In a letter cautioning her husband to "Remember the Ladies," Abigail Adams makes a plea for women's rights. She realized that women had the potential for greatness if only their brethren would, as Sarah Grimke wrote in 1838, "take their feet from off our necks."

Cheryl Harness introduces readers to 100 illustrious American women. From colonial poet Phillis Wheatley and Civil War nurse Clara Barton to comic actress Lucille Ball and Vietnam Memorial architect Maya Ying Lin, she highlights ladies of all talents, races, and eras.

Cheering the advancements of recognizable leaders, the author also introduces readers to less familiar but equally important women. Her passion and humor reflect the attitudes of pioneers who pushed the boundaries of the feminine sphere to the limits -- and then pushed a little further.