Miss Mary Reporting

Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber
By Sue Macy
Illustrated by C. F. Payne
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. Biography.

Mary grew up loving sports—watching, playing, and reading about them. After college she set her sights on becoming a newspaper reporter but as a woman in the 1940,s her options were limited and she had to work as a society reporter. It wasn’t until WWII when many of the women took on jobs that were previously held by men that her dream came true; she became a sportswriter for The Sentinel. After the war ended her boss moved her to the news desk but a year later, she was back covering sports, and she stayed there for more than fifty years. Her determination broke down barriers for women reporters in gaining access to the locker room and press boxes. She also broke down racial barriers, covering any sport no matter who played. Her hard work was honored shortly before her death in 2008 as she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Association.

A great biography that brings up many discussion points like gender roles, segregation, and achieving goals. With the perfect complement of Payne’s mixed media illustrations, Miss Mary Reporting is one of my favorite biographies I have read this year.