book is fast-paced enough to keep a young reader's attention yet with enough detail to give them a full picture of the medical pioneer's life. The narrative is supported by a number of text boxes containing background information which truly round out the story. The overall result is that the reader leaves the book with a sense that they know not only about Blackwell but also about the context in which Blackwell made her achievements. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone looking with a daughter interested in sciences and history.

This is an extraordinarily informative and gripping account of Elizabeth Blackwell's unlikely rise to prominence in the field of medicine in the 19th century. The portrayals of Dr. Blackwell and her contemporaries and friends--Stowe, Nightingale--are drawn with unusual vividness, as are the many and often seemingly insurmountable obstacles that beset Blackwell at every turn. I was amazed at how much ground Glimm covered, and all in a clear, well-organized and brisk-paced narrative. I am certain that girls and boys alike will find this account of Blackwell's heroic--really triumphant--life inspiring and delightful.

An excellently written biography for young people sets the life of Elizabeth Blackwell against its historical backdrop using photographs, engravings, and sidebars with nuggets of information that clarify the era. This first woman doctor's struggle to achieve her life's dream within that period of history so harsh and prejudicial to women and primitive in terms of medical teaching and practice is brought vividly to life by the informative illustration, accessible historical perspective, and visual design of the book. It should be very useful to help young students understand the history of both women and medicine in the 19th century.