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unladylike's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fantastic education, short, well-written, and accessible. It has informed and influenced a lot of my worldview in the short time since I read it. The only reasons it doesn't get 5 stars are:
1. It erases/never mentions the role of two spirit people, and
2. It's quite repetitive, even though it fills out fewer than 100 pages.
I won't bother trying to explain the main points of the book here, but it was a great starter for me as I've been recently spurned by my time at Standing Rock to delve deeper into First Nations history, culture, and governmental practices.
1. It erases/never mentions the role of two spirit people, and
2. It's quite repetitive, even though it fills out fewer than 100 pages.
I won't bother trying to explain the main points of the book here, but it was a great starter for me as I've been recently spurned by my time at Standing Rock to delve deeper into First Nations history, culture, and governmental practices.
labyrinth_witch's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Everyone needs to read this book. The true origins of democracy are First People, not Greek philosophers. The First Nations are the foundation of the EuroAmerican feminist movement. So much! This book will shake the foundations of what you thought you understood.
pianorunner421's review against another edition
4.0
So much important information in a very small book. It is very readable and interesting.
sunnygalval's review
This book has been misplaced, idk. Maybe it'll turn up and I can keep reading
catpdx's review against another edition
3.0
An odd little book - it's not all that well organized - but well-argued and researched with a great list of resources to add to my reading list. While Wagner digs deep to show the connection between Haudenosaunee governance and the rights sought by early suffragists, I do wish it went a little further in fairly examining the women it holds up as radical. The influence is there, yes, but many of them (including Anthony and Stanton) held indefensible views on race that are worthy of interrogation.
woodlandbooklover's review
4.0
I appreciate the use of primary source material. I appreciate that Wagner calls out her own white supremacist training and discloses up front her concerns of writing this book as a white woman and what she did, and which indigenous people she included into the process to get the histories correct. I do not have enough knowledge to judge whether she did a good job or not. As a novice to the topic, I will say I learned a lot and think this connection should be taught and studied in all discussions of US suffrage and early feminisms.
upnorth's review
2.0
There is some very interesting and enlightening material here, and it's worth a look for the citations. But it often comes off as a somewhat disorganized scramble of assertions, some with clear solid evidence, some much more murky, some that come off as wishful thinking. I was stopped by her assertion that Elizabeth Miller was inspired by Seneca clothing to invent her reform dress (promoted by Amelia Bloomer). Wagner is not a dress historian, and is clearly just looking at images of Seneca women in long tunics, and leggings which tie above the knee. She has no other evidence than proximity. Turkish/Ottoman influence in feminist reform dress goes back to the early 18th century, is very well documented, and the trousers under the short dress were referred to as "Turkish" by the suffragists and by the international press. That section called into question for me to what degree this author lost her critical eye, and fell into the easy temptation of looking for proof of her preconceptions. Again, there is plenty of solid evidence here of clear and genuine influences, but perhaps stretched too far in places, and I'd love to see a more rigorous scholar dig deeper.
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