Women in Blue: 16 Brave Officers, Forensics Experts, Police Chiefs, and More

Gr 8 Up—This latest edition to the series celebrates 16 women who achieved some of the "firsts" in law enforcement, from Sadie Likens, Denver's first "jail matron," to Ethel and Marlo McGuire, the FBI's first mother-daughter duo. Mullenbach offers frank and honest stories of the personal sacrifices made by these women as they achieved their professional goals. None of these individuals are familiar household names, but they were all well respected by their supervisors and colleagues, and some are still active in their respective jurisdictions. Through personal quotes and interviews, the subjects share their most notorious cases. The book is arranged in six parts (such as "Breaking into Jail: The Early Matrons" and "'Copettes' No Longer: Policewomen"), and each one includes a short introduction to the topic and stories about the individual women. Informative sidebars discuss other female law enforcement pioneers but break the pages awkwardly, making it difficult for readers to follow the main entry. The author acknowledges that some material may not be appropriate for younger students and recommends adult guidance. Substantial notes, a bibliography, and additional resources will aid in future research.