👍History Smashers: Women's Right to Vote (2020)

By Kate Messner

Illustrated by Dylan Meconis

4Rbooks                                           4/6                              grades         6-8

Amazon                                            4.8/5                           grade level   3-7

Goodreads                                       4.29/5

Common Sense Media               not yet rated

196 pages

Synopsis

             From the beginning of this country, there have been debates about who should be allowed to vote. Originally, it was just white men who owned land. Women were not included. From the beginning, many women have thought this to be unfair and have fought for suffrage, the right to vote. It was finally granted in 1920 with the 19^th amendment.

            Many women fought for that right for over 150 years. This book details those women, some famous and some unknown, and their efforts to bring equal voting rights to women. Like every human, these women had faults and faulty beliefs, but they were adamant about their goal. They would keep fighting and pushing for equality, no matter how hard the struggle.

Parental Guidelines:    medium-high

Women are imprisoned, hurt, and force fed.

The racist views of many suffragist leaders is documented and detailed.

Women are hurt by crowds of men while demonstrating.

It is noted that many suffragist leaders never married but were loving relationships with other women.

Especially toward the end of the book, there is a leftist political bent evident in the author’s writing. Subtle, but there.

Recommendation

            This is part of a series by Ms. Messner. Eight books about different historical events. It appears the concept is to detail the event and to tell the truth and calling out various lies and myths that have been told and maybe to share a secret or two.

            I enjoyed the book and believe that with parent guidance, it would be a valuable read for any middle schooler interested in history, this subject in particular. I think parent guidance is needed to help the students process the racism, sexism, and violence that is part of the history of this movement. It is well-written and entertaining. The illustrations are excellent, and parts of the book are more graphic novel than text. The history is factual, and no punches are pulled when describing the personal opinions of the leaders and the opposition.

            I purchased this book at Union Ave Book Store in Knoxville, Tennessee. I anticipate that I will buy another copy of the History Smashers in the future.