Yes She Can: 10 Stories of Hope & Change from Young Female Staffers of the Obama White House by Molly Dillon, Jenna Brayton, Eleanor Celeste, Nita Contreras, Kalisha Dessources, Andrea Flores, Vivian Graubard, Noemie Levy, Taylor Lustig, Jaimie Woo
Published by Schwartz & Wade on April 23rd 2019
ISBN: 1984848453
Pages: 176
Goodreads

“Yes She Can” is a collection of accounts written by young adult women of various races and religions who worked in the Obama White House doing impressive things. One helped set up Pope Francis’ visit to the White House, another worked on a summit for women and girls of color, another helped work on legislation for immigration, and the inspiring work just goes on from there!

The stories are well-written and make you feel like you’re taking part in the event with them (you can feel the excitement when one of the women gets a call on her cell from the Vice President). They give a great inside perspective to working in government. It’s really refreshing to hear from women who are actively working within the government to make America better. The only way this book would have been better was if they had included a story from a Muslim or Arab-American woman working with White House policy.

Included in the middle of the book are photos of the women working at the White House, which helps personalize the stories even more. I was really pleased to see that they included a section at the end called “A Girl’s Guide to Getting into Government,” which lists various organizations and ways that readers can get involved like the women we just read about.

Aimed at readers aged twelve and up, this book is a must buy for any library where YA Nonfiction/Biographies are popular, or for any teenager who is interested in getting involved in politics or the government.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.