They Stood Alone! is a 176 page book that contains the stories of 25 men and women who didn’t give up. As a result of their perseverance, these men and women changed the world. There are a wide range of individuals covered, from well-known people (Copernicus, Ghandi, Mother Theresa) to people whose names might not ring a bell at first (Nikola Tesla, Marian Anderson, Margaret Bourke-White).

Each chapter is about six pages long, and focuses on one individual, what they accomplished, and what their obstacles were that they had to overcome. There is a picture of the person, the dates they lived, and a quote from the person at the beginning of every chapter.

While I couldn’t find a reading level for this book, I would guess that it is targeted at late elementary and early middle school students. However, I wouldn’t give it to a child younger than middle school age, and even then it would require a lot of discussion. This book isn’t written from a Christian perspective, and I would want to discuss the ideas presented with my child, such as Margaret Mead’s ideas about masculine and feminine rolls, as well as Ghandi’s religion. There is also a strong feminist bent to the book that I would want to discuss. I can’t recommend They Stood Alone! because of the inaccurate worldview.

Product Review by Courtney Larson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2012