Breaking Through: Heroes in Canadian Women’s Sport

Volume XXV / Issue 12 - November 23 / 2018
Breaking Through
Breaking Through
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Breaking Through: Heroes in Canadian Women’s Sport

Author: 
Sue Irwin
Series: 
Recordbooks
Toronto, ON: James Lorimer, 2018
144 pp., pbk. & epub, $12.95 (pbk.), $7.99 (epub)
ISBN: 
978-1-4594-1372-6 (pbk.)
978-1-4594-1373-3 (epub)
Grades: 
4-8
Ages: 
9-13
Review by: 
Allison Giggey
3
Excerpt: 

In Canada, some things just go together. Pancakes and maple syrup. Loonies and toonies. Women’s bobsleigh and Kaillie Humphries. In fact, if you look in the country’s bobsleigh record books, you’ll see Kallie’s name on almost every page.

But how did that happen? Not overnight. It took time.

It all began when Kallie was seven. That summer, she and her two little sisters turned on the TV. The Olympics were on and they wanted to cheer on their friend, swimmer Mark Tewksbury. They shouted at the TV. And when they saw him with the gold medal for Canada, they jumped up and down on the couch. Then, one night at dinner, Kaillie announced, “I am going to win an Olympic gold medal!” She imagined standing on the top podium, singing the national anthem. She could hear the whole country singing along and see the whole world watching.

Featuring seven brief chapters about Canadian women who excel in their respective sports, Breaking Through: Heroes in Canadian Women’s Sport, by Sue Irwin, fills a gap that appears in many library collections. Describing briefly the paths from childhood to professional athletes, this book focuses on female athletes from all different backgrounds participating in a variety of sports, from basketball to wrestling to cross-country skiing.

The stories are told simply, clearly, and in uncomplicated language. Using quotes from coaches, family members, and other players, Irwin gives readers a clear image of Christine Sinclair (soccer), Sharon Anne/Shirley Firth and Chandra Crawford (cross country skiing)
Kia Nurse (basketball), Kaillie Humphries (bobsleigh), Carol Huynh (wrestling), Jen Kish (rugby), and Hayley Wickenheiser (hockey) as athletes and role models.

Separate text boxes within the chapters feature interesting and informative information about the sports, themselves, as well as body image, travel, college opportunities, and the current climate faced by women in sports. A final epilogue about up-and-coming young athletes, like Penny Oleksiak (swimming), gives the impression that this book may be the first in a series. I certainly hope it is, and I would love to see a similar series about Canadian women in music, politics, engineering, and other areas.

Something I truly appreciated about Breaking Through was that each story featured not only the female athlete, but other women who supported her in her journey. It’s a book that encompasses the spirit of female athleticism in Canada, and it contains a number of stories that are important to tell.

Recommended
Reviewer: 

Allison Giggey is a teacher-librarian in Prince Edward Island. She is the polar opposite of an athlete, but she has a great respect for the hard work and dedication of women in sports.