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Doreen Rappaport on Writing Historical Figures

Doreen Rappaport

I grew up in the nineteen-fifties, an era in which society did not believe women had the same intellectual abilities as men, nor the same desire to achieve outside their roles as wife and mother. I can still hear the neighbors warning my mother that I was “too smart for my own good,” i.e., that no man would want to marry me.

I was an avid reader, always in the library, but couldn’t find many books there about women, aside from Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Jane Addams. There were many books about the Founding Fathers but none about women leaders such as Judith Sargeant Murray, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Ida B. Wells. Nor were there books about women pilots, lawyers, doctors, teachers, writers, artists, or revolutionaries. Books about the struggles and achievements of Black Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities were also non-existent.

Then the sixties and seventies tore my world apart. I questioned everything as I watched and then participated in the civil rights movement, and later the feminist movement. Both redefined people’s right to equality in this country, their right to develop their talents fully, and their right to value their life struggles as part of a political and historical process. A new narrative emerged out of these movements that filled in a more realistic picture of true American history.

As I began to understand what had been left out of history, I made it my job to put it back in. I feel privileged that over the course of my career, I have been able to research and write about many outstanding men and women who helped transform society. And because it’s women’s history month, I want to highlight some of the women whose lives inspired and empowered me—women who refused to give up in the face of obstacles, and whose determination resulted in changing their lives and the lives of others.

Mocked and vilified, women fought for 82 years to win the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton told Susan B. Anthony that “Failure is Impossible” as the two women laid the seeds for future generations to continue their struggle.

Helen Keller had what seemed the insurmountable challenge of both hearing loss and blindness in a time when neither condition was well understood, and yet she triumphed—with the help of a great woman teacher—and her own determination.

Eleanor Roosevelt grew up the shy, insecure daughter of a mother who humiliated her and an alcoholic father. As a teenager, Eleanor’s teacher Maria Souvestre gave her confidence, and as First Lady, Eleanor defied convention at every turn and became one of the most famous women in the world.

Despite poverty and horrendous federal government policies against Native Americans, Wilma Mankiller was sustained by the Cherokee philosophy of Gadugi, of interdependence, of “doing things for others, rather than just for yourself.” She eventually became the first woman chief of the Cherokee nation.

These women’s lives—their stories—are a vital part of history. Highlighting them is not revisionist history, it is recognizing neglected history, which we need to complete a true picture of life in this United States.

People’s lives are complex, and my job is to make those lives interesting and accessible to children, without oversimplifying them. To do that, I dig into primary sources, newspaper articles, letters, interviews, and full-length biographies. This research leads me to form what I believe is the core idea that defines someone’s life. Writers call this the “hook,” the way to tell a story that both illuminates the subject and pulls in the reader.

For example, the written material about and by U. S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is voluminous. As a student, teacher, and lawyer, she confronted prejudice for being Jewish and for being a woman. When she saw such injustice, she didn’t fold. She objected, boldly attacking discrimination, boldly figuring out how to change it. And so, the title and theme of her story became Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ruth Objects is part of my BIG WORDS picture book biography series, which combines a narrative with real quotes from the various people I write about. Quotes from these individuals illuminate their thoughts for young readers and amplify my narrative. I sometimes edit their words so children can more easily understand them without help from parents or teachers—complex ideas slimmed down, but not dumbed down. I hope their words encourage children to believe in themselves, and give them the courage to struggle and triumph.

Let me close with a few of the words that strengthen my resolve when I need it. These words remind me of possibility. These words remind me of my responsibility to a larger community. These words remind me to be brave:

“Do something every day that scares you.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

“Women can help turn the world right side up. We bring a more collaborative approach to government.”—Wilma Mankiller

“Failure is impossible.”—Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“It is not women’s liberation: it is women’s and men’s liberation.”—Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“I love my country. But my love for America is not blind. Perhaps I am more conscious of her faults because I love her so deeply.”—Helen Keller