Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

April 15, 2011

Two of the most iconic figures in women's history were linked in deep friendship as well as commitment to the most contentious causes in 19th-century America: antislavery and woman suffrage.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a married mother of four boys at the time they met, and Susan B. Anthony, an unmarried schoolteacher, formed a friendship that lasted until Elizabeth's death more than 50 years later. Their tireless work, including advocacy, speeches, organizing and writing, placed them at the center of tumultuous events in the middle of the 19th century. They were associates of other prominent activists, such as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Lucretia Mott. This lively, very readable narrative paints a picture that depicts each woman's path to activism and demonstrates that these passionate figures often disagreed with each other and their fellow activists over strategy, allies, direction for the movement—even rhetoric. The tenor of the times is on full display as the struggle to extend rights to women is resisted by most institutions in society. Conflicts within the movement are discussed, although the long-term breach that occurred when Stanton and Anthony opposed the amendment granting the right to vote to freedmen because women of all races were denied is not fully explored.

This thoughtful portrayal of two complex women is further enhanced by comprehensive backmatter, making this an invaluable addition to the literature of suffrage. (Nonfiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 1, 2011

Gr 6 Up-These women met on a street corner in Seneca Falls, NY, in 1851. Their sympathy for one another was instantaneous, despite their differences-Stanton a married mother of five and Anthony an unmarried career woman-and their association would result in immense changes for American women. Beginning with alternating chapters on her subjects' early years, the author builds clear portraits of both figures, leading to the momentous 1851 meeting. The impact of the abolition movement and the cross over between freedom for slaves and equal treatment for women is clearly delineated. Subsequent chapters deal with their joint history at the tiller of the suffrage movement. Building the characters of the individuals through their experiences and their own words, Colman has created nuanced pictures of both Stanton and Anthony, as well as of the sociopolitical climate in which they functioned. Readers will be surprised by the limits on women's rights and informed as to the nearly martial nature of the (still ongoing) struggle to attain equality. Including black-and-white photographs of major figures of the time, an epilogue, a detailed chronology, a list of places to visit, source notes, and a lengthy bibliography, this volume will take a bit of promotion to ensure circulation. Presenting a lively story along with a sound dose of history, it's a unique title that's worth the effort.-Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Grades 7-10 One of the greatest collaborations in U.S. history began the day Elizabeth Cady Stanton encountered Susan B. Anthony. From their first meeting, on a street corner in Seneca Falls, New York, there was a connection. Stanton would later write about Anthony, I liked her thoroughly. The lives of these two women were very different. Stanton, married and eventually the mother of seven, had a comfortable home life, while Anthony, an unmarried former schoolteacher, had to make her own way in life. Yet, as Colman makes clear in this well-researched dual biography (which puts the women's rights movement in historical context), the two shared a strident belief in women's equality and saw suffrage as the necessary way to upend oppression and obtain the rights women deserved. In an introductory author's note, Colman discusses how she tackled the mountain of primary source material and visited many significant places. The inclusive back matter offers a lot: places to visit, both geographically and on the web; a time line; and a bibliography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)