How Girls Achieve by Sally A. Nuamah (Review by Bruna Morais)

This book is a must read for every woman but mainly for teachers and educators. Sally Nuamah presents a reality that most of us are probably aware of but don’t pay enough attention to. Female students all over the world go through terrible situations every day such as intimidation, harassment, bullying, and sexual abuse. These are experiences that will affect them for the rest of their lives and make them doubt their potential.

The author presents a very interesting school model: a feminist school where girls are encouraged to feel confident, empowered, and fight for their rights. The school prepares girls to face the world as powerful women. Fortunately, this school already exists and Sally does a wonderful job describing the goals of the institution, emphasizing what all schools should be striving to achieve.  The statistics that the author presents in the book were the most shocking for me. She discusses several studies from her research, showing that girls do not feel safe on their way to school or even inside of school. One quote that stood out to me in particular was, “… nearly one in three girls reported being raped in or around their school in South Africa. Of those who reported being raped, 33 percent reported being raped by their educators.” The author presents studies and data mostly about girls of color studying in Africa. However, she also discusses schools all over the U.S., showing that even though most girls in developed countries have access to schooling, the conditions for female students are still not secure. This book really made me reflect and think about what can be done so girls can feel more empowered every day. The author concludes with a great point about how the current political climate is challenging and that’s where we can help – by voting for the right politicians to make changes.