Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell

Tanya Lee Stone has written several books for young readers, including the young adult novel A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. She lives with her family in Vermont.

A nonfiction picture book telling the inspiring story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor, by the author of Elizabeth Leads the Way.

In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but career options were few. Certainly no women were doctors.

But Elizabeth refused to accept the common beliefs that women weren't smart enough to be doctors, or that they were too weak for such hard work. And she would not take no for an answer. Although she faced much opposition, she worked hard and finally―when she graduated from medical school and went on to have a brilliant career―proved her detractors wrong. This inspiring story of the first female doctor shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors to come.

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone is an NPR Best Book of 2013.

This title has Common Core connections.

“Here's a refreshing introduction to a regularly but often dryly cited female 'first'.” ―The Horn Book

“Stone presents the highly readable and detailed story of a girl who is sure to inspire aspiring young doctors.” ―School Library Journal

“Staccato text, short and snappy, easy to read yet full of information about both Blackwell and her times.” ―Booklist, starred review

“A bracing, vivacious account of a pioneering woman.” ―Kirkus

“[a] smart and lively biography of Elizabeth Blackwell.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A short, incisive biography. . . . The cameos of action, matched by full-page pictures, make the history accessible. A must for library shelves.” ―Booklist, starred review on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“This biography brims with upbeat energy as the spirited woman sets out to change the system--an energy amplified by Rebecca Gibbon's bright folk art-styled pictures.” ―The Washington Post on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“[This book] fires up readers with a portrait of the 19th-century feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. . . . The sometimes informational tone is animated and energized by Gibbon's plentiful vignettes and paintings, rendered in a vibrant folk-art style.” ―Publishers Weekly on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“Through words and pictures that work together and an emphasis on ideas and personality rather than factoids, this well-conceived introduction is just right for a young audience.” ―School Library Journal on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“In lively prose well-matched by Gibbon's irrepressible images, Stone tells the story of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. . . . A fine introduction for very young readers to the woman and her key role in American history.” ―Kirkus Reviews on Elizabeth Leads the Way