Did you know that Title IX was not just for athletes? It started out as not forty words that said that women had to be treated equally in all matters: education, and sports alike. Of course, that was only one thing Patsy Takemoto (later Patsy Mink) would do in her life.
A young Patsy lived in Maui. She knew her family had come to this country for a better life and that meant (though she was not sure at the time) an education. At four-years-old Patsy took this so seriously that she followed her older brother to school on his first day. That would not be the last time she would do something she was not “supposed” to do.
Throughout her life, Mink would fight for injustices she saw around her. She would enter politics; she would win and lose some. But she would always look at the Japanese saying, “Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight” for inspiration.
In Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Patsy Takemoto Mink and the Fight for Title IX by Jen Bryant brings to life a woman that many might not know. She shows the ups and downs of trying to make the country a better place for everyone. She would deal with discrimination, her daughters car accident and almost not getting Title IX into law.
The illustrations of Toshiki Nakamura are delightful. They are colorful and detailed. Yet, not overwhelming. They show how the country was changing with simple details like how people were dressed. The years covered are from the 1930s to the 1970s. Afterwards and timelines will tie things together even more.
