This little book was put together to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Canada and focuses on the women of Canada.
The women featured are diverse and awe inspiring.

This book was created to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary of confederation. In some circles it is referred to as 150+ years of colonization. I think the latter is a more correct interpretation of the event, but that isn't really the point here. Margie Wolfe and others collected facts about Canadian women and then limited them to 150 for this book. I am struck by the artificiality of this. Still I am appeased somewhat by this dedication. "To the women who are recognized in this book, and more importantly, all those who should be." The next two pages are a more in depth apology for this. I am deeply appreciative of this.

All that aside, there are plenty of positive things about this book. The format is easily readable making it applicable for students in grades 5 on up to adults. A lot of information is packed into these 120 pages. When I was a teacher librarian I created small posters about Canadian women to post around the school for International Woman's Day. This book would have been the ideal resource. It provides basic information about significant Canadian woman or womens' organizations from 150 years ago through to today. While the beginning couple of pages address white women, the first twenty tell the stories of a diverse group of individuals: Gracie Annie Lockhart, Clara Brett Martin, Clara Lacoste Gerin-Lahore, Bertha Wilson, Rosalie Abella, Violet king Henry, Pauline Johnson, Maria Campbell, Hattie Rhue Hatchett, Mrs Kwong Lee and Mary Ann Shadd are referenced in the first few of these. I knew about Pauline Johnson and Mary Ann Shadd, and recognized the names of a couple of others, but the rest were new to me. The book includes scientists, politicians, social activists, and artists of many kinds. I was inspired and amazed by the women mentioned here.

For example, I did not know the story of Frances Kelsey and her work on thalidomide. It's a sad story of a woman not recognized in her own country for her work and the sorry consequences for a generation of children.
The book is formatted so that one or two women are highlighted in large print on one page. Here are some sample facts:



(I was lucky to have worked with Lorna when
she worked with the Vancouver School Board)


This just might be my favourite, but then, I am a huge fan of Mary Walsh to start with.


This is a good introductory book for a number of reasons.

First off, I can see having a couple of copies of these in a school library. It is an easy read that can be browsed. It would make a perfect jumping off point to find a little bit about one woman, and then do more research.

Second, It's a starter book in that it is limited to only 150 women. I was acquainted with many, but not all, of the women in this book. I appreciated that diverse voices are represented here, but I wish the authors hadn't limited it to 150. Perhaps they could have come up with 150 issues or categories that are relevant to woman, and then identified women who have done something about it. The book is organized in this way generally, with statements about women connected to a specific aspect of history.


This will make the perfect stocking stuffer gift. At just under $10, I plan to purchase numerous copies of it for just this purpose. I'll give it to the women on my list, but I might give a copy to my son who takes part in trivia competitions and loves to come up with his own questions.

Quibbles: I've mentioned some of these previously, but there is one more that I need to express. A number of influential musicians are mentioned here. k d lang and Joni Mitchell are referenced regarding their American success with out mentioning their Juno awards or induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. It's a sad and sorry truth that here in Canada we often don't acknowledge the quality of our artists unless they make it big in the States, but still, couldn't their Canadian awards at least be noted in a book that celebrates Canadians?

Now I want to see some picture book biographies of more of these women!

This book has 150 facts about Canadian women and is a quick read.

Women of many cultures, backgrounds and races have always been workers, inventors, caregivers, scholars, factory labourers and creators of visual and performing arts. They have advocated for social and judicial reform, fighting for change when it was needed and fighting for our rights when they were denied.

In addition to those facts listed above, here are some I found interesting ...

* Before 1909, the kidnapping of any woman over the age of 16, except for an heiress, was legal in Canada.
* In 1986, Sharon Wood was the first North American woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
* In 1946, Viola Desmond, a black beautician in Nova Scotia, refused to vacate a seat in the "white section" of a movie theatre. She was arrested and convicted. It wasn't until 2010 that she was pardoned. In 2016, the public voted for her to appear on the 2018 $10 bill.
* In 1996, Ottawa's Alanis Morissette became the first Canadian artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Album of the year for Jagged Little Pill. She won three other Grammys that year.
* Before 1952, women could only work for the federal government if they were single. Once married, they either resigned or were fired.

As a Canadian woman, I loved this book. The stories gave me just enough information to help me understand each woman's role in Canadian history. I read this over with my son. We have even looked up a number of women further to read more about them. This is an important book for all Canadians to read.

<p>Firstly, the book is published today <b>and</b> I'm writing the review on the day of publication, so I think there should be a netgalley badge for that -- not writing the review way after the publication date or way before and then scheduling it to post. Maybe I'll make one in Paint later today (<A href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/25/microsoft-paint-not-dead.html">gotta keep up the pressure</a>) and post it.</p>

<p>So I read this little listicle of book celebrating (a) Canadian women and (b) 150 of them because of <a href="http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1468262573081">Canada 150</a>. A little proviso in the opening credits about the problematic taking of one hundred and fifty as the "age" of Canada, then right on into the facts. </p>

<p>Which I read.</p>

<p>All of them.</p>

<p>And other than the ones I already knew, mainly due to <a href="https://www.historicacanada.ca/heritageminutes">Heritage Minutes</a>, I can't recall any of them. Wait, there was a Sarah Polley quote about working hard. </p>

<p>Maybe it's not a format that lends itself well to ebooks. Maybe a paper copy would have stuck in my mind more. Maybe it needs to be more like <A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/18096343">50 Women In Science</a>, with longer bios so that I have more for my memory to cling to. </p>

<p>In any case, yay Canadian women! I wish I could cram more of you into my brain.</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/20069208/book/144940161">150 Fascinating Facts About Canadian Women</a> by Margie Wolfe went on sale August 15, 2017.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

Despite my reservations about the focus on 150, this book managed to highlight both the highs and the lows of Canadian women with diversity and acknowledgment of Indigenous issues.

Quickly, name three Canadian women. If you are not from Canada, do you even know three? You may know more than your think, and this book will introduce you to a whole lot more. Did you know Samantha Bee, of Full Frountal fame, is Canadian? Did you forget that K.D. Lang is Canadian? Did you remember that Buffy Sainte-Marie was?

Americans know who Rosa Parks was, but what about Viola Desmond, who would not give up her seat to a white patron in a movie theatre, and was arrested for that, and will soon have her image on the $10 bill.

And while readers might know that L.M. Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gabeles, did you know that the book is so loved in Japan that a Japanese businessman once paid more than a million dollars for potatoes because they came from Prince Edward Island, where she lived.

It is a very short book, but very cool and can pique your interest in all these women, that you might end up reading a bio on any one of these 150 women.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.