Considering the achievements of working women today, it’s hard to believe that not so long ago many doors were closed to women. In Judith Finlayson’s new book, Trailblazers, she reminds us of the challenges and prejudices that women faced just a few decades ago. Finlayson believes that the past should not be swept away. What kind of women paved the way for today’s feminists, she asks? Who challenged the status quo in Canada? What drove them? What made them succeed? What did they learn along the way?

Finlayson, a journalist who has worked as a Globe and Mail columnist and a writer for Maclean’s, excels at capturing the voices of these women and allowing them to speak for themselves. The book reads like a comfortable chat with a friend – informal, yet poignant and intimate. To her credit, Finlayson chooses to focus on a diverse group of 36 women from across the country including Lois Wilson, the first woman moderator of the United Church, Dr. Marion Powell, the physician who set up Canada’s first public family planning clinic, and Debbie Field, one of the first women to work in a blue-collar job at the Steel Company of Canada. These women challenged stereotypes and battled sexism in the workplace at a time when women were expected to be wives, mothers, and gracious hostesses.

If I were a teacher of modern social history, I’d recommend this book to young female students and anyone who questions the continuing necessity of the women’s rights movements.