Give Her Credit

The Untold Account of a Women's Bank That Empowered a Generation

By: Grace L. Williams

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

The galvanizing true story of a group of remarkable women in the 1970s male-run world of business, banking, and finance. They didn’t play by the rules. They changed them and made history.

In the 1970s, a new wave of feminism was sweeping America. But in the boys’ club of banking and finance, women were still infantilized—no credit without a male cosigner, and their income was dismissed as unreliable. If bankers weren’t going to accommodate women, then women had to take control of their own futures. In 1978 in Denver, Colorado, the opening of the Women’s Bank changed everything.

It was helmed by bank officer B. LaRae Orullian and the brainchild of whip-smart entrepreneur Carol Green, who forged a groundbreaking path with their headstrong colleagues, among them: Judi Foster, investment research whiz; Edna Mosley, unyielding civil rights advocate with the NAACP; Mary Roebling, renowned financial executive; Betty Freedman, a socialite and fundraiser; and Gail Schoettler, a formidable Denver mover and shaker for social justice. Coming together and facing their own unique road to revolution, they built the most successful female-run bank in the nation. It wasn’t easy.

Give Her Credit follows the challenges, uphill battles, and achievements of some of the enterprising women of Denver who broke boundaries, inspired millions, and afforded opportunities for every marginalized citizen in the country. It’s about time their untold story was told.

©2025 by Grace L. Williams. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“As she performs this galvanizing piece of cultural history, Adenrele Ojo's pacing and vocal character balance the formality needed for the material and the inviting tone that makes the story engaging.… Ojo's respect for the financial obstacles women had to overcome is audible but never sounds righteous or indignant. Her mature tone matches the stature of the author and her intelligent perspectives.”—AudioFile Magazine

“The author’s upbeat, conversational tone and clear affection for the focus of her work render this a fast-paced and riveting read…A fascinating history of a feminist triumph.”—Kirkus Reviews

Giving due credit

The story is a piece of our history in furthering women's rights. I say this as someone who lived through this era as a young female financial professional. The writing provides more detail than might be needed. Given the big cast of characters, it doesn't lend itself to an audio book.

A very long ad for an endless number of characters written by a high school sophomore

Mainly my complaints boil down to three things:

1) The smallest crime, but the most difficult to ignore, the voice actress who performed the book just... didn't have a director. She has a beautiful voice but read it like a Glade plugin commercial for hours on end. The tonality of her cadence is grating enough to be distracting a lot of the time.

2) I love a human interest piece but this book attempted to deep dive on far too many individuals at once. It doesn't help that it's in an era where their names all sound kind of interchangeable. After the sixth or seventh person I couldn't keep track any longer.

3) The writing is... bad. It frequently reads like a high school paper and lacks a ton of depth, which also makes things run together. Some of the things they chose to explain (why the Nixon administration ended in shameful dissolution) and the things they chose to gloss over (the role of society papers in the 50s and 60s) also sheds light on the kind of audience they think they have?

I don't recommend

Listens like a text book

Didn't finish - Lots of details about the plight of women thru weight watchers and banking. Not a an easy listen.