“The dedication of these women to their cause
and obstacles they had to overcome in this
final battle in their struggles leaves one
imagining how difficult it was at the beginning
of the fight to gain women’s suffrage. It should
remind us all not to take our voting privileges
for granted.” - Anne C.
“A captivating read
that gave valuable
insight into the
fight for the right
to vote.” - Carol S.
gain votes, and keep politicians’
loyalties. She also examines
how the “Antis”—whether
driven by political, economic,
or ideological reasons—joined
forces to shrewdly block the Suffs’
hard-won progress. The opposing
forces include politicians with
careers at stake, liquor companies
afraid of prohibition enforcement,
railroad cronies fearful of losing
their control, and manufacturers
worried about women calling for
equal pay and an end to child
labor. For us readers, however,
the most revealing arguments
were those made by women who
were afraid of the ensuing moral
collapse when women are forced
into a man’s world and the final
end to Southern civilization and
supremacy, already weakened by
the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Between (and within!) the scenes
of the developing story, Ms. Weiss
takes multiple opportunities to
take side and back steps to explain
the historical context of the
events and personalities, weaving
over 70 years of the women’s
suffrage movement into the story.
I often found these well-written
and informative summaries a
welcome respite from the detailed
descriptions of the characters
gathered in Tennessee for the
final showdown. Yet the Nashville
story moves quickly, with drama
and suspense—and a nail-biting
ending.
We were a small group and
unanimous in our positive
rating of the book. One person
Next Book Club meeting
When:
Wednesday, September 16
Where:
virtually on Zoom
Book:
Girl, Woman, Other
by Bernardine Evaristo
failed to finish the book, due to
the multiple tangents she took
investigating the “side stories” and
“can’t be’s!” We all confessed we
knew little of the great women
and numerous events that led
up to the passing of the 19th
Amendment. And, inevitably,
the discussion soon turned to the
upcoming election in the US. We
certainly will no longer take our
voting rights for granted.
www.awchamburg.org 29
MC Escher by Ulrike H.