38) Justina Ford: Medical Pioneer

Bibliography:  Lohse, Joyce B.; Justina Ford: Medical Pioneer; Filter Press, LLC; Palmer Lake, CO; 2004; 56 pages; ISBN 0-86541-074-7.

Plot:  Justina Ford was born in Knoxville, Illinois in 1871.  Her mother was a practical nurse to slaves and inspired Justina to be a doctor.  When she was younger she would play hospital with her siblings and friends and always insist on being the doctor.  Justina worked hard in school and went to medical school at Chicago’s Hering Medical College.  In 1902, Justina and her husband, Reverend Ford moved to Denver.  Justina set up her practice in Denver and would birth babies of all races at a time when Denver would turn away mothers based on race and economic situation.  In her time she delivered over 7,000 babies. 

Review:  This is such an interesting biography.  The book is published by a small Colorado publisher that has recently started publishing books about interesting figures that made their life in Colorado.  The series is great for grade schoolers assigned to write a paper on important historical figures.  Since the series focuses on Colorado history, students in Colorado will be able to learn about people that helped shape their community and state. 

The book is short and focused on the importance of Justina Ford.  The book provides a dictionary of some of the new terms that readers may encounter.  It also lists a couple of resources for additional exploration.  While this is helpful, I found that the resources were a bit dated.  I feel that grade schoolers will like this series and be very interested in using the books for any biography research they need.

Genre: Nonfiction/Biography

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books:  Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson; Harry Houdini by Vicki Cobb; The First Woman Doctor by Rachel Baker.

For Further Information:  http://www.denverstorytrek.org/people/e7e3b37e2334156c480767b40ae2a88393058742