Tough Mothers

“Fifty vignettes about courageous mothers . . . women who stood up to power, defied poverty, or climbed over other barriers to achieve great things.” —Historical Novel Society

The author of Rejected Princesses returns with an inspiring, fully illustrated guide that brings together the fiercest mothers in history—real life matriarchs who gave everything to protect all they loved.

Mothers possess the “maternal instinct”—an innate fierceness that drives them to nurture, safeguard, fight, and sacrifice for the most important things that matter to them. For some mothers, it’s their children. For others, it’s artistic expression, invention, social cause, or even a nation that they helped to birth. In Tough Mothers, Jason Porath brings his wisdom and wit to bear on fifty fascinating matriarchs.

In concise, deeply researched vignettes, accompanied by charming illustrations, Porath illuminates these fearsome women, explores their lives, and pays tribute to their accomplishments. Here are famous women as well as lesser known figures from around the globe who have left their indelible mark as they changed the course of history, including:

• The Mother Who Sued to Save Her Children from Slavery—Sojourner Truth
• The Mother of Rock n’ Roll—Sister Rosetta Tharpe
• The Mother of Holocaust Children—Irena Sendler
• The Mothers of The Dominican Republic—The Mirabal Sisters
• The Mother of Yemen’s Golden Age—Arwa al-Sulayhi

A celebration of motherhood and female achievement, Tough Mothers reminds us of the power of women to transform our lives and our world.

“Packed with inspirational, cautionary, and sometimes difficult stories of the power of mothers through the centuries and around the world.” —Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey, Hosts of Stuff You Missed in History Class