Great Lives from History: American Women

This three-volume set provides biographies on a broad range of American women, ranging from children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Each entry presents a concise yet detailed look at the subject's life and contributions to history. The description then lists date of birth and area of achievement. Following this information is a longer section (about a page to a page and a half) detailing the subject's early life, rise to prominence, life's work, and significance. Though brief, the summaries are enlightening and offer a solid overview. Each concludes with suggestions for further reading. A substantial amount of material is provided in a small space, making this resource valuable as a starting point for additional investigation, especially given the suggested readings, or as a quick introduction. The impressive diversity of subjects covered, not only in terms of race and class but also in terms of the roles (opera singers, educators, and ophthalmologists are discussed along with actors and politicians), is also appealing.