Women’s March: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession by Jennifer Chiaverini

 Dignity, Purity, Hope. Purple. White. Green. (read the book to find out what that means)

WOW!  This book pivots on roles three women played in the enormous Woman Suffrage Procession in 1913 that was interrupted by a chaotic mob.  The ladies' activism is a great reminder of the long and hard-won road to women’s right to vote that we should not take for granted!

 

Alice Paul was a young suffragette who had participated in the British, more radical, demonstrations.  Later she was the lead organizer of the 1913 parade.  Such a remarkable feat: the logistical magnitude of managing 5,000 participants, sparring for security and the route they wanted, all in a short time-period!

 

Secondly, Maud Malone was a spirited librarian who used her voice to bring attention to the cause while riling up the political candidates of the time. Her vociferous persistence paid off with a free trip to jail compliments of future President Woodrow Wilson.  Allegedly, Wilson was a misogynist AND anti-suffragist, so Maud easily rose up his list of Most Hated Women.  

 

Lastly, but most definitely not least, was the extremely fascinating Ida B. Wells-Barnett, a black suffragette and so much more.  Ida B. Wells is a name that had rung a bell in my head, but I could not honestly tell you what she was famous for.  In this book, I learned about her history of becoming a teacher at the age of sixteen to support her siblings after her parents tragically died in an infectious outbreak of the time.  Most impressively was her work as a journalist exposing lynchings of black men.  Her editorial work earned her threats on her life and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize in Journalism.  What an extraordinary and respected woman she was despite the racial barriers she faced!

 

One thing that really surprised me was that there were women (and an organization) who OPPOSED WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE!  Imagine that?! What woman would really say “No, thank you. I’d rather that you ignore my opinion.  Don’t mind the stump in the corner.  That’s just a woman. Can I get you a cocktail or rub your feet for you?” I shouldn’t have been so surprised.  I mean, I did learn about Phyllis Schlafly, the woman in the 1970s, who worked tirelessly to stop women from trying to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.  “Equal pay?  Why no, thank you, I’d rather work my a** off and just get pennies to the men’s dollars.”  (Watch Mrs. America mini-series starring Cate Blanchett).  But what REALLY, REALLY threw me off in women’s suffrage was that one of the women who opposed the right to vote was Alice Paul’s own mother.  I’m thinking their Christmas dinners might have been a bit awkwaaaard!

 

This book left me wanting to learn more, so I checked out the Hilary Swank DVD from our library called Iron Jawed Angels which is all about the 1913 march. Good movie!

 

Next I check out the Suffragette DVD from the library about the British suffragettes, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, with an appearance by Meryl Streep. Excellent!

 

I know one thing.  We owe it to all the ladies who fought soooooo hard for us, to use our voting power whenever it comes up!

 

Happy Reading, Happy voting!

 

Annette 

PS:  The 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in America was ratified on August 18, 1920...101 years ago today!