Something worth doing : a novel of an early suffragist

Something worth doing A novel of an early suffragist

Jane Kirkpatrick, 1946-

Book - 2020

"In 1853, Abigail Scott was a 19-year-old school teacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When financial mistakes and an injury force Ben to stop working, Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family. What she sees as a working woman appalls her, and she devotes her life to fighting for the rights of women, including their right to vote. Following Abigail as she bears six children, runs a millinery and a private school, helps on the farm, writes novels, gives speeches, and eventually runs a newspaper supporting women's suffrage, Something Worth Doing explores issues that will re...sonate strongly with modern women: the pull between career and family, finding one's place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices women encounter when they compete in male-dominated spaces. Based on a true story of a pioneer for women's rights from award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick will inspire you to believe that some things are worth doing - even when the cost is great."--Provided by publisher.

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Subjects
Women > Suffrage > Fiction.
Women's rights > Fiction.
Newspapers > Fiction.
Women > Fiction.
Social movements.
Women's movement.
West (U.S.) > Fiction.
Historical fiction.
Religious fiction.
Biographical fiction.
Christian fiction.
Genres
Historical fiction
Religious fiction
Biographical fiction
Christian fiction
Published
Grand Rapids, Michigan : Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group [2020]
Language
English
Main Author
Jane Kirkpatrick, 1946- (author)
Item Description
Includes discussion questions.
Physical Description
312 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780800736118
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

History marks Abigail Scott Duniway as a fierce advocate for women's rights; now Kirkpatrick (One More River to Cross, 2019) offers a powerful fictional retelling of the personal and complex underpinnings of this legacy. After years of grief on the Oregon Trail, Abigail is determined to finally prove her strength. But she continually sees her dreams of career, marriage, and family inexorably altered by the men in her life. Devoting herself to a quiet insistence on one woman's autonomy, she is inspired when word of women's suffrage reaches the Northwest. Abigail's world quickly expands beyond the labors of the home to entrepreneurship and activism, but at a cost. As she reinvents herself to provide for her family and fight for the cause, Abigail struggles with her identity as a daughter, sister, wife, and mother. Kirkpatrick creates an intimate chronicle of her protagonist's inspiring and unwavering belief in her own worth in spite of familial and social adversity while also poignantly capturing the delicate balancing act civic-minded women in the late-nineteenth century had to maintain as they persevered in their advocacy. Combining exceptional research with the exploration of intriguing themes, such as education as a path to freedom, KIrkpatrick's stirring biographical novel honors its real-life inspiration and the relevance of her historical journey.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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