No Stopping Us Now

(Paperback)

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A timeless and triumphant story of courage in the face of opposition. Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"20 Super Sports Books for Kids of All Ages!" We Are Teachers

Its 1974. Title IX has passed two years ago, but Louisas high school still refuses to fund an all girls basketball team. After hearing Gloria Steinem speak, Louisa learns an important lesson: The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. Now what can she do but stand up and fight back

When Louisa asks her principal to start a girls team, shes soon viciously targeted by male coaches at her school, lied to by the school board, and dismissed as out of line as she fights for a fair chance to be an athlete. No Stopping Us Now is a story about finding ones own voice through the joys of sports, love, and the power of sisterhood. Based on the author's true story, it is a compelling examination of the courage it takes to stand up for whats right.

Young adult, LGBTQ historical fiction perfect for the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

Reviews

"20 Super Sports Books for Kids of All Ages! This semi-autobiographical novel of a group of young women basketball players fighting for a team of their own in 1974 (just after the passage of Title IX) is an inspiring lesson in history and perseverance." We Are Teachers

This autobiographical novel, with richly developed bold, courageous characters, and raw emotion, deftly captures the period of transition, not just for Louisa but for womens rights in the 1970s. . . . An inspiring look at the early days of Title IX and a solid addition to historical fiction collections. School Library Journal

A timeless and triumphant story of courage in the face of opposition, as well as a glimpse into the early days of Title IXs implementation. Knowledgeable about, and appreciative of, the trailblazers who fought for fairness and equal opportunities for women in sports, No Stopping Us Now is an excellent historical novel. Foreword Reviews (starred review)

No Stopping Us Now is an insightful and interesting read that gives perspective and knowledge on how far our school has come since the establishment of Title IX. The Headlight

The cause is just, the action absorbing, the sexist flack still all too familiar. Kirkus Reviews

In the fabulous No Stopping Us Now, Lucy Jane Bledsoe tells two stories of transition of a high school girl discovering her voice and her strength and of a society grappling with the evolving expectations of women. We cheer for Louisa as she speaks truth to power, has her eyes opened to feminist intersectionality, and shines on the basketball court. On the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX, this is an important and necessary book for young people, a poignant tribute to the women who demanded equality in athletics, and an inspiring call for a new generation to fight its own battles for justice. Andrew Maraniss, author of Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Womens Olympic Basketball Team

It's tempting to say that No Stopping Us Now transports us back to the intense battles teen girls faced in the early years of Title IX, except that similar battles rage on today. This timeless story is a must-read for adolescents trying to find themselves and their powerful voices both personally and politically. Sherry Boschert, author, 37 Words: Title IX and Fifty Years of Fighting Sex Discrimination

So many young women athletes today grow up without understanding the importance of Title IX and how hard previous generations struggled for the opportunity to participate in the sports they loved. In writing No Stopping Us Now, Bledsoe not only informs and entertains, she directly connects young readers to an integral part of women's sports history that should never be forgotten. Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, sports writer; co-author, Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Womens Football League

Lucy Bledsoe conjures up everyday sexism on the cusp of Title IX with powerful immediacy. From Shirley Chisholm and Gloria Steinem, to macrame and hip-huggers, we are solidly in 1974. Yet theres something absolutely contemporary in the way Bledsoe captures the perils, the highs, and the awkward, nonverbal jostling of high school social life. No Stopping Us Now takes a historic moment for womens sports and replays it in all its sweaty, visceral glory. Alison Bechdel, author, Fun Home and The Secret to Superhuman Strength

No Stopping Us Now is full of such heart, love and courage. A stunning and brave journey from start to finish, I loved Louisa and her bold crew of superstar athletes who rose up together to be seen, valued and heard. This is a book to be treasured, taught and shared. I want my children and students to know what it means to fight for what you believe in. To take up space, to raise your voice and most of all, to get on the court and play. Ellen Hagan, author, Dont Call Me a Hurricane

Time and again, this skilled author reminds her readers of second-wave feminism's triumphs and turning points from the early 1970s...No Stopping Us Now fearlessly invokes a recent past we must become reacquainted with, the better to understand how far women have come and what's at stake for our rights and opportunities." Bonnie J. Morris, women's history professor and author of What's The Score Twenty-Five Years of Teaching Women's Sports History

No Stopping Us Now reminds us of the battles fought, and won, by the first generation of Title IX athletes, those girls and women who made possible all of the opportunities female athletes have today. I guarantee youll be rooting for Louisa as she speaks truth to power and stands up to opponents on and off the court. Sue Macy, author, Breaking Through: How Female Athletes Shattered Stereotypes in the Roaring Twenties

The characters are beautifully drawn, the story expertly plotted and moving and as a former D-I basketball player, it is close to my heart. Mary Volmer, author, Reliance, Illinois

Author Bio

Lucy Jane Bledsoe is the author of eight books of fiction, for both adults and young people. Lava Falls, stories about kickass survivor girls who take on the religious right and uranium mining lobbyists, won of the 2019 Devils Kitchen Fiction Award. Ms. Magazine called her novel The Evolution of Love, about how those who develop the muscles of compassion and inclusion will win the evolutionary lottery (in the long run), fabulous feminist fiction. The New York Times said her novel A Thin Bright Line triumphs as an intimate and humane evocation of day-to-day life under inhumane circumstances. Bledsoes fiction has won a California Arts Council Fellowship in Literature, an American Library Association Stonewall Award, the Arts & Letters Fiction Prize, a Pushcart nomination, a Yaddo Fellowship, and two National Science Foundation Artists & Writers Fellowships. Shes been a writer in residence in Antarctica and Cuba. Bledsoe loves basketball, mountains, cats, and books. She currently lives in Berkeley, CA.