I adored this book. I devoured it. I'm making it sound like the most adrenaline-laced type of thriller one can find, but it is? This book is specific to the US, where we see the unfolding of Title IX, and as the synopsis says, it is an unfolding drama, where everything you read feels like the best type of documentary. I can not fathom how this woman could collect so much information but unfold it in the most linear and easy-to-follow way.

This is a book for academics and non-academics alike, where it touches on more than women and race and gender. It is fascinating, with short storylines unfolding, where you never get bored and exciting characters who make you concerned for them, rooting for them. It feels like a movie.

I need to own this and share this with friends. I think everyone must read this to know the history of one of the most significant movements in the world. Thank you Netgalley and The New Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

37 Words discusses one of the most pressing issues of our modern world: Women's Rights. This book specifically discusses Title IX, its origins, the constant fight for equality, repercussions over the years, and where it stands today. It was extremely helpful for me to have a more well rounded grasp of the repercussions and I learned about so many stories that I had not learned before. I would highly recommend for anyone who is interested in learning more about Title IX and the constant fight for equality for women.

Title IX and Fifty Years of Fighting Sex Discrimination is the topic for 37 WORDS by Sherry Boschert (Plug-in Hybrids). An award-winning journalist, Boschert grabs readers' attention immediately by jumping to 1969 and sharing the story of Bernice Resnick Sandler, a doctoral candidate at University of Maryland who struggled to even be interviewed for teaching positions. Explaining that "sex discrimination" was a relatively new phrase at that time, Boschert follows Sandler's efforts to highlight and combat unequal admissions, hiring, and tenure practices at colleges and universities, including her filing of a class-action complaint in 1970. The data cited is fascinating; for example, "The University of Virginia rejected 21,000 women applicants in the early 1960s alone and didn't turn away a single man in the same period." Another section of the book centers on Pamela Price, a Yale University student and a plaintiff in the 1977 case (Alexander v. Yale) which established that sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination.

Even though they feel we have so much farther to go, I think our students will be intrigued by the fight against pervasive sexist attitudes in the 1960s and 1970s. A third story (sadly) may seem more familiar to them as it describes efforts by a Fresno State athletics administrator, Diane Milutinovich, to obtain equal funding for men's and women's sports in the 1990s. A call to continued action and an important historical record, 37 WORDS has extensive notes and a detailed index, both of which will be useful aids to our student researchers.

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." -- Title IX's first thirty-seven words

Noteworthy from NPR: Crowds cheered as Rachel Balkovec, the first woman to manage an MLB-affiliated team, took home a victory for the New York Yankees-affiliated Tampa Tarpons on Friday, April 8, 2022 - almost 50 years after enactment of Title IX.

The history of Title IX is as frustrating as it is fascinating. On one hand i can't' believe how far we have come in the last half decade, but on the other it seems we still have a long way to go. 37 Words is a necessary compendium for anyone who needs or wants to delve deeper into the history of discrimination against women going back to the 1960's. I hope that the more that we talk about the stories of those who have lived this, the less common harassment and discrimination will become. I'm grateful to all the women and men who came before to fight for equal rights.

Thank you to The New Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.