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girlglitch's review against another edition
4.0
A Dirty, Filthy Book is an engaging biography of Victorian reformer Annie Besant. It seems incredible that I hadn't heard of her before, when she played a pioneering role in advocating for women's rights.
Meyer clearly cares about his subject, and his depiction of Besant's life is meticulously researched and wonderfully contextualised in Victorian London. His coverage of the trial is particularly compelling, capturing Annie's courage and charisma through her own words.
The structure is perhaps a little uneven - while much time is spent on the trial and Besant's relationship with Bradlaugh, I would've loved a little more depth on her work in the East End and on the Bryant & May matchgirls' strike to balance it out.
Besant was clearly a fascinating and complex personality, and A Dirty, Filthy Book reasserts her rightful place in popular history.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
Meyer clearly cares about his subject, and his depiction of Besant's life is meticulously researched and wonderfully contextualised in Victorian London. His coverage of the trial is particularly compelling, capturing Annie's courage and charisma through her own words.
The structure is perhaps a little uneven - while much time is spent on the trial and Besant's relationship with Bradlaugh, I would've loved a little more depth on her work in the East End and on the Bryant & May matchgirls' strike to balance it out.
Besant was clearly a fascinating and complex personality, and A Dirty, Filthy Book reasserts her rightful place in popular history.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
alexisreading23's review against another edition
4.0
Annie Besant and her close friend Charles Bradlaugh are put on trial in 1877 for publishing 'a dirty, filthy book': a pamphlet written by Charlesk Knowlton concerning birth control and contraceptives. Fighting for a free press and more significantly, women's right to choose and control when they had children, Besant made history for defending herself forty-five years before Ivy Williams became the first woman called to the bar.
This was highly readable and Meyer's voice and humour shine through clearly. I had never heard of Annie Besant before and was intrigued to learn of her social activism. At a time when the age of consent was thirteen, Besant's advocacy for law reform on marital rape, informed sexual education and contraceptives were considered obscene and immoral. Having been barred from publishing Knowlton's 'Fruits of Philosophy', Besant took it upon herself to write and publish her own book on birth control. She advocated for the eight-hour workday and state0funded streetlighting, and was the public face for the Match Girls' Strike, one of the earliest industrial actions in British history and the largest undertaken by women.
Meyer's rendering of the court case, Besant's life up to, during, and after, were highly engaging and he balanced the inclusion of her personal life extremely well against her more public actions and status. I am very glad to have read this and would definitely be interested in reading more from Meyer in the future.
This was highly readable and Meyer's voice and humour shine through clearly. I had never heard of Annie Besant before and was intrigued to learn of her social activism. At a time when the age of consent was thirteen, Besant's advocacy for law reform on marital rape, informed sexual education and contraceptives were considered obscene and immoral. Having been barred from publishing Knowlton's 'Fruits of Philosophy', Besant took it upon herself to write and publish her own book on birth control. She advocated for the eight-hour workday and state0funded streetlighting, and was the public face for the Match Girls' Strike, one of the earliest industrial actions in British history and the largest undertaken by women.
Meyer's rendering of the court case, Besant's life up to, during, and after, were highly engaging and he balanced the inclusion of her personal life extremely well against her more public actions and status. I am very glad to have read this and would definitely be interested in reading more from Meyer in the future.
thecaseofbooks's review against another edition
reflective
4.0
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.
I learned so much reading this book, it was a real pleasure. I was aware of some events and people referenced in this book such as the match girls strike. However much of this I hadn’t heard of and that surprises me now seeing how prolific Annie Besant’s influence was.
This book tells Annie Besant’s story alongside that of Charles Bradlaugh and a significant trial they went through after publishing a guide to birth control during Queen Victoria’s reign. Something that caused great scandal but was in demand from many people who couldn’t support more children.
Annie was an inspiring social reformer and did so much through her newspaper work and campaigning to help others who were caused much suffering through the injustices of Victorian Society and the expansion of the empire.
This was fascinating. It did dip a bit in the middle but the beginning and end were brilliant. Annie sacrificed so much in the service of social justice and others. She was an absolute warrior in defence of her fellow humans. This is non-fiction but it’s still a thrilling read full of intrigue, shocks and scandals.
Glad to have read this, thoroughly educational and enjoyable.
I learned so much reading this book, it was a real pleasure. I was aware of some events and people referenced in this book such as the match girls strike. However much of this I hadn’t heard of and that surprises me now seeing how prolific Annie Besant’s influence was.
This book tells Annie Besant’s story alongside that of Charles Bradlaugh and a significant trial they went through after publishing a guide to birth control during Queen Victoria’s reign. Something that caused great scandal but was in demand from many people who couldn’t support more children.
Annie was an inspiring social reformer and did so much through her newspaper work and campaigning to help others who were caused much suffering through the injustices of Victorian Society and the expansion of the empire.
This was fascinating. It did dip a bit in the middle but the beginning and end were brilliant. Annie sacrificed so much in the service of social justice and others. She was an absolute warrior in defence of her fellow humans. This is non-fiction but it’s still a thrilling read full of intrigue, shocks and scandals.
Glad to have read this, thoroughly educational and enjoyable.
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