Lucy Jane Bledsoe - No Stopping Us Now

Lucy Jane Bledsoe is the author of eight books of fiction, for both adults and young people. Lava Falls, stories about kickass survivor girls who take on the religious right and uranium mining lobbyists, won of the 2019 Devil's Kitchen Fiction Award. Ms. Magazine called her novel The Evolution of Love, about how those who develop the muscles of compassion and inclusion will win the evolutionary lottery (in the long run), "fabulous feminist fiction." The New York Times said her novel A Thin Bright Line "triumphs as an intimate and humane evocation of day-to-day life under inhumane circumstances." Bledsoe's fiction has won a California Arts Council Fellowship in Literature, an American Library Association Stonewall Award, the Arts & Letters Fiction Prize, a Pushcart nomination, a Yaddo Fellowship, and two National Science Foundation Artists & Writers Fellowships. She's been a writer in residence in Antarctica and Cuba. Bledsoe loves basketball, mountains, cats, and books. She currently lives in Berkeley, CA.

 

 

"A timeless and triumphant story of courage in the face of opposition." --Foreword Reviews (starred review)

It's 1974. Title IX has passed two years ago, but Louisa's high school still refuses to fund an all girls' basketball team. After hearing Gloria Steinem speak, Louisa learns an important lesson: "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." Now what can she do but stand up and fight back?

When Louisa asks her principal to start a girls team, she's soon viciously targeted by male coaches at her school, lied to by the school board, and dismissed as "out of line" as she fights for a fair chance to be an athlete. No Stopping Us Now is a story about finding one's own voice through the joys of sports, love, and the power of sisterhood. Based on the author's true story, it is a compelling examination of the courage it takes to stand up for what's right.

Young adult, LGBTQ historical fiction perfect for the 50th anniversary of Title IX in June 2022.

"Lucy Bledsoe conjures up everyday sexism on the cusp of Title IX with powerful immediacy. From Shirley Chisholm and Gloria Steinem, to macrame and hip-huggers, we are solidly in 1974. Yet there's something absolutely contemporary in the way Bledsoe captures the perils, the highs, and the awkward, nonverbal jostling of high school social life. No Stopping Us Now takes a historic moment for women's sports and replays it in all its sweaty, visceral glory." --Alison Bechdel, author, Fun Home and The Secret to Superhuman Strength

"No Stopping Us Now is full of such heart, love and courage. A stunning and brave journey from start to finish, I loved Louisa and her bold crew of superstar athletes who rose up together to be seen, valued and heard. This is a book to be treasured, taught and shared. I want my children and students to know what it means to fight for what you believe in. To take up space, to raise your voice and most of all, to get on the court and play." --Ellen Hagan, author, Don't Call Me a Hurricane

"A timeless and triumphant story of courage in the face of opposition, as well as a glimpse into the early days of Title IX's implementation. Knowledgeable about, and appreciative of, the trailblazers who fought for fairness and equal opportunities for women in sports, No Stopping Us Now is an excellent historical novel." --Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"The cause is just, the action absorbing, the sexist flack still all too familiar." --Kirkus Reviews