KIRKUS REVIEW
Davidson (Getting the Real Story, not reviewed) pairs the stories of two pioneers in the struggle for equal rights for women. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to Congress. Forty-nine years later, Representative Patsy T. Mink of Hawaii became the first Asian-American woman House member. Born in 1880, Rankin's career choices were limited. She began her political career by fighting for women's suffrage, and when women received the vote in Montana--largely due to Rankin's efforts--they helped elect Rankin to Congress. Soon after her arrival, Rankin was forced to vote on the US going to war. An ardent pacifist, she voted against American participation in WW I. Rankin was elected to her second term of Congress in 1939, and she again voted against war. After that, she became a political outcast until her consistently held pacifism made her a popular figure in the antiwar movement of the 1960s. She died in 1973. Mink faced not only sexism but also racism in her private life and political career. Born in 1927, she suffered from anti-Japanese sentiments during WW II. Although a strong candidate, she was rejected from all the medical schools she applied to. She became a lawyer but couldn't find work because she was a woman, Asian, and married. Mink got involved in politics when she was casually invited to a Democratic meeting in 1953. In 1965, she was elected to Congress, where she served until 1977. She was reelected in 1992. A lucid and enlightening double biography of two outstanding American women politicians. (Glossary; chronologies) (Biography. All ages)