What Every Girl Should Know

November 15, 2018
Maggie Higgins dreams of escaping the drudgery of the endless household duties that are a poor woman's lot in Corning, New York, in the late 1800s.Maggie is challenged by living with many siblings, her consumptive mother, and her freethinking, but somewhat shiftless, father. Inspired by the life of birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger, Mann (Scar, 2016, etc.) has created a sympathetic character in the rebellious Maggie. Most of the book's chapters move chronologically from the first introduction of 10-year-old Maggie in 1889 through her childhood, schooling, and departure for her new life as a nursing student in 1900. However, several chapters are set in 1899. The two timelines converge as Maggie copes with her mother's final illness and wrestles with her father's disapproval of her aspirations. Many of the most dramatic scenes are based in fact, as explained in the author's note, although more minor scenes and characters are fictional. Maggie's occasional thoughts ("I've almost never known my mother alone in her own body") make clear the seeds of Sanger's passion for family planning. The historical note provides additional information about her lifework and notably defends Sanger against the charges of racism that have been leveled against her in recent years. All characters are assumed white.An important, readable novel about Sanger, who changed the fate of millions of women through access to contraception. (historical note, author's note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 11-17)

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February 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Margaret Louise Higgens Sanger grew up in the ash covered factory town of Corning, New York, in the late 1800s. This is the story of her daily life in that town and her determination to escape it. The home was bursting at the seams with brothers and sisters. The Sanger family experienced many hardships that were all too familiar for so many families during that time period. Her mother seemed to be perpetually with child, many of which were stillborns, and her father's radical thinking kept him frequently out of work. Margaret rarely had a moment to herself free of dishes, laundry, or taking care of her younger siblings. She knew that her fate as a young woman of the 19th century was to get married and have a family or to become a teacher. Neither of those options were acceptable for her. She wanted more. Each chapter of this compelling historical novel is poignant and meaningful. The book reads as journal entries, with each chapter telling a new story that contributes to the full narrative of Margaret's early life. A historical note at the end of the novel discloses the complicated fact that Margret Sanger was a eugenicist, someone who believed in sterilization of the the "mentally unfit," a widely held viewpoint at the time. The note also debunks the myth that Sanger was promoting sterilization based on race alone. Readers will not only be captivated by the storytelling but they will also gain a historical perspective that will shed light on why Margaret Sanger became a champion for women's and reproductive rights. VERDICT A fascinating biographical novel about birth control activist and founder of what eventually became Planned Parenthood that belongs on most shelves.-Melissa Lambert, Trenton Public Schools, MI

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