Powerful Pairs

Have you ever read about a mother-daughter duo that totally knocks your socks off? I have just come across Powerful Pairs, a book about incredible mothers and daughters that is truly eye-opening. 

A mother-daughter relationship can be so many things—intense, inspiring, supportive, and yes, sometimes frustrating. After all, our mothers are the ones who welcome us into this world and hear our first cries. Whatever happens after that is a true adventure!

In this book, you will read about well-known pairs, like Beyoncé and her daughter Blue Ivy, and Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton. And you will be introduced to new duos, like pilots Laurie and Arianna Strand and rowers Sarah and Sally Kettle. The stories in this book will take you to the fight for women’s suffrage in England and to the search for an Alzheimer’s vaccine in China.

You will meet women who work together, dance together, and go on amazing, life-changing journeys together. So, grab a hard hat and a hammer and rehab homes with Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk. Kick-off your shoes and practice traditional Indian dance moves with Niveditha Shetty Hegde and Ishanvi Hegde. Then pack your bags and hike the Appalachian Trail with Briana and Cambyr Sullivan.

The mothers and daughters in this book challenge and motivate each other. They dare and encourage each other. They share a special bond. And because of this bond, they’re able to do extraordinary things, like distribute vaccines and create breathtaking art. They help their communities and explore uncharted waters. They grow and learn together, sharing their gifts with the world.

To give you a teaser, here is an excerpt from the book and a mother-daughter duo from Nunavik, Canada. These ladies are exceptional and their relationship is admirable. 

I hope that my daughter and I can share such a close and supportive relationship as these two and the others shared in this inspirational book.

Rebel Girls Powerful Pairs is available from Amazon here.

KAYUULA NOVALINGA AND SHINA NOVALINGA

Kayuula and her daughter, Shina, were both born in Nunavik, Canada, which is full of snowcapped mountains, wide sparkling lakes, caribou, and polar bears. Kayuula and Shina are part of the Indigenous Inuit people, who have lived on this land for almost a thousand years. Many Inuits spend time in the wilderness, hunting and harvesting. They are known for their sewing and printmaking, and the way they tell stories through a special kind of music called throat singing.

Standing face to face, Kayuula makes a low, breathy sound. Then, Shina tries to match that sound. Kayuula adds a rhythm with her voice, and Shina does the same. They go back and forth, sometimes with high-pitched bird calls and sometimes with exhales that sound like rushing wind. Pretty soon, it’s hard to tell who is leading and who is following.

Throat singing is a sacred tradition for the Inuit. In the early 1900s, colonists who wanted to take over the Inuit lands outlawed throat singing. As time moved on, fewer and fewer people practiced it. But as Shina says, “We are now taking it back and passing it down to keep it alive.”

In March 2020, Shina began posting videos of their songs online. People were amazed by their voices. Shina then started sharing insights about Inuit culture and showing off the clothing that Kayuula made for her by hand.

As Shina and Kayuula become more and more popular, they’ve used their voices not only to sing but also to talk about Indigenous rights and raise money for Indigenous communities in need. They celebrate their past and present and urge people to help protect their future.