When you see a title like Lighthouse Ladies: Shining a Spotlight on Hardy Heroines you might wonder if there really were enough people to fill a book. Well, it sounds like you could fill a book on any one of the four women who Kris Coronado highlights. Instead they take four real life women who saved lives, tended to the light houses, and dealt with other issues and situations. We follow Ida Lewis, Juliet Nichols, Venus Parker, and Julia Toomey who were women who were different races, ages and from different areas, but they all had the passion of their convictions to do the best they could.
The illustrations by Islenia Mil are not “fully real” but are also not cartoonish or caricatures. They cover things that are intense (rowing a boat into storm tossed ocean waters as men drown around them) in a way that is lighter, but does not take away from the intensity of the situation. Darker colors that fit the times and eras mentioned are used to set the tone. Plus, lighter colors are used when we follow the young woman from Hawaii. Overall, things are a great introduction to the subject. If you are interested in women’s history, it is a nice addition to your reading. Of course the same is true if you like general history.
While it is available, I read via an online reader copy. However, I do want a finished copy as there are several pages of extra information at the end that I would like to read in more detail as it was difficult to read via the computer screen.