Table of Contents for the book That Takes Ovaries

That Takes Ovaries: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts
Table of Contents & Story Summaries

Introduction

Rivka’s Note to All Readers [Link to book excerpt]

Chapter 1 – On the Spot: Impulsive, Gutsy Act

Preaching to the Convicted / Kathleen Tarr – makes burglar cry after he breaks into her home [Link to story]
Alps-ward Bound / Frezzia Prodero – jumps off moving train to see the Alps
Hands On, Hands Off / Bobbi Ausubel – girl grabs butt-groper’s hand; adult confronts pickpocket
Amen for Sneaky Women / Cecilia Wambach – sneaks in to see Pope, sits in front row
Fat Grrlz Kick Ass / Beth Mistretta – 16-yr-old fat girl climbs rope in gym class
Paying for It / Monique Bowden – gets pimp to pay her for a conversation w/her
Selling the Berlin Wall / Rivka Solomon – sells pieces of the Berlin Wall, gets arrested
Educating Bill Clinton / Bonnie Morris – tells president to stay for women’s sports, he does
Saving Mommy, or The Night I Lost My Childhood / D.h. Wu – 6-yr-old saves mom from suicide
Nothing From Nobody / Tara Betts – Black child confronts white cop during DWB incident
I Swear! / Louise Civetti – playful swearing with boss after board meeting
You Can Take That Law and… / Gwyn McVay – invites cops to “legalize it” pot rally

Chapter 2 – After Some Thought: Making Life-Changing Choices

Double Whammy / Lynda Gaines – chooses double mastectomy when facing breast cancer
Divine Perfection / Anitra Winder – rises out of poverty and prostitution
Cinderella Ph.D. / Iris Stammberger – leaves $$/prestige (in Latin Amer.) to start humane business
Committing to Motherhood / Rebecca Walker – chooses (lesbian) co-parenting
Returning Home / Wilma Mankiller – from poor single mom to leader of Cherokee Nation
Courage at the End / Mireya Herrera – helps women dying of AIDS say goodbye to their kids

Chapter 3 – For Ourselves: Taking Charge of Our Bodies and Sexuality

Cupid’s Paintbrush / Amelia Copeland – instigates sexy interlude with paint
Smutmonger / Celia Tan – decides to be a sex writer
Big Beauty / Tess Dehoog – fat girl wears tank top for 1st time
First Pride / Amanda Rivera – 8-yr-old (with 2 moms) leads first gay pride march in her city
Loving w/o Limits / Robin Renée – on live TV (BET), to talk about being a polyamorist
Good, Good, Good, Good Vibrations / Joani Blank – founded 1st women’s sex toy store in U.S.
Declawing Catcalls / Julia Acevedo – confronts catcalling men, befriends them
MTV, Bite Me! / Sabrina Margarita Alcantara-Tan – hypersexualized music video extras rebel
Spreading My Legs for Womankind / Molly Kenefick – teaches med students gyn exam on herself

Chapter 4 – Danger: Risking Life or Limb

Adventures in the Jungle / Denise Grant – stands up to gang-banger
Slapshot Off the Rink / Amy Chambers – jumps into middle of ice hockey fight
Not Minding My Own Business / Mary Ann McCourt – saves a stranger from rape/abuse
Surfergrrl / Elaine Marshall – skysurfing on a 30-inch surfboard [Link to story]
War Zone / Anonymous – meets guerrilla fighters in an effort to start a peace process
Impossible Choices: From El Salvador to the U.S. / Eva – walks (illegally) to U.S. from Central America
Documenting It / Ruchira Gupta – makes documentary on sex trafficking industry in India
Gorilla Dreams / Maite Sureda – searches for gorillas in Africa, finds lots
Triumphs of the Amazon Queen / Kym Trippsmith – saves houseboat from destruction during storm

Chapter 5 – Rebels: Individuals Taking a Stand

Letting Justice Flow / Alison Kafer – launches pee protest to secure wheelchair accessible toilets [Link to story]
One Moonshine Night / Julia Willis – 11-yr-old dumps alcoholic dad’s moonshine
Yay for Hairy Women / Mica Miro – hairy jr high school girl shaves legs in stripes
Painting the Town / Sasha Claire McInnes – after gang-raped, paints RAPE under dozens of STOP signs
Camping With a Ventilator / Connie Panzarino – goes camping w/her wheelchair and ventilator
A Room of Our Own / Kathryn Roblee – locks men’s toilet at worksite to demand women’s toilet
Davida and Goliath / Jane Colby – battles British medical establishment re: chronic fatigue syndrome
Taking Up Tools / Elizabeth Young – becomes roofer-carpenter after father’s dare
Just Don’t Do It / Adrienne – kindergartener demands her right to play dodge ball with the boys
Transforming Hate / Krissy – paints over anti-Jewish graffiti on highway overpass
Digging for Dough / Amy Richards – breaks taboo of asking for money, fund-raises big donations
Stage Presence / Phoebe Eng – Asian girl gets lead in high school play Oklahoma!, PTA freaks
Remaining Whole Behind Bars / Fauziya Kassindja – African genital mutilation resistor survives isolation in U.S. prison

Chapter 6 – Doing it Together: Collective Activism

Love Thy Neighbor With Avengeance / Jessica Brown – lesbian action at conservative think tank
High-School Gauntlet / Rachel – 150 high school girls organize against boys who harass
Synagogue Revolt / Loolwa Khazzoom – teen leads revolt against cultural imperialism in her temple
Diary of an Urban Guerilla / Kathy Bruin – midnight postering of anti-anorexia message
Civil Disobedience: A Primary School Primer / Debra Kolodny – first schoolgirl to wear pants in ’60s
Nine Days To Change the World / Terri M. Muehe – starts pants rebellion in ’60s jr high school
Women’s Rights Are Human Rights / Rana Husseini – Jordanian reporter starts mass movement against “honor crime” killings

Chapter 7 – “That’s Not Nice!”: Acting on Anger

How to Stop a Thief / Mary Going – waitress retaliates when restaurant patron steals her tips
Eye on the Ball / Kathleen Antonia – jockgirl grabs crotch of assaulting jockboy
Mike Meets the Dykes / Judith K. Witherow – lesbian couple runs sister’s abuser out of town
Charmed, I’m Sure / Audrey Shaufer – deflects pickup line with smart comeback
Closing the Nasty Girl / Elizabeth O’Neill – 50 incest survivors trash porn shop
No Screwing Around / Vashti – lets loose on boyfriend who is sleeping around
Biker Babe / Hilken Mancini – strikes back against butt pinching couple
Driven / Christine Maxfield Stone – totals husband’s mistress’s car