chattynatty

 

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick

4 stars. Thank you to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing, for sending me this book to read and review.

Oregon +Suffragist movement= Abigail Scott Duniway's story
This book spans 1853-1912. I felt like the beginning was a little slow for me. I was transported back to my childhood of reading Little House on the Prairie books. There was a lot of heartache, challenges, and physical moves that Abigail and her family experience in the beginning of this book. She is an independent woman who takes on winning the right for women to vote. She also is a journalist, author, editor of her own newspaper, millinery owner, seamstress, business woman and public speaker. OH, yeah- and she had 6 children.

I thought this book was a great representation of trying to figure out the balance between being an independent minded woman, a mother, a wife, and a sister. Abigail didn't always come across being very present as a mother in this story, nor did she always seem over compassionate to her husband. However, maybe she couldn't be as she needed to be away from home so much regarding either her business or the fight to win the right for women to vote.

I found the frustration and the struggles Abigail had to come up against to help women gain voting rights some of the same frustration woman in current times have in regard to being seen as formidable politicians, vice presidents and even presidential candidates. When the vote doesn't get passed the first time I felt pain and defeat for Abigail (reminded me of when Hillary didn't win). I'm amazed at the ability for people to persevere and continue the fight.
I loved Abigail's determination to move forward after the first defeat in stating...
pg 267 "The only thing to displace the bitterness of defeat is the taste of victory." Abigail heard herself say those words even though she wasn't sure she believed them anymore. "We begin again. Grief cannot hold us back. We are wiser but not worn down..."

Reminder- we can never give up to fight for the rights of all humans.