1. Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words by Lynn Sherr
Published by Times Books, January 1996
ISBN 978-0812927184
From Library Journal “"Away with your man-visions! Women propose to reject them all, and begin to dream dreams for themselves," writes Anthony in one selection from this sprightly collection of her correspondence, speeches, interviews, and published writings. Sherr, 20/20 correspondent and coauthor of Susan B. Anthony Slept Here (LJ 5/1/94), has arranged the selections by topic-"Oh Slavery, Hateful Thing," "The Original Frequent Flier," "Get Money, Get Wealth," etc.-and chronologically within topics. Specialists may object that this arrangement distorts the historical meaning of some selections; this reader regretted that the leading chapter concerned Anthony's marital status. These are quibbles, however, for this is a fascinating and accessible volume. Sherr includes a brief but choice bibliography and notes that most of the selections are in the microfilm edition of The Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, available to library patrons in some areas. Essential for public, high school, and academic libraries.”
2. Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony by Geoffrey C. Ward and Kenneth Burns
Published by Knopf, October 1999
ISBN 978-0375405600
From Publishers Weekly “When Paul Barnes suggested that Elizabeth Cady Stanton be included in the film portraits of notable Americans that Ken Burns was planning to make, Burns barely recognized the name. Marginally more familiar was that of Susan B. Anthony, Stanton's comrade-in-arms in the struggle for women's suffrage. But as this bookAthe companion volume to the documentary that will appear this fall on PBSAsplendidly reveals, theirs is the story not merely of two remarkable 19th-century women but of a major political movement, the end of which has yet to be written. This dual biography of the pair by the historian Ward emphasizes the impossibility of treating either one in isolation from the other. Anthony's grasp of the practical complemented Stanton's philosophical imaginationAas Stanton wrote, "entirely one are we." Ward restores Stanton to her proper place alongside Anthony in the history of the women's movement and sensitively handles the more problematic elements of their political positions, especially in regard to their resistance to the enfranchisement of former male slaves before the vote was extended to women of any color. Additionally, there are essays by prominent women historians, including a provocative discussion of Stanton's contemporary reputation by Ellen Carol DuBois, and the wealth of illustrations that we have come to expect from Burns and his associates.”
3. Sisters: The Lives of America's Suffragists by Jean H. Baker
Published by Hill and Wang, August 2006
ISBN 978-0809087037
From Booklist “This fascinating collective biography features in-depth sketches of five indispensable leaders of the American suffrage movement. Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard, and Alice Paul--stalwarts in the struggle to extend fundamental rights and freedoms to females--are profiled in turn. Although these women are identified with the famous movements they founded and the radical causes they espoused, Baker breathes new life into subjects that have become somewhat fossilized and sanitized over time. Viewing them through a revitalized historical lens, she concentrates on the private lives and personal connections that contributed to the formation of their staunch beliefs and ambitions. The fact that they each led lives that were influenced by childhood circumstances, divergent personalities, robust love interests, bitter disagreements, powerful friendships, incredible triumphs, and overwhelming tragedies is significant to understanding the ebb and flow of the movement they were responsible for keeping afloat for well over half a century.”
4. Radical Red by James Duffy
Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, October 1993
ISBN 978-0684195339
From School Library Journal “Grade 5-8-A gripping story of women's rights, set in Albany, New York in 1894. A chance encounter between Connor O'Shea, 12, and Miss Bertha Hall, one of "Aunt Susan's girls," changes the lives of the girl and her mother forever. Susan B. Anthony is in town to convince the state constitutional convention that women are entitled to vote. Connor (and her mother's) feminist sympathies grow as her father, the sergeant of the capitol police, becomes increasingly antagonistic. He isn't able to vote, either, since he can't read; but he is happy to rely on his friend Senator Phelan to guide him, and gets abusive when his wife and daughter disagree. By focusing on this one small episode in the history of women's suffrage, Duffy not only shows the dedication and hard work involved but also the contributions made by hundreds of humble, now-forgotten people. Radical Red is a well-crafted story, with strong characters and the kind of detail that bring the events to life. And, while it is an excellent addition to historical fiction collections, the subplot of family conflict makes it universal in appeal. Its major flaw is the puzzling absence of an author's note; readers deserve to know who is real and who is not, what Duffy's sources were, and what happened afterward.”
5. The Women's Rights Movement: Opposing Viewpoints Edited by Brenda Stalcup
Published by Greenhaven Press, January 1995
ISBN 978-1565103665
From School Library Journal “Gr 9 Up--Each of these volumes begins with a description of an event or turning point that was significant to the movement in question. Essays and debates express opposing viewpoints on these issues. The Civil Rights Movement includes the writings of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren, Benjamin E. Mays, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Charlayne Hunter-Gault, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), Roy Wilkins, and David J. Garrow. Selections in The Women's Rights Movement conclude with the 1970s, but many of the topics addressed are still controversial today, raising questions not only about women's legal and political status, but also about the very definition of gender. Essays either supporting or opposing the questions are authored by notables such as Abigail Adams, Angelina Grimke, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, and Phyllis Schlafly. Each volume concludes with discussion questions for each chapter, a chronology, an annotated bibliography, and a comprehensive index.”
6. Victoria Woodhull: Free Spirit for Women's Rights by Miriam Brody
Published by Oxford University Press, June 2004
ISBN 978-0195143676
From School Library Journal “Grade 7 Up - Brody presents an insightful and comprehensive picture of Woodhull and the often underreported role she played in the early women's rights movement. The chronological account describes her difficult and abusive childhood, disastrous first marriage, success as a businesswoman, campaign to be elected president, economic downfall and imprisonment on obscenity charges, and new start in England. The book provides historical context, explaining, for example, that Woodhull's interest in spiritualism was not unusual during that time period. Her role as an orator for women's suffrage and other reforms is highlighted, as is the political agenda she espoused. Using extensive quotes from Franklin's Autobiography, Gaustad provides excellent coverage of the life and times of this Founding Father, presenting a revealing look at his personality, thought processes, views, and place in American history. Extensive coverage is given to Franklin's role in the Revolutionary War as a member of the Continental Congress and diplomat to France. In both books, black-and-white reproductions of paintings, period photos (Woodhull), and source documents provide further insight. These biographies are best suited for students more interested in getting the full picture of the lives of these Americans, rather than those looking for a simple accounting of facts.”
7. With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote by Ann Bausum
Published by National Geographic Children's Books, September 2004
ISBN 978-0792276470
From Booklist “Gr. 6-12. Though few readers will pick this up for browsing, students will be easily drawn by the details of the American women's suffrage movement. As a child, the author met Alice Paul, a famous suffragist, and was clearly inspired. This personal interest drives the detailed history, written in an objective but anecdotal fashion. The design is thoughtful and attractive: sepia-tone photographs are highlighted in purple and gold (purple, gold, and white were the signature colors of the movement), the dark purple text is clean, elegant and very readable, and the general layout is artfully done. Detailed notes, bibliography, thumbnail biographies, and a chronology make this an all-in-one text that provides a general background to a very specific time within the movement. The timely release of this title will make every woman more appreciative of the Nineteenth Amendment, as well as the tremendous sacrifices that made it happen.”
8. Created Equal: Women Campaign for the Right to Vote 1840 – 1920 by Ann Rossi
Published by National Geographic Children's Books, February 2005
ISBN 978-0792282754
Created Equal begins with the early suffragist movement of the late 19th century, telling of the state of women's rights as they were at the time. The reader will learn about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and the other women of the Seneca Falls Convention. Having helped to start the suffragist movement, women such as Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone fought long and hard for the rights of women. Braving the turmoil of the Civil War era, these women formed organizations such as the American Equal Rights Association and helped to push for equal rights for not only themselves, but for African Americans as well. The turn-of-the-century saw a growth in the anti-suffragist movement, and new ladies appeared on the scene ready to fight hard for their beliefs. Alice Paul and her contemporaries reinvigorated the suffragist movement and spurred an organized political effort to win the vote. Through protests, parades, journalistic pieces, and even jail sentences, these women pushed the government to pass the 19th Amendment that would give women the right to vote. Their fight was difficult and long, but the suffragist movement prevailed. By 1920, American women across the country were able to vote in a national election for the first time. Like the others in the series, Created Equal is illustrated with period photographs, paintings, and drawings. Also included are a glossary and an index.
9. Women Suffragists by Diana Star Helmer
Published by Facts on File, May 1998
ISBN 978-0816035793
From School Library Journal “Grade 7 Up-This collective biography profiles 10 of the most influential suffragists and, in doing so, also provides a history of the movement they led. Readers will see both the women's steadfast determination to gain a political voice through the ballot and also how their differences in beliefs, strategies, and ideas shaped the direction and public perceptions of their crusade. Helmer places the women in roughly chronological order, beginning with the pioneering Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and closing with Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Jeannette Pickering Rankin, women who were able to use the power the ballot gave to them. Helmer is positive about her subjects but also reveals details that are sometimes less than flattering. The profiles run about 15 pages and include a portrait of the woman, a chronology of her life, and a list for further reading. This book will be mostly used for reports, but the narrative is interesting enough for general reading. Marlene Brill's Let Women Vote (Millbrook, 1995) and Miriam Sagan's Women's Suffrage (Lucent, 1995) both offer historical overviews of the campaign for suffrage with less emphasis on the movement's leaders. This book is a good complement to them and is a solid choice for libraries that need material on this always-popular report topic.”
10. Laborers for Liberty: American Women 1865-1890 by Harriet Sigerman
Published by Oxford University Press, June 1994
ISBN 978-0195080469
From Booklist “Gr. 7-12. In this entry in the Young Oxford History of Women in the United States series, Sigerman has done an excellent job of explaining the problems that beset American women of the post-Civil War period (whites, newly freed blacks, Native Americans, and Hispanics) and of showing how women of different races, cultures, and classes often suffered similarly because they were denied rights of citizenship granted to men. She thoroughly discusses social reform movements and the struggle for women's suffrage, but her tone is never strident or chauvinistic. The volume is well illustrated with black-and-white photos, and a chronology and an extensive bibliography are provided.”
11. Failure Is Impossible!: The History of American Women's Rights by Martha Kendall
Published by Lerner Publishing Group, February 2001
ISBN 978-0822517443
From School Library Journal “Gr 5-9-A well-organized, well-documented resource. Kendall frames her discussion of women's suffrage with an account of the struggles of women throughout the centuries beginning with early colonists such as Anne Hutchinson. In addition to the battles and achievements of the women's movement, the author addresses property and child-custody rights and the fight for fair wages. She includes information on what life was like for mill girls, women in slavery, and on women in the media. Attention is also paid to how the ebb and flow of history has added to or detracted from the struggle for equal rights. Prominent leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as well as modern activists such as Betty Friedan, are introduced. Many black-and-white photos and other illustrations add dimension to the text. Four pages of brief biographies of remarkable women complete this thorough, multifaceted history.”
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