So Here I Am

Review

Subtitled ‘speeches by great women to empower and inspire’, this is one of those books that it’s hard to believe didn’t exist before Anna Russell brought it into being.

After all, as she points out, it’s not as though strong female voices have been in particularly short supply throughout history – the trouble is, perhaps, that women’s thoughts and opinions haven’t always been celebrated in the same way as those of their male peers.

From Elizabeth I speaking on the Spanish Armada in 1588, to Maya Lin’s 2018 SVA Commencement Address, the texts shared here are splendidly diverse and compelling – as well as stunningly illustrated.

As Russell points out in her thoughtful introduction, modern readers may find some of the views expressed, and the beliefs underpinning them, challenging or unpalatable; but putting them in context is part of what makes this collection so fascinating.

It should be in every school library.