LET ME PLAY: The story of Title IX, the law that changed the future of girls in America by Karen Blumenthal

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blumenthal, Karen. (2005). LET ME PLAY: THE STORY OF TITLE IX - THE LAW THAT CHANGED THE FUTURE OF GIRLS IN AMERICA. NY: Simon & Schuster.  ISBN 0689859570

PLOT SUMMARY

Young girls in today’s society might find it extremely difficult to imagine an America in which the opportunities for women to excel in sports or to pursue a higher education are virtually nonexistent.  This was the case, however, not so very long ago when their mothers and especially their grandmothers were growing up.  In Let Me Play, Karen Blumenthal chronicles the history of Title IX, the law that finally gave women and girls the equal rights necessary to follow their dreams.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In terms of accuracy, it is very evident that Blumenthal strives to present an unbiased and truthful account of the events surrounding the inception of and eventual acceptance of Title IX.  To write this story, she uses interviews, newspapers, magazine articles, oral histories, autobiographies, the Congressional Record, and Factiva, an Internet database of newspaper and magazine articles.   In her source notes, she mentions, “Because memories grow fuzzy over three decades and published information can be inaccurate, I sought at least two sources on each point of fact whenever possible.”  Source notes are extensive and broken down by chapter so that readers can easily trace information that is presented in the text.  She also provides a list of individuals who were interviewed for this book.  Their personal accounts add credibility to the story because these people are in effect, “the experts.”  They are the ones who were actually there – some participated in the struggle, some sought equal opportunities, and many have reaped the benefits of change.   In addition, the bibliography lists other sources from which Blumenthal acquired relevant information.  

Let Me Play is meant to be read from beginning to end.  Although the table of contents lists each chapter, one would miss a critical part of the history of Title IX if any section was skipped.  Beginning with a chapter entitled "The Champion," Blumenthal shares the story of Donna de Varona, who after winning two gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, suddenly finds herself back in America with "no future, no scholarships, no programs, no way I could continue to swim." Donna's experience marked the beginning of an new era in which women began to demand equal access.  In the remaining chapters, Blumenthal uses sports-themed titles such as "The Playing Field" to trace the history of women's rights up until the 1960's, and "Pregame Preparation" to describe the earliest efforts to change the law.  There is a clear sequence of  information leading up to the epilogue "extra innings" which describes the current trends for women and the lingering fight to change attitudes toward equality.  Throughout the book, a wealth of access features are available including photographs and captions, tables, sidebars, and even cartoon strips.  At the end of the book, Blumenthal supplies a Title IX time line, a list of related books, photo credits, and an index.

One of the strengths of this book is the presence of the “real faces” of Title IX – those who struggled to create the law and those who have benefited from it.  The black and white photographs add to the historical feel of the book and complement the message that the road to equality has been a long one.  Although the photographs seem to be placed appropriately, there is a major problem with page turns and sidebars.  For example, at the bottom of page 46, the reader sees, “The committee agreed with the Senate that Title IX would apply to all admissions at state…” but the sentence is left hanging because there is a sidebar on page 47.  The reader must either skip over the sidebar to complete the sentence and then go back to read the sidebar OR he can read the sidebar and hopefully piece together the sentence again when he reaches page 48.  Unfortunately, this is quite common throughout the book and interrupts what would otherwise be a smooth flowing narrative.

Blumenthal’s unique voice as a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter is observable in the way that she masterfully blends personal stories, facts, and statistics in such a way that keeps the reader’s interest.  Sharing Donna’s story immediately “hooks” readers because this young teenage girl symbolizes “any and every girl in America” who aspires to follow her dreams.  As they read on to find out that Donna’s dreams come to an abrupt halt after the Olympics because college sports programs and scholarships for women were virtually non-existent during the 1960’s, they begin to wonder, “What happened to change things for women?”  Blumenthal answers these questions through an interesting narrative of the events that transpired to bring equality for women onto school campuses across the nation.  Her thoroughness reflects her undeniable passion for this subject.  She leaves no stone unturned ensuring that readers come to know many of the true champions of the cause such as Edith Green, Patsy Mink, Billie Jean King, and yes, Donna de Varona.  In typical reporter fashion, she concludes the story with highlights that demonstrate the amazing changes that have taken place since Title IX.     

REVIEW EXCERPTS/AWARDS
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
ALA Notable Children's Book
Bank Street Best Book of the Year
CCBC Choices
Jane Addam's Children's Book Award

A Starred Review from School Library Journal (Grades 7 and up) "Interesting and easy-to-follow chapters highlight the process of creating. . .and ultimately passing this legislation that gave girls and women equal access."

From Booklist: (Grades 6-9) " This comprehensive title draws attention to the hard-won battles, the struggles that remain, and the chilling possibility that rights, if not fiercely protected, can be easily lost."

CONNECTIONS
This book was selected for the 2006 Jane Addams Children's Book Award for older children. The awards are given annually to books that "promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races as well as meetin the conventional standards for excellence." This link contains Karen Blumenthal's acceptance speech which sheds light on why she chose to write about this topic. [Scroll down to "Winner of Books for Older children"]
http://www.janeaddamspeace.org/jacba/2006summary.shtml

The New Jersey Digital Highway has an excellent site devoted to "Title IX and Women's Athletics." It includes stimulating activities for a wide range of topics such as American Ideals, Support and Fears, and Continued Battles for Equality.
http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/enj/lessons/title_ix_equality/?part=introduction

Using the ideas and information provided on this particular web page, I would adapt the student activity as follows: 

1) Lead the class in a brainstorming session to describe "American Ideals."
http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/enj/lessons/title_ix_equality/?part=american_ideals

2) Divide the class into small groups. Ask them to read the excerpt of Title IX from this web page and to reflect upon its purpose.  How does it address American ideals?

3) Then assign each group a different historic document to review from the American Ideal perspective. These documents include: the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Sentiments, Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).  [The excerpts needed are also found on the web page.  Due to their length, some documents may be split between groups.]

4) Each group will prepare a short presentation comparing their particular historical document to Title IX.  Students may select their own format (oral, poster, slide show, etc...).  Students should focus on the topic of American Ideals.