No stopping us now A novel

Gr 9 Up--A teenage girl demands a fair shot when she challenges her Portland, OR, school to come into compliance with Title IX. Set in 1974, two years after Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, 17-year-old Louisa, who is white, isn't satisfied with just playing basketball in the city rec league. Inspired by sharing the stage with Gloria Steinem and meeting other feminists, Louisa petitions her school to add a girls' basketball program, firing up people on both sides of the debate. Opposition abounds and as she fights for this opportunity, the story gets taken from her, twisted and censored. It's almost enough to make her give up. The rocky road to progress comes with lessons about speaking truth to power and focuses on the importance of sisterhood. Louisa is also dealing with the growing distance with her best friend, her grandfather's dementia, and her potential attraction to a Black teammate, Barb. This autobiographical novel, with richly developed bold, courageous characters, and raw emotion, deftly captures the period of transition, not just for Louisa but for women's rights in the 1970s. Tired of being benched, and finding power in activism, community, and herself, Louisa finds the strength to demand equality and to live the life she wants, while making an important contribution to the history of sports for girls and women. VERDICT An inspiring look at the early days of Title IX and a solid addition to historical fiction collections.--Amanda MacGregor

A teenager faces stiff opposition in her campaign to bring girls' basketball to her school in this novel closely based on Bledsoe's experiences. It's 1974, and the best 17-year-old Louisa and four female classmates can do to satisfy their strong desire to play is early morning access to their Portland, Oregon, school's gym for inexpert scrimmages. Until, that is, Louisa meets Gloria Steinem at a local public event, learns about the recently passed Title IX, and touches off a storm with a letter to her state newspaper protesting the lack of a girls' sports program in the public schools. Change does come, but it comes hard, with bullying and even a teacher's physical intimidation to go with a falsified school board meeting transcript, oblique threats to her college plans, foot-dragging pleas for patience from her principal, and new coaches who are incompetent or outright hostile. But support, sometimes from unexpected quarters, not only keeps Louisa motivated, but turns her and a wave of new recruits into a team solid enough to compete for the state championship. Filling in her triumphant tale with expert hoops coaching as well as a period pop-music soundtrack and a flurry of subplots, Bledsoe states in her author's note that most everything--excepting dialogue and some names--is true. The cast is largely White. The cause is just, the action absorbing, the sexist flack still all too familiar. (Fictionalized memoir. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.