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First Published:
Oct 2020, 272 pages
Paperback:
Mar 2022, 272 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers
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Stories from Suffragette City is a collection of short stories that all take place on a single day: October 23, 1915.
It's the day when tens of thousands of women marched up Fifth Avenue, demanding the right to vote in New York City. Thirteen of today's bestselling authors have taken this moment as inspiration to raise the voices of history and breathe fresh life into their struggles and triumphs.
The characters depicted here, some well-known, others unfamiliar, each inspire and reinvigorate the power of democracy. We follow a young woman who is swept up in the protests when all she expected was to come sell her apples in the city. We see Ava Vanderbilt as her white-gloved sensibility is transformed over the course of the single fateful day. Ida B. Wells battles for racial justice in the women's suffrage movement so that every woman's voice can be heard. Each story stands on its own, but together Stories From Suffragette City becomes a symphony, painting a portrait of a country looking for a fight and ever restless for progress and equality.
This excerpt includes the full text of Lisa Wingate's short story, "Apple Season"
Introduction
KRISTIN HANNAH
I still remember the first time I voted for the president of the United States. It's such a crucial rite of passage, a pivotal pause on the road to adulthood. I remember reading newspaper articles in detail, listening to speeches, asking opinions of everyone I respected. I wanted desperately to be informed. I was in college at the time, at a large public university, and the upcoming election was big news. We painted posters and canvassed neighborhoods and put politics first in the school newspaper. Groups gathered after class to galvanize voters and encourage others to get involved. And then there was the actual day: walking into the room, presenting my voter registration card, and—at last—casting my vote.
But did I think about how I came to be casting my vote? At that age, I doubt it (although I'm sure my mother tried to tell me). Now, so many years later, I know...
I loved this book! Really loved it. Although I am not a fan of short stories, I was drawn to this book because of the authors. I didn't know much about the 1915 Women's Suffragette March. As a side note, I also learned reading short stories can be as fulfilling as reading a whole novel (Martha S). Because of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment this year, I've been reading a great deal of both fiction and nonfiction based on the women and men who were part of the more than 80-year struggle. Of all the volumes I've read, this will take pride of place on my shelves. I highly recommend it (Patricia E)...continued
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers).
A couple of the pieces in Stories from Suffragette City — most notably "American Womanhood" by Dolen Perkins-Valdez — explore the often forgotten reality that Black and other non-white women were explicitly excluded from the movement for women's suffrage in America.
In the late 19th/early 20th centuries, some Black women involved in activism felt an element of tension with regard to their race and gender. Some organizations and individuals fighting for racial equality were not so keen on advancing the rights of women, while some women's suffrage organizations were dismissive of the fight for racial equality. The American Equal Rights Association was formed in 1866 to "secure Equal Rights to all American citizens" by ...
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