The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

The book that I am currently reading is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly.  So far in the book Calpurnia Tate, or Callie Vee, has become a naturalist for the summer. A naturalist is someone who studies nature and does scientific evaluations of it.  Calpurnia is a girl and girls are not usually welcome in the scientific community, but her grandfather who was also a naturalist helps her develop her skills instead, of turning her away to do housework.  Girls in the 1900s were not allowed to do much more than housework and tasks like sewing and cooking. 

Girls during this time weren’t allowed to have real jobs.  They were expected to raise the family, take care of their husbands, and entertain guests.  Women were supposed to go to the right church and be friends with the right groups of people.  Overall, women and girls were forced to smother their true potential.  Callie Vee decides to confront the status quo by helping her grandfather discover a whole new plant species.  Calpurnia takes observations down in her notebook and looks into a microscope for the first time.  She is even allowed in the library, which is her grandfather’s space, and he doesn’t even allow her brothers in there.  This shows that Callie Vee is becoming truly respected by her grandfather because he is teaching and helping her become a better naturalist.

As you can see, life for a girl in the 1900s was hard because women and girls were not allowed in the same community as men.  Girls are much more respected and welcomed today.  We have many famous women that have helped make America and the world what it is today.