Little Free Library #98124 in Memory of Christopher Buchanan

"A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone." -- Jo Goodwin For this week's Banned Books Week, we're honoring an author who has spent de...cades fighting against censorship: Judy Blume. As she once observed: "It's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers. For two inspiring books about girls fighting against censorship in schools - both for ages 9 to 12 - we highly recommend "Property of the Rebel Librarian" (https://www.amightygirl.com/property-of-the-rebel-librarian) and "Ban This Book" (https://www.amightygirl.com/ban-this-book) For a thought-provoking young adult novel exploring censorship, we recommend "Suggested Reading" for ages 14 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/suggested-reading For two excellent books about Mighty Girls who find hope by reading forbidden books - both for ages 12 and up - we recommend "Voices" (https://www.amightygirl.com/voices) and "The Book Thief" (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-book-thief) For stories about girls living in oppressive societies with little respect for freedom of expression, you can find many titles for children and teens in our "Oppression & Repression" book section at http://amgrl.co/2gAoIGs And, for Mighty Girl stories that pay tribute to the transformative power of books, check out our blog post "Celebrating a Love of Reading: 35 Mighty Girl Stories about Books, Libraries, and Literacy" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11656

Today in Mighty Girl history, Emily Warren Roebling, the "woman who saved the Brooklyn Bridge," was born in 1843. Early in its construction, Roebling's husband,... the chief engineer in charge of the bridge’s construction, became bedridden due to decompression sickness. Emily Roebling stepped in to become the first female field engineer and supervised the bridge's construction for over ten years until its completion in 1883. Roebling’s father-in-law, John Roebling, was the designer of the bridge but he died of tetanus early in its construction. His son, Washington Roebling, took over its construction; however, his frequent entry and exit of the pressurized caissons -- the watertight structures used to remove water for building the bridge piers -- led to a case of caisson’s disease or decompression sickness, a little-understood condition at the time that frequently led to crippling injury and even death. The illness left Roebling's husband paralyzed, deaf and mute. As the New York Times reported at the time, Mrs. Roebling applied herself to the study of engineering, and she succeeded so well that in a short time she was able to assume the duties of chief engineer." For over a decade, she dealt with contractors, supervised staff, inspected construction, and handled politicians and reporters -- and, by the time the bridge was completed, she had become the public face of one of the most significant construction projects of the era. Prior to the bridge's public opening, Roebling became the first person to drive a carriage across the span, bringing along a live rooster for good luck. At its opening ceremony, U.S. Congressman Abram Stevens Hewitt called the Brooklyn Bridge ...an everlasting monument to the sacrificing devotion of a woman and of her capacity for that higher education from which she has been too long disbarred. After the bridge was finished, Emily Roebling traveled widely and took the opportunity to pursue further education, receiving a law degree from New York University. She died in 1903. While few remember her name today, a plaque still stands on the bridge, dedicating it to the memory of her father-in-law, her husband -- and Emily Roebling herself. For an inspiring picture book telling her story, we highly recommend "Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge" for ages 5 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/secret-engineer For tweens, Roebling is one of five pioneering women in engineering featured in "Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Engineers" -- which also includes a variety of engineering projects kids can try at home -- for ages 8 to 11 at https://www.amightygirl.com/gutsy-girls-engineers Roebling is one of the women featured in Women of Steel and Stone: 22 Inspirational Engineers, Architects, and Landscape Designers for teens and adults, ages 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/women-of-steel-and-stone For adult readers, Emily Warren Roebling's story is also told in David McCullough's "The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge" at http://amzn.to/1wL1A82 There is also a fantastic new historical fiction novel based on her story for adults: "The Engineer's Wife" at https://amzn.to/2HkQpmI Roebling is also among the many female engineers featured on the "The History of Women in Engineering and Math Poster" at https://www.amightygirl.com/women-in-engineering-and-math-p And, for fun ways to inspire the builders of tomorrow, we've showcased our favorite girl-empowering building toys in our blog post: Building Her Dreams: Top 60 Building and Engineering Toys for Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10430

So many awesome # this weeks #shelfie take a book leave a book

Banned Book Week Is Coming!! What’s your favorite?

Honor her legacy #vote #vote2020 #prochoice #prowoman #yourhonor #rgb #notoriousrbg # #lawyer #read #badass