At Last She Stood is a fantastic nonfiction novel about a woman named Joey Guerrero who was a hero, a leprosy survivor, and a truly incredible and inspiring woman. Readers will learn about Joey's childhood in the Philippines and about her time in the Philippines during WWII. Despite having leprosy, Joey served as a spy, delivering important maps to troops and changing the course of the war in that area. Readers will learn about Joey's life after the war, and all of the challenges she faced once she was able to leave the Philippines and head to the United States. Readers will be shocked and inspired by Joey's bravery and resilience. Erin does a phenomenal job of telling Joey's story while also teaching kids about what was happening at that time. She takes time to explain important vocabulary and ideas that kids may not understand, in a way that makes the story come to life. A must read book!

A remarkable woman whose story has been largely forgotten by history, Joey Guerrero was a Filipino guerilla fighter, WW2 spy, Hansen’s disease (leprosy) survivor, advocate, and Medal of Freedom recipient. This book dives into her incredible life story, and shows the many ways she was able to impact the people around her. And through following her story, we learn about the history of the Philippines, what the country endured during WW2, the history of leprosy treatment and more.

This is a middle grade book, but I think all age groups would benefit from picking it up. Especially if you’d like to learn more about the Philippines. It’s a reminder of all the stories from history that haven’t yet been told, and all the people who have lived amazing lives and haven’t been given the recognition they deserve.

Joey Guerrero would have been an amazing person for any one of her several accomplishments. Delivering a map through a war-torn area, helping the others when she is confined for leprosy, her time in the Peace Corps -- those were just a few of her feats. Yet she was modest and kept her faith and had to hide who she was because of prejudice.
This is an important story for everyone to learn about strength and persistence.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Reading the author's end note made it clear that there were many gaps in Joey Guerrero's history that simply could not be filled. While I enjoyed learning about this incredible woman, the incompleteness of the story felt overwhelming.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

Wow, Josefina “Joey” Guerrero, was an amazing woman who could have been lost to history and she may have wanted it that way. Joey was a fighter and a survivor who spied on the Japanese in the Philippines during WW2 all while having leprosy (Hansen’s disease). She eventually came to the USA and died without fanfare here at an old age. A wonderful story that taught me a lot about the Philippines, the Japanese invasion and leprosy treatments here and abroad. I hope lots of people read this book,

This book for middle graders tells the fascinating and inspiring story of Josefina “Joey” Guerrero, a Filipina who was a WWII spy, war hero, teacher, peacemaker, and leprosy survivor, inter alia.

Ironically, it was Joey’s leprosy that allowed her to be such a good spy. She joined the guerillas - small groups of Filipino combatants who worked with the US military to fight the Japanese. The Japanese rarely searched her because of fear of her disease, so she was able to courier secret messages, including a minefield map she taped to her back.

After the war she moved to the US and was eventually cured of leprosy, but still suffered discrimination both because of the stigma of the disease added to racial discrimination. She actually had to pawn the US Presidential Medal of Freedom she was given for her war heroism in order to make ends meet.

When she died in 1996, her obituary only identified her as a secretary from Manila.

The author uses an engaging combination of narrative text, photos, maps, and side bars to set the historical stage for readers and tell Joey’s story. There is also an author’s note, source notes, index, and other back matter.

Evaluation: It would be hard not to have a good book with such an amazing story to tell. But Kelly makes it even better by adding so much background information. Nothing seemed to stop Josefina Guerrero from doing everything it took to do what she could for justice. Highly recommended for all age groups.

An amazing story of a heroic woman who lived with Hansen's disease (known previously as lepresy), and courageously acted as a guerrilla spy in the Philippines during WWII to help defeat the Japanese army. Joey Guerrero should have worldwide recognition for her contributions to society. As a Catholic, I think she would even qualify for sainthood, and that is not an exaggeration.

The author, Erin Entrada Kelly, is herself known for her Newberry-award winning books and outstanding fiction for young people. This non-fiction biopic and history genre book seems to be a departure from her other work, but she, like Joey Guerrera, is incredibly versatile and talented. Readers will learn about the resistance in the Philippines during WWII, historical information about famous figures such as Joan of Arc, or historical events such as the Japanese internment, and the history of lepresy (now known as Hansen's disease.)

I highly recommend this book for schools, and libraries.

This compelling account of Joey Guerrero opened my eyes to yet another hero of WWII.
Her story reminds me of that of Corrie Ten Boom.
Both spoke for those who could not speak for themselves with a quiet courage that enriched and ultimately saved lives.
God be praised for Joey’s bravery.

A MG biography about an unsung hero in World War II.
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Joey Guerrero, a native of the Philippines, was diagnosed with leprosy during World War II and basically shunned from everything and everyone she knew. When the Japanese occupied the Philippines, Joey, thinking she would die of the disease soon, joined the guerrilla movement to complete covert missions in support of the Allies. No one wanted to touch Guerrero for fear of catching her sickness so she was able to move freely and courier secret messages. She eventually won the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts. When she’s cured of leprosy after a nine year stint at the National Leprosarium, Guerrero struggled to find work due to her health history and racial discrimination due to her thick accent. Guerrero died in 1996 in DC and she’s listed as a secretary from Manila, but really she’s a hero who needs to be taught in schools across the world.
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This was such a well-researched and well-written biography by @erinentrada I’m sad to admit that I haven’t heard much about Joey Guerrero before diving into this nonfiction book. We absolutely need more titles like this in our libraries so that kids can learn about the people rarely taught in history classes in the U.S. Guerrero was a hero and a survivor who never gave up. She’s a woman to emulate and look up to. Educators: it’s also a great way to show text features such as maps, sidebars, photographs, and other illustrated material. This book releases May 6!

CW: disease, death, illness, medical content, war (theme), racism, poverty, discrimination

This is the story of Joey Guerrero, a woman whose faith upheld her during a life of hardship and amazing accomplishment. Despite having Hansen’s Disease (leprosy), she was a World War II spy and Filipino guerrilla fighter, and an advocate for herself and others afflicted with Hansen’s disease who were isolated and cut off from the world in deplorable conditions. Erin Entrada Kelly not only enlightens the reader about Joey Guerrero, and how little is known about her, but gives us a brief history of the Philippines and WWII in the Philippines, and the history and science of Hansen’s Disease. An amazing book.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this DRC.
#AtLastSheStood #NetGalley

5 stars

Look. Erin Entrada Kelly is on that list of writers whose work I'll queue without even knowing so much as a synopsis. It was a special treat to read this nonfiction debut, which is just as successful and compelling as all of the EEK fiction I love!

My favorite aspect of children's nonfiction is the "are you smarter than a fifth grader?" vibe, wherein I realize that I know little to no material in a book designed for a much younger audience. I absolutely got that kind of joy from this read.

The subject of this book is Joey Guerrero, and this individual faced incredible challenges but then went on to lead a life that seems right out of the movies. I really enjoyed learning about this in real time, so I'm intentionally leaving out details for others who are coming in fresh. It is ALWAYS a good time to focus on the stories of marginalized people, but I think we need that more than ever right now. This book will go a long way in helping the younger generation understand that how someone looks and whether someone is socially shunned has truly nothing to do with their self-worth or the ways in which they can contribute to society as a whole.

Yep. I really enjoyed this one, and I hope that this is the first of many nonfiction efforts from Kelly.

As a homeschooling mom, I think my kids would enjoy this book. My oldest son who is a World War 2 fanactic will especially enjoy it.
Joey’s store is an amazing one. How she survived so many terrible things but always kept her serving heart is beautiful. She is a testament to women everyone.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own .

Such a fascinating topic! I loved learning more about Joey Guerrero's life, Hansen's Disease, the Philippines, Catholicism, Allied spy during World War II.

The author masterfully weaves together the multiple threads of Guerrero's life: her early hardships as an orphan, her daring espionage work during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, her subsequent quarantine in Louisiana, and her later achievements in education and public service. What stands out is not just the extraordinary nature of her accomplishments, but the indomitable spirit with which she approached each challenge.
Particularly compelling is Guerrero's refusal to be defined by her illness or the discrimination she faced. Instead of accepting the limitations society placed on her, she pursued education in her 40s and joined the Peace Corps, demonstrating that it's never too late to reinvent oneself or serve others.