Intrepid Girls: The Complicated History of the Girl Scouts of the USA

This event takes place at the Decatur Library. This event is free and open to the public but registration is requested.

Charis and the Georgia Center for the Book welcome Amy Erdman Farrell in celebration of , an uncovering of the Girls Scouts intricate history drawing on extensive archival research, visits to iconic Girl Scout sites around the world, and vivid personal reflections.

When eight-year-old Amy Erdman Farrell moved with her family to Akron, Ohio, in 1972, she found herself adrift in a sea of taunting boys and mean girls. Shy by nature, she dreaded her long, unhappy days at school. But a few years later, Farrell found an escape from bullying, the promise of sisterhood, a rising sense of confidence, adventure, and--best of all--lifelong friendship when she joined a Girl Scout troop. Decades later, award-winning author Farrell returns to those formative experiences to explore the complicated and surprising history of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Drawing from extensive archival research, visits to iconic Girl Scout sites around the world, and vivid personal reflections, Farrell uncovers the Girl Scouts intricate history, revealing how the organization has shaped the lives of more than 50 million girls and women since its founding in 1912. With Farrell as our own intrepid guide, we travel to American Indian boarding schools, Japanese American incarceration centers, segregated African American communities, middle-class white neighborhoods, and outposts throughout the globe. Intrepid Girls unpacks how the Girl Scouts navigated tensions over feminism, race, class, and political differences, carving out extraordinary opportunities for girls and women--even as it participated in the very discrimination it promised to transcend.
For anyone who has ever worn a uniform or wondered about the hidden history behind this iconic American institution, Intrepid Girls will surprise, inspire, and challenge what we think we know about the Girl Scouts.

About the Author

Amy Erdman Farrell is professor of American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and the James Hope Caldwell Memorial Chair of American Culture at Dickinson College.

About the venue

• Masks are encouraged but not required.
• This event takes place in the auditorium of the Decatur Library. It is fully wheelchair accessible with free parking right outside the building.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. Donate via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate.

Please contact us at [email protected] or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event.

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