Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Patsy Takemoto Mink and the Fight for Title IX

The only picture book biography about unsung hero Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian American woman elected to Congress.
From a young age, Patsy Takemoto Mink learned that striving for goals came with challenges. But she also learned to never give up. As the Japanese proverb says: fall down seven times, stand up eight.
That spirit helped Patsy through school. She wanted to become a doctor, but at the time, medical schools didn’t admit women. So Patsy carved her own path. She went to law school, ran for a seat in the United States Congress, and helped create Title IX, the law that requires federally funded schools to treat boys and girls equally. Although many people tried to knock her down, Patsy—a historic trailblazer who spent her life fighting for fairness—always got up again!
From award-winning author Jen Bryant and illustrator Toshiki Nakamura comes an inspiring picture book biography that brings Patsy Takemoto Mink’s incredible legacy to life.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 2–4—Title IX, the 1972 civil rights legislation, bans financial support to federally funded education programs that commit sex-based discrimination. It has so impacted American society, that it's hard to overstate its importance. Patsy Takemoto Mink was instrumental in getting this law passed. This picture book biography not only tells the story of her life and how she came to believe that such a law was necessary, but also covers her legal work on Title IX. Born in the Hawaiian territory in 1927, Mink followed her older brother to school and was welcomed as a student herself. Mink worked hard in school and became high school class valedictorian. She was later denied admission to medical school because of her gender but was accepted to the University of Chicago Law school as part of the foreign student quota. Eventually, she ran for Congress and won. The choice of cartoonlike illustration adds a zany touch, which diminishes the seriousness of the story but may make the work more appealing to younger students. Back matter includes a time line. VERDICT This is a good book for libraries looking to increase nonfiction books about gender and racial equality.—Debbie Tanner