Gallaudet educates deaf students, and I was told the reason why the book was chosen is because it is inspiring to this university as a whole. As you probably know, Juliette Gordon Low was almost completely deaf. She lost part of her hearing in one ear during a botched ear treatment as a young woman, and then, bizarrely, a grain of rice lodged in her other ear, infecting it and causing deafness there. Instead of retreating to silence or standing back, Daisy used her deafness to her advantage. She became an incredible storyteller, and sometimes even pretended not to hear someone who was saying something she didn’t want to hear. She fought even in the early days of the Girl Scouts to make sure all girls, no matter their race, religion, economic status or physical ability, would be included and valued.

As I’ve researched Daisy’s life, I’ve thought a lot about hearing, what we choose to hear and what we don’t. And I’ve been fascinated with the way she as a mostly deaf woman lived her life, created a movement, and inspired girls and women around the world.

Daisy was in her early 50s when, childless and widowed, she felt totally adrift. She happened to sit next to Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, at a London luncheon, and suddenly, it was clear what her purpose would be. Daisy’s is the story of the American woman. Things happen we don’t expect. The path isn’t the one we exactly meant to follow. But it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, to find what you really want to do next.

I’m now on a national book tour for “On My Honor,” giving speeches, doing readings, and signing books all over the country. I love looking out at an audience seeing little Brownie Girl Scouts, Girl Scouts who are now grandmothers, and many of my own friends and family who have come to cheer me on as I talk about Daisy and writing. I’ve been to Denver, New Jersey, and Washington, DC, and will be in Dallas this week, with many more exciting stops to go.

While I like the speech part, my favorite time is the question and answer session, when someone can ask me more about what they read in “On My Honor,” or about Daisy’s life, or how I did research. I also like the questions that reveal the audience member’s own Girl Scout experiences and thoughts about girls and women in our society. Then the talk becomes a conversation, and the writer and readers learn from each other.

I had a great time writing this story honoring the anniversary for The Washington Post KidsPost section. There’s an interactive quiz and historical timeline, too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidpost/juliette-gordon-low-who-had-no-children-of-her-own-started-girl-scouts-in-1912/2012/02/28/gIQA5CBO1R_story.html

“Shannon Henry Kleiber knows all about Girl Scout activities from being a troop leader. The former Washington Post reporter is the author of “On My Honor,” a book that is interested in Daisy’s story primarily for how it can be applied to contemporary matters, or as the subtitle has it, for “real life lessons from America’s first Girl Scout.” One lesson Daisy learned in times of adversity and success was the importance of girlfriends. She relied on an enduring and intimate network of childhood school friends and believed that Scouting taught girls to “support each other as they grew older.” Today, Ms. Kleiber’s reporting suggests, the physical and emotional benefits of sisterhood are scientific fact. Ms. Kleiber cites other studies in support of her premise: that the Girl Scouts are a vital antidote to bullying, damaging media images of girls and the sedentary, computer-addicted lifestyle that alienates kids from nature. Though the book is agenda-driven, Ms. Kleiber writes with skill and insight in presenting the Girl Scouts as a positive social force.”—The Wall Street Journal

To read the entire review: The Wall Street Journal Books & Ideas

She was fascinating, a woman ahead of her time. Daisy faced enormous challenges including becoming mostly deaf (one ear was damaged from a grain of rice thrown at her wedding!), a terrible marriage and difficulty deciding what to do with her life. What she did decide to do, start the Girl Scouts, has had a lasting impact on our lives and our country.

The book coming from my initial curiosity will be published in March, 2012, the 100th anniversary month of the founding of the Girl Scouts. It’s called On My Honor, and I hope you’ll read it.