The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote
November 13, 2017
Newcomer Zimet—founder of 2020: Project Women, a nonprofit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment—and writer Hasak-Lowy present a compact composite portrait of the women who fought to secure voting rights for women. Tracking the turbulent path to the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment, the authors explain how the suffrage movement had its roots in abolitionism, dealt with schisms due to diverging philosophies, navigated changing political landscapes, and contended with sexism, which “simply described how the county worked back then.” Quotations from the crusaders’ writings and speeches bring their personalities into focus: “I forged the thunderbolts and she fired them,” said Elizabeth Cady Stanton of working with Susan B. Anthony. Sidebars spotlight additional suffragists, as well as contemporaneous campaigns and organizations. A conversational tone (one gathering begins with an indignant Stanton, “as we might say today, losing it”) makes this primer all the more accessible and relevant, as does the observation that, with the proposed Equal Rights Amendment still in limbo, the struggle for women’s rights is in no way over. Ages 10–up. Author’s agent: (for Zimet) Amy Berkower, Writers House; (for Hasak-Lowy) Daniel Lazar, Writers House.
December 1, 2017
Gr 6-8-Zimet tells the story of the women's suffrage movement in the United States beginning with the efforts of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott and concluding with an epilog about the Equal Rights Amendment. Zimet does not idolize the movement or the women involved. She reveals their complexities by discussing their marital and family choices, their racial backgrounds, their personality and generational differences, and their opinions on how efforts were to be organized. Readers will be captivated from beginning to end, in large part due to sidebars with titles such as "Know Your Radicals." Zimet deftly exposes readers to the strengths and flaws of these women, particularly the racist attitudes held by some of the white leaders. In a "Putting It in Perspective" section, Zimet highlights the racial divide surrounding voting rights, noting that universal suffrage did not occur until the 1960s; however, the suffrage struggles of Native American women are not mentioned. In addition, the word massacre is used in reference to the murder of Anne Hutchinson and her family. Zimet's position on women's rights is evident, yet her passion does not overshadow the story. VERDICT This engaging book educates, but it is slight on the history of voting rights for women of color.-Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 1, 2017
With Hasak-Lowy, Zimet, a founding member of Votes for Women 2020, an organization dedicated to, in part, celebrating the 100th anniversary of American women's right to vote, explores the decadeslong battle for suffrage and its many leaders. Although the account begins rather typically with a profile of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her burgeoning activism, it expands quickly, indicating how long women had been pushing for political freedom and how complicated their fight has been. Each chapter is its own contained lesson covering pivotal moments and key figures, extended by perfectly placed insets headed "Putting it in Perspective" or "Know Your Radicals." The connection between suffrage and abolition is probed, as well as how racist attitudes--including among movement leaders--damaged the cause. The focus here is almost exclusively on white suffragists. The movement suffered schisms and lost momentum even as more states granted suffrage. The fight was reinvigorated with a new generation of activists such as Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who picketed the White House, were jailed and beaten, went on hunger strikes, and employed other protest techniques that are used today. When the final fight for ratification of the 19th Amendment is recounted (supporters wore yellow roses; opponents, red), readers will be as anxious and invested as their forebears were. Never melodramatic, this is a timely, eye-opening history. (foreword, introduction, epilogue, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
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Starred review from February 1, 2018
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* There are many books about the women's suffrage movement and the leaders who pushed, marched, insisted, and persisted until voting rights became a reality. But few offer such a comprehensive overview while still being appealingly accessible to a middle-grade audience. The authors begin at England's 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention, where Elizabeth Cady Stanton hoped to participate in the proceedings. Realizing that she was barred because I was only a woman was a shock to her system. But she used that shock to make waves in America, writing a Declaration of Sentiments that included the right to vote. Suffrage was a sticking point for even some of her cohorts, yet it soon became a rallying point, and almost 100 years later, a reality. This follows the struggles, intimidation, indignities, and disappointments that occurred on the road to the vote. The authors don't shy away from showing the women's imperfections; for instance, Stanton, infuriated that African American men were granted the right to vote before women, sometimes used racist imagery. Extra information comes in sidebars: the cleverly titled Know Your Radicals profiles more suffragettes, while Putting It in Perspective details other branches of reform movements. Plenty of photographs add interest, but the design is not exactly lively. Fortunately, the writing is, and lots of young people will find this eye-opening.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2019
This engaging account of the struggle for U.S. women's suffrage focuses largely on Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Alice Paul. The historical context is explained clearly, and the authors don't sugarcoat the harsh realities of the fight. Sidebars--including "Putting It in Perspective" discussions (e.g., "Racism and Suffrage") and "Know Your Radical" profiles of lesser-known activists--help complete this useful chronicle of the movement. Bib., ind.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)