Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote
Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring history of the suffrage movement's women of color.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
FINISH THE FIGHT begins with American suffragists finding an unexpected source of inspiration: Native American Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) women, who kept property after their marriage, nominated clan chiefs, and held veto power over decisions about war and peace. But while the movement may have found Haudenosaunee society inspiring, the book also details how women of color were often excluded from it. The women profiled in the book are Black, Native American, Asian American, gay, and Latina. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the daughter of free Black parents, was an abolitionist before becoming a suffragist and working alongside Susan B. Anthony. Gay women like Angelina Weld Grimke and Mary Burrill fought not only for the right to vote but also for the right to make a choice about who they would love. Susette La Flesche Tibbles' fight for Native American rights expanded the idea of citizenship and helped lay the groundwork for women's suffrage. In 1912, Chinese American Mabel Ping-Hua Lee rode a white horse at the head of a parade of 10,000 women down New York's Fifth Avenue. Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born into slavery and went on to help start what would become the NAACP. Latina activist Jovita Idar courageously campaigned for the vote and against racism on the Texas-Mexico border.
Is It Any Good?
Powerful and compelling, this is a history of the suffrage movement told not through the voices of White women, but through the inspiring lives of women of color. The layout of Finish the Fight should prove wonderfully inviting to young readers. It's filled with illustrations in bold colors and dozens of archival photos of suffragists, parades, and posters. There's even a "Votes for Women" board game spread across two interior pages.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the diversity of the women profiled in Finish the Fight. Why do you think the history of the suffrage movement usually centers around the contributions of White women? Were you surprised to learn that some leaders of the movement were racist and that women of color were often denied membership in some suffrage groups?
Social media now plays a big role in social reform movements. How do you think the suffragists might have used social media to advance their causes?
Is there an injustice in your school or community that makes you want to become an activist?
Book Details
- Authors: Veronica Chambers , The Staff of the New York Times
- Genre: History
- Topics: Activism , Great Girl Role Models , History
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Versify
- Publication date: August 18, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 132
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: September 9, 2020
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