Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Awakened Woman
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1965?
WEBSITE: http://www.tereraitrent.org/
CITY:
STATE: CA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1963, in Zimbabwe; married first husband (marriage ended); married Mark Trent (a plant pathologist); children (first marriage): five.
EDUCATION:Oklahoma State University, B.Sc., 2002, M.A., 2003; Western Michigan University, Ph.D., 2009; University of California, Berkeley, M.P.H., 2013.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and health professional. Deputy director, monitoring and evaluation, Heifer International, 2002-10; founder, Tinogona Foundation (now Tererai Trent International), 2009–; fellow, University of California, San Francisco, 2011-13; adjunct faculty member, Drexel University, 2013–.
AWARDS:Graduate of distinction award, Oklahoma State University, 2012; “26 Women in the Power List” citation, O, the Oprah Magazine, 2013; World Vision International Hope Award; distinguished alumna award, Oklahoma State University.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Dr. Tererai Trent became a household name in 2009, when she first appeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Since then, the “scholar, humanitarian, motivational speaker, educator, author, and … founder of Tererai Trent International,” wrote the contributor of a biographical blurb to the website Worldwomen, Dr. Trent has earned a reputation as “one of today’s most internationally recognized voices for quality education and women’s empowerment.” “Trent grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe and always dreamed of getting an education,” explained the author of a short biography appearing on the American Program Bureau Inc. Website, “but limited by traditional Zimbabwean culture, she was married with three children by the time she was eighteen.” Nonetheless, continued Lisa Capretto in the Huffington Post, “Trent was determined to reach her goals of not just pursuing an education, but someday earning her PhD. When Tererai was twenty, her mother encouraged her to write her dreams on a piece of paper. She did as instructed, placing the paper in a scrap of tin and burying it under a rock in the pasture where she used to herd cattle. A few years later, Tererai began making her dreams a reality.” In the late 1990s she relocated with her children to the United States, where “she earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. In 2003 … Tererai obtained her master’s degree. After every achievement, Tererai returned home to Zimbabwe, unearthed her tin of dreams and checked off each goal she accomplished, one by one.”
In the picture book The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can, “Trent relates her own story of great achievements in the third person,” declared a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “filling it with dialogue meant to inspire young readers.” She tells the story of her education and the events leading to her move to the United States. “Her grandmother acknowledged the need for ‘a young woman to be our eyes, to read and write for us,'” explained Toby Rajput in School Library Journal, “and her brother secretly taught her.” The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can, concluded Edie Ching in Booklist, is “the inspiring story of how one person can overcome difficulties and make a difference.”
In The Awakened Woman: Remembering and Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams, Trent explains the process through which she came to realize her dreams. “Although many women will never face the hardships Trent did,” stated a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “others will find her story highly resonant and be able to use her methodology to work toward their own goals.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2015, Edie Ching, review of The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can, p. 57.
Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2015, review of The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can; August 1, 2017, review of The Awakened Woman: Remembering and Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams.
School Library Journal, August, 2015, Toby Rajput, review of The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can, p. 124.
ONLINE
American Program Bureau Inc. Website, https://www.apbspeakers.com/ (May 9, 2018), author profile.
Huffington Post, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ (January 12, 2016), Lisa Capretto, “How She Went from 11-Year-Old Bride to International Inspiration with a PhD: Tererai Trent Is the Definition of Pure Inspiration.”
Oprah.com, http://www.oprah.com/ (May 9, 2018), “Hope in a Box.”
Tererai Trent Website, https://www.tereraitrent.org (May 9, 2018), author profile.
Tinogona, http://www.tinogona.com/ (May 9, 2018), author profile.
Worldwomen, https://www.worldwomen.org.nz/ (May 9, 2018), author profile.
Dr Tererai Trent
Dr. Tererai Trent is one of today’s most internationally recognized voices for quality education and women’s empowerment. Distinguished as Oprah Winfrey’s “All-Time Favorite Guest,” Dr. Trent is a scholar, humanitarian, motivational speaker, educator, author, and the founder of Tererai Trent International.
Rooted in humble beginnings, Tererai grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe, in a country known as Rhodesia under colonial rule, where cultural practices and a war that liberated her country charted the course of her life. Due to traditional women’s roles and cultural norms, Tererai did not have the opportunity to go to school. Undeterred, she still dreamed of an education and determinedly taught herself to read and write from her brother’s schoolbooks. Despite being married young and having three children by the time she was eighteen, she never lost sight of her dreams.
Dr. Trent could not have imagined that her steadfast determination, hard work and belief in her dreams would eventually earn her multiple degrees, and a prominent global platform with world leaders and international businesses and audiences where she advocates for universal access to quality education. Currently an adjunct professor in Monitoring & Evaluation in Global Health at Drexel University, School of Public Health, Dr. Trent is a senior consultant with more than 18 years of international experience in program and policy evaluation, and has worked on five continents for major humanitarian organizations.
Dr. Trent's new picture book, The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can (Viking Books) is based on her story of perseverance. Leading the global charge in the fight for quality education for all children and women’s rights, Dr. Trent has become a symbol of hope for everyone, and living proof that anything is possible. Her favorite motto is “Tinogona,” meaning, “It is achievable!”
twitter @TereraiTrent
www.tererai.org
One of today’s most internationally recognized voices for quality education and women’s empowerment, Dr. Tererai Trent is a symbol of hope for children around the world. Her new picture book, The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can (October 2015), is based on her story of perseverance.
Dr. Trent grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe and always dreamed of getting an education, but limited by traditional Zimbabwean culture, she was married with three children by the time she was eighteen. Undeterred by traditional roles and cultural norms, Tererai determinedly taught herself to read and write from her brother’s schoolbooks. From those humble beginnings, Tererai has become a world-renowned scholar, humanitarian, motivational speaker, educator, mentor, and inspiration, leading the global charge in the fight for quality education for all children.
So what makes Dr. Trent Oprah Winfrey’s “all time favorite guest?” While still a young mother without a high school diploma, Tererai decided to take control of her destiny. She wrote down her dreams of going to America for higher education, sealed them in a tin can and buried them under a rock, thereby redesigning the blueprint for her life. Tererai’s steadfast determination, hard work and belief in her dreams would eventually earn her multiple degrees. Today, Dr. Trent is a senior consultant with more than 18 years of international experience in program and policy evaluation, and has worked on five continents for major humanitarian organizations. With a desire to give back to her community and the firm belief that education is the pathway out of poverty, Dr. Trent founded Tinogona Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to build, repair and renovate schools in rural Zimbabwe. Through strategic partnerships with Oprah Winfrey and Save the Children, Tinogona is helping build nine schools, improving the lives for nearly 4,000 children.
Using her prominent global platform in conjunction with world leaders and international audiences, Tererai tirelessly speaks on behalf of children without an access to education. On top of sharing her remarkable story, Trent appeals to international businesses to invest in equal access to education. She empowers women to be leaders in their communities, imparting the lessons she learned along her incredible journey. A warm and engaging speaker, Dr. Tererai Trent lights up audiences with her enduring spirit and strength, and leaves everyone motivated to fight not only for their own dreams, but also for the dreams of others.
01/12/2016 10:44 am ET Updated Jan 13, 2016
How She Went From 11-Year-Old Bride To International Inspiration With A PhD
Tererai Trent is the definition of pure inspiration.
Lisa Capretto OWN
X
Several decades ago, Tererai Trent was a little girl growing up in a remote village in Zimbabwe. Raised in a hut, she had no running water, no electricity and little hope for the future. While the boys in Tererai’s community were sent to school and encouraged to learn, the girls were pushed toward marriage and frequently prevented from pursuing an education.
On the surface, it seemed as if Tererai’s path was set, but that wasn’t the case — in fact, far from it.
Desperate to learn, this little girl secretly did her brother’s homework and taught herself to read and write from his books. Her father eventually allowed her to go to school, but Tererai only attended two terms before she was married off. She was 11 years old.
By the time she was 18, Tererai was already a mother of three. Yet, her passion for education never went away.
Despite being a young mother who had been pushed into marriage at age 11, Tererai Trent was determined to reach her goals of
OWN
Despite being a young mother who had been pushed into marriage at age 11, Tererai Trent was determined to reach her goals of not just pursuing an education, but someday earning her PhD.
When Tererai was 20, her mother encouraged her to write her dreams on a piece of paper. She did as instructed, placing the paper in a scrap of tin and burying it under a rock in the pasture where she used to herd cattle.
A few years later, Tererai began making her dreams a reality. First, she achieved dream number one, moving to the United States with her then-husband and children. Three years after that, she accomplished dream number two: earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. In 2003, Tererai achieved dream number three — obtaining her master’s degree — followed by her ultimate goal in 2009, earning her doctorate.
After every achievement, Tererai returned home to Zimbabwe, unearthed her tin of dreams and checked off each goal she accomplished, one by one.
Tererai literally kept her dreams hidden under a rock in her village. But they wouldn't stay there for long.
OWN
Tererai literally kept her dreams hidden under a rock in her village. But they wouldn’t stay there for long.
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Tererai was a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009, inspiring countless with her story. Then, in 2011, Oprah named Tererai her favorite “Oprah Show” guest of all time and invited her back to Chicago to help make her next dream a reality.
“I feel I need to give back,” Tererai said back then. “I need to build a school in my village, so that the same girls I see today, they don’t have to go through what I did go through.”
When Tererai Trent returned to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2011 as Oprah's all-time favorite guest, she had no idea she would
OWN
When Tererai Trent returned to “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2011 as Oprah’s all-time favorite guest, she had no idea she would be in for a huge surprise.
To Tererai’s complete shock, Oprah pledged to help make this dream come true, donating $1.5 million to the cause.
With this help, Tererai’s school was completed in 2014. As Tererai tells “Oprah: Where Are They Now?”, it is already changing lives.
“Oh, my goodness, we have 1,200 kids attending school,” she says.
These children not only have desks, supplies and programs like early childhood development, but they also have a support system of adults dedicated to making sure the school remains a clean and safe place in which everyone can learn.
“Today, you’ll find parents, you’ll find community. They’re cleaning the windows, they’re making sure that the kids have a safe environment,” Tererai says. “We even have some of the community members saying, ‘Maybe I can also read.’”
Tererai Trent's school in Zimbabwe serves 1,200 students and is even changing the community as a whole.
COURTESY OF TERERAI TRENT
Tererai Trent’s school in Zimbabwe serves 1,200 students and is even changing the community as a whole.
Tererai is incredibly proud of these children, just as she’s in awe of what her own children have been able to accomplish, from her daughter’s work toward a biomedical engineering degree at Western Michigan University to her son’s pursuit of both biology and music.
“To think that I get to see the results of my believing, in my own lifetime, what else can I ask for?” Tererai says.
Hope in a Box
Tererai Trent
As a young girl in rural Zimbabwe, Tererai Trent lived without running water and electricity and had no hope for her future. "I remember very well my father pointing to my brothers and the other boys in the village and saying: 'These are the breadwinners of tomorrow. We need to educate them. We need to send them to school. The girls will get married,'" she says. "And that was just a painful experience for me."
Watch her story. Watch
Desperate to learn, this little girl with big dreams secretly did her brother's homework. "I learned to read and write from my brother's books," she says. Soon, Tererai's secret was exposed, and the teacher begged her father to let her learn.
Tererai attended only two terms before she was forced to marry at age 11. By age 18, she was the mother of three. "When my husband realized that I wanted to have an education, he would beat me," she says. "I have nightmares of that time of my life."
Tererai and Jo Luck
In 1991, a visitor changed Tererai's life forever. Jo Luck, from Heifer International, asked every woman about her greatest dream—something many of them didn't know they were allowed to have. "I remember very clearly saying: 'My name is Tererai, and I want to go to America to have an education, and I want to have a BS degree. I want to have a master's, and I want to have a PhD," she says. "And she just looked at me [and said], 'If you desire those things, it is achievable.'"
Hoping her daughter could break the cycle of poverty, Tererai's mother encouraged her to write her dreams on a piece of paper. The 20-year-old placed them in a scrap of tin and buried them under a rock in the pasture where she used to herd cattle. "As a woman without an education, life will continue to be a burden," she wrote. "I truly believe in these dreams, and I hope one day to work for the causes of women and girls in poverty."
Tererai at home in Zimbabwe
Tererai not only broke the cycle—she shattered it. In 1998, Tererai moved to Oklahoma with her husband and now five children. Just three years later, she earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural education. In 2003—the same year her husband was deported for abuse—Tererai obtained her master's degree.
After every achievement, Tererai returned home to Zimbabwe, unearthed her tin of dreams and checked off each goal she accomplished, one by one. In December 2009, the now happily remarried Tererai will realize her greatest dream of all—a doctoral degree.
Tererai is a symbol of hope in her village. On a trip home in 2009, Tererai and her mother encouraged a new generation of girls to dream, giving them pens, paper and tiny metal tins. "It makes me feel happy, but at the same time, it makes me feel empty that there are more women who could have the same opportunity but they are not getting it," she says. "My story is not about me, but it's about what can come out of my story."
You can help girls like Tererai around the world. Find out how in our For All Women registry!
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/world/tererai-trents-inspiring-education/all#ixzz5CT1vc4DI
Humanitarian
Dr. Tererai Trent
Dr. Tererai Trent is a scholar, a powerful motivator, but most importantly, a humanitarian. She grew up in an impoverished village of Zimbabwe, but she never let her impossible circumstances stand in the way of working to achieve her goals.
Despite being married young, bound to an abusive relationship, and the mother of three children by 18 years old, Dr. Trent was undeterred in her ambitions.
A woman who visited Dr. Trent's village inspired her to achieve her deepest desires, and many years later, she did just that - she obtained her bachelors degree, masters degree, and doctorate. Now, Dr. Trent has dedicated her life to bringing education to everyone.
She has nearly two decades of experience with social science
and humanitarian organizations. Through her global humani-tarian work, Dr. Trent has become a sought-after consultant, motivator and philanthropist. Her work with Heifer International, USAID, Save the Children, educators, and countless humanitarian programs is leaving a lasting impact in the lives of many.
She's also a vaper despite of her profession. She believes that vaping weed helps our brain become more active. She buys her supplies from a mig vapor store and uses mig vapor coupon codes when she shop online. With this, it helps her become more active at work.
Her exceptional knowledge and ability to produce powerful results have taken her work to five continents. She's made a difference in many ways, including serving as the Deputy Director of Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation for International Programs for Heifer International.
Her passion and optimism even caught national attention. Dr. Trent was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and later revealed as Oprah's All-Time Favorite Guest during a May 2011 episode. The Oprah Winfrey Foundation generously donated $1.5 million to further Dr. Trent's dream of creating educational opportunities for girls and women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Tererai Trent was born to a cattle-herding family in a village in Zimbabwe who against all odds achieved her dreams of attaining a Ph.D. in America. Today, she continues to fulfill her sacred purpose by serving her community through Tererai Trent International, an organization which provides universal access to quality education while empowering rural communities. Hailed by Oprah Winfrey as her “All-time Favorite Guest” Tererai is also an internationally acclaimed voice for education and women’s empowerment.
Tererai Trent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tererai Trent (born c. 1965)[1] is a Zimbabwean-American woman whose unlikely educational success has brought her international fame.[2] Tererai Trent was not allowed to go to school as a child due to poverty as well as being female, although her brother Tinashe, an indifferent student, was given the opportunity to attend.[3] She later recalled the men in the village including her father "pointing to the boys in the village and saying 'These are the breadwinners of tomorrow. We need to educate them. We need to send them to school. The girls will get married.'"[4] She taught herself to read and write from her brother's books, and eventually started doing her brother's homework.[3] When her teacher discovered this (because the homework was done so much better than the work her brother did at school) he begged Trent's father to allow her to attend school.[5] She then attended school for a short period, but her father accepted a brideprice of a cow and married her off young. She had three children by age 18 and without a high school diploma. Her husband beat her for wanting an education.[4] In 1991, Jo Luck from Heifer International visited her village and asked every woman about her greatest dream.[6] Trent said she wanted to go to America and get a bachelor's degree, a master's, and eventually a PhD.[6] Encouraged by her mother, Trent wrote down these dreams, put the paper in a scrap of tin, and buried it.[6]
In 1998, she moved to Oklahoma with her husband and their five children.[7] Three years later, she earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural education.[7] In 2003 Trent earned her master's degree, and her husband was deported for abuse.[7] She has since remarried, to Mark Trent, a plant pathologist whom she met at Oklahoma State University.[2] After she earned each degree, she returned to Zimbabwe, unearthed her tin and checked off each goal she accomplished, one by one.[7] In December 2009, she earned her doctorate from Western Michigan University; her thesis looked at HIV/AIDS prevention programs for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa.[8]
Her life story was featured in the book Half the Sky, and in an excerpt of that book published by The New York Times Magazine.[2] Subsequently, Oprah Winfrey ran a segment on Tererai in the Oprah episode concerning the book Half the Sky.[2] Oprah sent a crew with Trent back to Zimbabwe to dig up the piece of tin in which she had buried the paper with her goals.[2] Since earning her PhD in 2009, Trent has obtained a two-year commitment to work with Heifer International (which paid for her PhD), after which she hopes to go back to Africa.[2]
In May 2011, Oprah Winfrey revealed that Trent was her all-time favorite guest, and donated $1.5 million so Trent could build her own school in her old village in Zimbabwe.[8][9][10] The school was completed in 2014. In 2015, Trent published a children's book about her own life called The Girl who Buried her Dreams in a Can.[1
Gifted with natural charisma that inspires people from all walks of life, Dr. Trent’s compelling story motivates people to fight for their own dreams, as well as the dreams of others, as she demonstrates in her new book, The Awakened Woman – Remembering & Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams (Atria/Enliven Books).
Rooted in humble beginnings, Tererai grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe, in a country known as Rhodesia under colonial rule, where cultural practices and a war that liberated her country charted the course of her life. Due to traditional women’s roles and cultural norms, Tererai did not have the opportunity to go to school. Undeterred, she still dreamed of an education and determinedly taught herself to read and write from her brother’s schoolbooks. Despite being married young and having three children by the time she was eighteen, she never lost sight of her dreams.
As a young mother without a high school diploma, Tererai met a woman who would profoundly impact her life: Jo Luck, president and CEO of Heifer International. She told Tererai, “If you believe in your dreams, they are achievable.” With this inspiration and her own mother’s encouragement, Tererai wrote down her dreams of going to America for higher education, sealed them in a tin can, and buried them under a rock, ultimately redesigning the blueprint of her life.
Dr. Trent could not have imagined that her steadfast determination, hard work and belief in her dreams would eventually earn her multiple degrees, and a prominent global platform with world leaders and international businesses and audiences where she advocates for universal access to quality education.
A two-time guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tererai was named by Oprah as her “All-Time Favorite Guest” and received a $1.5 million donation to rebuild her childhood elementary school in recognition of her tenacity and never-give-up attitude. With the firm belief that education is the pathway out of poverty and a desire to give back to her community, Dr. Trent founded Tererai Trent International.
Through strategic partnerships with Oprah Winfrey and Save the Children, Dr. Trent’s mission to provide universal access to quality education while also empowering rural communities is now being realized. Eleven schools are being built in Zimbabwe and education has been improved for over 5,000 children so far. And this is only the beginning.
Currently an adjunct professor in Monitoring & Evaluation in Global Health at Drexel University, School of Public Health, Dr. Trent is a senior consultant with more than 18 years of international experience in program and policy evaluation, and has worked on five continents for major humanitarian organizations. As a fellow at the Center of AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at UC San Francisco, Dr. Trent conducted research on HIV prevention in Sub Saharan Africa with a special focus on women and girls.
Today, Dr. Trent is invited to speak all over the world, to share her remarkable story and the valuable lessons she has learned along the way. She was a keynote speaker at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit where she used her growing voice to appeal to international businesses to invest in equal access to quality education. Leading the global charge in the fight for quality education for all children and women’s rights, Dr. Trent has become a symbol of hope for everyone, and living proof that anything is possible. Her favorite motto is “Tinogona,” meaning, “It is achievable!”
Follow Dr. Trent on twitter at @TereraiTrent or on facebook.
Degrees & Awards
PhD Interdisciplinary Evaluation (Program/Policy) College of Public Health, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
MPH Epidemiology Concentration University of Berkeley, California
MSc Plant Pathology (Agriculture) Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
BSc Agricultural Education Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Honorary Degrees / Honoris Causa
Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Massachusetts, Boston MA (April 2013)
Honorary Doctorate in Women & Gender Development, Women’s University in Africa, Zimbabwe (Dec 2013)
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (May 2014)
Honorary Doctorate of Science, Loyola University Chicago, IL (May 2014)
Awards
World Vision International Hope Award
Oklahoma State University-Distinguished Alumna Award
Oklahoma State University-2012 Graduate of Distinction in Agricultural Leadership
Kern University Humanitarian Award
Career Highlights
2015: Author of the picture book The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can (Viking Books) with illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
2013-Present: Adjunct Faculty, Monitoring and Evaluation in Global Health at Drexel University
2013: Named one of 26 Women in the Power List of O, the Oprah Magazine SA
2013: Masters in Public Health (Epidemiology) from University of California, Berkeley
2011: Oprah Winfrey named Dr. Trent her “All-time Favorite Guest” at the finale of her syndicated show
2011-2013: Fellow at University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Trent conducted research on HIV prevention in Sub Saharan Africa with a special focus on women and girls.
2009-Present: Founder of Tinogona Foundation, now known as Tererai Trent International
2009: Tererai’s story featured in NY Times bestseller, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn
2009: Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Evaluation from Western Michigan University
2002-2010: Deputy Director, Monitoring & Evaluation at Heifer International
2002: Bachelors in Agricultural Education and Masters in Plant Pathology from Oklahoma State University
Fun Facts
“Tererai” means “listen” in the Shona language in Zimbabwe. Her full first name is actually “Tereraishokoramwari” which means, “We listen to the word of the spirit.”
Tererai’s mother’s name “Shamiso” means “One who holds miracles.”
Trent, Tererai: THE GIRL WHO BURIED HER DREAMS IN A CAN
Kirkus Reviews. (Aug. 1, 2015):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Trent, Tererai THE GIRL WHO BURIED HER DREAMS IN A CAN Viking (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 10, 6 ISBN: 978-0-670-01654-9
The dream of education comes true for a girl from Zimbabwe.Born in what was then Rhodesia, she's given a Shona name meaning "listen to the word of the spirit." She grows up working hard at her chores and tending cattle but yearns to attend school with her brother. He agrees to teach her in secret and does it "the Shona way, through song." She is finally admitted to the local school even as war forces the men in the village to travel to work. They bring back transistor radios, however, and listening to the radio leads to a further dream--visiting other countries. The girl grows into a wife and mother and shares her thoughts with an American woman visiting the village, who encourages her path. But first, according to local belief, she must write down her dreams on a piece of paper and bury it, including one that will enrich her home. Trent relates her own story of great achievements in the third person, filling it with dialogue meant to inspire young readers with her love for learning and mission to provide educational opportunities for girls. Gilchrist's soft-toned watercolor art provides a positive picture of a southern African village. An inspirational look at one woman's journey from ambition and vision to the reality of schooling and schools. (author's note, afterword, color photographs) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Trent, Tererai: THE GIRL WHO BURIED HER DREAMS IN A CAN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2015. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A423540614/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ab9ed9b8. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A423540614
The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can
Edie Ching
Booklist. 112.2 (Sept. 15, 2015): p57+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can. By Tereai Trent. Illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. Oct. 2015. 40p. Viking, $17.99 (9780670016549). 370.92. Gr. 1-3.
Trent describes both her connection to her homeland (once Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe) and her dream of education in this moving piece of autobiography. As a child, she longs to learn, but girls don't go to school. Her brother does, though, and he teaches her. As an adult, she meets an aid worker who comes to her village and helps her further reach her goals. Gilchrist's soft watercolor illustrations root this book in Africa, beginning with end pages that evoke traditional fabric. The landscape is lush and lovely, and there is a rainbow swirl of dreams as one girl's education begins, but the depictions of the women reflect a sense of determination in the face of a culture that does not educate them. The title refers to the local custom of burying a dream beneath the ground to be nurtured by Mother Earth--but Trent creates a universal heroine by referring to her protagonist as "the young girl" or "she." The author's note tells how her story became known worldwide (in part because of Oprah). The inspiring story of how one person can overcome difficulties and make a difference. --Edie Ching
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Ching, Edie. "The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can." Booklist, 15 Sept. 2015, p. 57+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A430801161/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=58fe9590. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A430801161
Trent, Tererai: THE AWAKENED WOMAN
Kirkus Reviews. (Aug. 1, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Trent, Tererai THE AWAKENED WOMAN Atria (Adult Nonfiction) $26.00 10, 3 ISBN: 978-1-5011-4566-7
An African woman buries her written dreams in the dirt and makes them come true.Trent, known as Oprah Winfrey's "all-time favorite guest," grew up poor in a small cattle-herding village in Zimbabwe. Married by 14 and a mother of three by 18, the author had little to look forward to other than a life of sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, grueling work, and more children. But when an American woman came to her village and dared to ask Trent about her dreams, this set in motion a series of steps that led Trent to bury her written dreams in the dirt near her home. By rooting her intentions firmly in the ground, she was able to work toward her goals and eventually got to the United States, where she earned a college degree, master's degree, and a doctorate. With help from Winfrey, Trent fulfilled the final step of her dream: building a school in her village in Africa so that young girls could receive an education. The author intertwines her personal memoir of life in Africa with stories from her grandmothers, snippets of African history, and insights into the culture, and she then adds practical steps women can take to fulfill their own dreams. If a woman identifies and writes down what she truly hungers for, confronts her fears, visualizes her future unfolding as she plans each step, and gains the support of other women as she embarks on her journey, anything is possible. Trent's energy and conviction are evident throughout the book, and her story is invigorating, revitalizing, motivating, and encouraging. Although many women will never face the hardships Trent did, others will find her story highly resonant and be able to use her methodology to work toward their own goals. An empowering story coupled with easy-to-navigate steps that can help any woman achieve her full potential.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Trent, Tererai: THE AWAKENED WOMAN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A499572653/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=2b7abfb2. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A499572653
Trent, Tererai. The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can: A True Story
Toby Rajput
School Library Journal. 61.8 (Aug. 2015): p124.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
TRENT, Tererai. The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can: A True Story. illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. 40p. ebook available, photos. Viking. Oct. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780670016549.
K-Gr 3--Trent, who is now changing lives by advocating for the importance of literacy and education, tells the story of her childhood in Zimbabwe in this eye-catching picture book. Though girls in her village were prevented from attending school because they were needed to cook, clean, and fetch water, as a child, Trent (unnamed in the story) thirsted for an education. Her grandmother acknowledged the need for "a young woman to be our eyes, to read and write for us," and her brother secretly taught her to read and write. The text sketches out traditional life through small details that are lyrically described. Soft watercolor paintings across spreads make Shona village life accessible enough for both group and individual use, depicting the author reading to her grazing cattle, attending school with her brother, and growing up and sending her own children to school. Eventually, with the support of the entire village, Trent achieved her dream of traveling to America, successfully earning multiple degrees, and establishing a foundation to improve the lives of children in rural Africa. In her author's note, Trent explains how school and books showed her another world, "a magical place where malnutrition and violence were not part of daily reality." Compare and contrast with Suneby Razia's Ray of Hope: One Girl's Dream of an Education (Kids Can, 2013) and Jeanette Winter's Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan: Two Stories of Bravery (S.&S., 2014) for other picture books that address the struggle to ensure that girls receive an education. VERDICT A wonderful selection for discussing the importance of education.--Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL
Rajput, Toby
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Rajput, Toby. "Trent, Tererai. The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can: A True Story." School Library Journal, Aug. 2015, p. 124. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A424106204/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=765be56c. Accessed 12 Apr. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A424106204