NPR's Book of the Day 'We the Women' and 'Rise, Girl, Rise' are stories about revolutionary women
Mar 13, 2026
Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist and Nobel laureate, recalls organizing women for peace. Gloria Steinem, feminist writer and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, reads and reflects on raising girls to lead. They discuss a picture book about sisterhood and activism, choices behind its collage art, the roots of their work, and why early stories matter for equality.
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Woman Who Printed the Declaration
- Mary Katherine Goddard, a Baltimore publisher, printed the first official copy of the Declaration of Independence and signed it as Mary Catherine Goddard.
- She ran a printing shop and a paper, completed the urgent two-week job, and intentionally used her full name to be remembered.
Deborah Sampson Took a Bullet for America
- Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man, joined the Continental Army, was shot at least twice, and likely became the first American woman to take a bullet for her country.
- After the war she campaigned for a pension, was supported by Paul Revere, and died with a musket ball still lodged inside her.
Women Are Largely Absent From History Class
- Women are dramatically underrepresented in U.S. history education, with less than 15% of history taught featuring women and even less for women of color.
- Nora O'Donnell highlights Mary McLeod Bethune as an example: born to formerly enslaved parents, she founded Bethune-Cookman and led FDR's Black Cabinet.
