Contents Introduction 3 1 Best All-Around Dahomey Amazons 4 2 Leader of the Pack Maria Bochkareva 6 3 Most Persistent Nakano Takeko 8 4 Most Athletic Khutulun 10 5 Most Loyal Mai Bhago 12 6 Best Team Player Zenobia 14 7 Best Gear Trieu Thi Trinh 16 8 Most Persuasive Grace O’Malley 18 9 Biggest Rebel Joan of Arc 20 10 Dynamic Duo Dandara and Zumbi of Palmares 22 11 Bravest Deborah Sampson 24 12 Kindest Lozen 26 Your Turn 30 Consider This 31 Glossary 31 Index 31 2
Introduction We are celebrating girl warriors Warriors are fighters They serve in the military They fight in wars They stand up against evil They overcome challenges Challenges are hard tasks It’s not easy being a girl warrior Many people think that women shouldn’t fight Women weren’t allowed to be soldiers They weren’t allowed to be on the battlefields Laws have changed Women can now serve Why did it take so long Throughout history women have shown that they’re tough They’re brave They’re strong The girl warriors in this book rise to the top They paved the way for today’s girl warriors You don’t have to be in a real battle to be a warrior If you are confident and compassionate you’re a warrior If you stand up for what’s right you’re a warrior Here’s to you and all the girl warriors in our lives 3
4 chapter 1 BEST ALL-AROUND Dahomey Amazons
The blood flows You are dead The blood flows We have won A song of victory and dance sung by some Dahomey Amazons The Best All-Around award goes to the Dahomey Amazons Amazons were from Greek myths They’re a group of fierce girl warriors Dahomey is now called Benin Benin is a country in West Africa Thousands of Dahomey women served together They trained to protect their king and kill others They were an elite fighting force Elite means the best The Dahomey Amazons started in the 1700s They served for almost 200 years A bell was rung when they left the king’s castle This was a warning Men were to get out of their way They were to look away Touching these women meant death 5
