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She Votes: How U.S. Women Won Suffrage, and What Happened Next by Nell Irvin Painter, Bridget Quinn
tracyksmith_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This book was even better than I expected it to be. I loved the layout with the photos of the women that were being discussed. I found it pleasing to the eye. There is so much great information in this book. Despite having taken some women's history classes, I found a vast amount of knowledge in this book that I was not aware of. I wish everyone would read this book. I can't recommend it enough!
rebekahjenkins's review against another edition
3.0
It’s informative and acknowledges how disenfranchised BIWOC were even with the passing of the amendment and still are, it’s just the informal conversation-like writing bugs me a bit. If you can glance over it, a really nice refresher on women’s history.
Edit: I need to add more because it is so racist how many people look up to the pioneers of women's suffrage like Cady Stanton, Anthony, and Mott and forget that women of color were not invited to the Seneca Falls Convention. How they demanded women, white women, obtain suffrage before black men. How Audre Lorde, years later, would still be fighting over how she has to overcome both her sex and her race for equal treatment. I'm thinking of how many women flock to Susan B. Anthony's grave with their "I Voted!" stickers and how many of them must be white and/or not care about the people excluded from the movement. White women putting themselves first and thinking they are the best really goes back that far, and of course even farther. It's great there was a movement, but would it really have been so terrible to demand the inclusion of the black/Indigenous communities in the amendment?
Edit: I need to add more because it is so racist how many people look up to the pioneers of women's suffrage like Cady Stanton, Anthony, and Mott and forget that women of color were not invited to the Seneca Falls Convention. How they demanded women, white women, obtain suffrage before black men. How Audre Lorde, years later, would still be fighting over how she has to overcome both her sex and her race for equal treatment. I'm thinking of how many women flock to Susan B. Anthony's grave with their "I Voted!" stickers and how many of them must be white and/or not care about the people excluded from the movement. White women putting themselves first and thinking they are the best really goes back that far, and of course even farther. It's great there was a movement, but would it really have been so terrible to demand the inclusion of the black/Indigenous communities in the amendment?
bak8382's review against another edition
5.0
Bridget Quinn writes in a very accessible way speaking directly to readers and using colorful language. So this is not your traditional dry history on a topic. She also makes sure to cover all the not great parts about Women's suffrage-racism being one of the biggest. Quinn dives deeper into the suffrage story that you already know, not just detailing the people we remember today like Susan B. Anthony, but all the other players as well. She also details fascinating facts like Oregon rejected women's right to vote 5 times! (58). The first woman was elected to Congress in 1917, which was before women in the entire US had the right to vote (95). Women were jailed for protesting at the White House, and then during a hunger strike force-feed, which is considered a form of torture (111). Sadly there was also a group of women against the vote, and Quinn points out, "it seems ironic today that there were women so determined not to vote that they protested the possibility, organized, and were in effect politically active in hopes of defeating political engagement by women" (78). The book ends with a look at how women continued to speak out from 1920s to the present day. The illustrations are lovely, and done by 100 female artists. This is a fantastic history of women's suffrage in the US.
I received an advanced uncorrected digital galley from the publisher via Netgalley. Page numbers are from this galley and may not be the same in the final book.
I received an advanced uncorrected digital galley from the publisher via Netgalley. Page numbers are from this galley and may not be the same in the final book.
rsnow11's review against another edition
3.0
Some great information on the women’s rights movement. I listened to the audiobook and was torn on the conversational writing style… it was engaging but also not something I could listen to with my small children around.
theallmightyme's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
cdseleman's review against another edition
5.0
I AM OBSESSED. Everyone must read this book. I mean EVERYONE. I mean MUST. 6/5 stars I kid you not. It fills me with a fire that this book isn't mainstream. I accidentally stumbled upon it at the end of summer 2020 in a local Chicago shop. I admit (as you can tell by the fact that's it's now March 2021) that it took me a while to actually read this book. I started it as soon as I got it but I had so many other books I needed to read. Thank goodness I finally made this a priority.
She Votes by Bridget Quinn not only broaches a topic that we barely glossed over in our history classes, but brings to light so many aspects of women's suffrage that most people have never known. Oh, and let's be clear, this is not your average history book. Quinn's voice comes through on every page. It's like having a conversation with a friend. I mean, have you ever read a history book that refers to someone as an asshat? No? This book calls out how the feminist movement across centuries blatantly disregarded the interests of Natives, blacks, lesbians - really, any woman who wasn't white, cis, and hetero - and highlights the incredible minority women who impacted feminist gains throughout history. Parts of this book had me literally applauding. For example, keep an eye out for the bananas...you'll know it when you read it ;) The last chapter had me in absolute tears. It took me probably three times longer than it should have to read because my eyes were too blurry to see the words on the pages. The traumas that our young people have already faced, and the strength they exhibit in advocating for themselves, even though they are not yet old enough to speak by way of the vote. I know this is offered as an audiobook but *please* don't go that route. The artwork is just as important as the narrative.
She Votes by Bridget Quinn not only broaches a topic that we barely glossed over in our history classes, but brings to light so many aspects of women's suffrage that most people have never known. Oh, and let's be clear, this is not your average history book. Quinn's voice comes through on every page. It's like having a conversation with a friend. I mean, have you ever read a history book that refers to someone as an asshat? No? This book calls out how the feminist movement across centuries blatantly disregarded the interests of Natives, blacks, lesbians - really, any woman who wasn't white, cis, and hetero - and highlights the incredible minority women who impacted feminist gains throughout history. Parts of this book had me literally applauding. For example, keep an eye out for the bananas...you'll know it when you read it ;) The last chapter had me in absolute tears. It took me probably three times longer than it should have to read because my eyes were too blurry to see the words on the pages. The traumas that our young people have already faced, and the strength they exhibit in advocating for themselves, even though they are not yet old enough to speak by way of the vote. I know this is offered as an audiobook but *please* don't go that route. The artwork is just as important as the narrative.
booksandcoffeerequired's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
cakt1991's review
This is a well-researched, informative book about women’s suffrage, complete with beautiful illustrations throughout. I knew a bit about the history of women gaining the right to vote and their progress and setbacks in the political world since then, but I loved getting a more thorough overview of the topic highlighting many of the trailblazers over the course of the last century.