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A review by martasbooktherapy
The Accidental Suffragist by Galia Gichon
4.0
3.75 stars
Spanning from 1912 through 1919, The Accidental Suffragist follows the path of Helen Fox as she goes from a factory worker living in the tenements of New York City to a key part of the women's suffrage movement.
Helen, her husband Albert, and their four children live together in a crammed two room apartment. The parents and oldest sibling, who is only 12, work to bring in enough money to keep the family fed, clothed, and housed. However, tragedy strikes when a fire breaks out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where the daughter works (this true event, the deadliest industrial disaster in NYC history, actually took place in 1911). While outside the factory trying to learn whether her daughter survived or not, Helen meets various members of the Suffragettes and her life changes. Helen joins the movement, working in their New York City offices and traveling with the group trying to promote their agenda. Many aspects of her life are affected from her own self worth to her relationship with her husband, her children's roles in the home, and how she is viewed by her neighbors. The intersection of timing with World War I plays out over multiple years, showing some of the difficulties the suffragists faced.
The book depicts events clearly and addresses the disparity between classes while looking at the movement to gain women the right to vote in the United States. The culmination of the book in 1919 with the passage of the 19th amendment was a fulfilling ending to a tumultuous time.
Spanning from 1912 through 1919, The Accidental Suffragist follows the path of Helen Fox as she goes from a factory worker living in the tenements of New York City to a key part of the women's suffrage movement.
Helen, her husband Albert, and their four children live together in a crammed two room apartment. The parents and oldest sibling, who is only 12, work to bring in enough money to keep the family fed, clothed, and housed. However, tragedy strikes when a fire breaks out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where the daughter works (this true event, the deadliest industrial disaster in NYC history, actually took place in 1911). While outside the factory trying to learn whether her daughter survived or not, Helen meets various members of the Suffragettes and her life changes. Helen joins the movement, working in their New York City offices and traveling with the group trying to promote their agenda. Many aspects of her life are affected from her own self worth to her relationship with her husband, her children's roles in the home, and how she is viewed by her neighbors. The intersection of timing with World War I plays out over multiple years, showing some of the difficulties the suffragists faced.
The book depicts events clearly and addresses the disparity between classes while looking at the movement to gain women the right to vote in the United States. The culmination of the book in 1919 with the passage of the 19th amendment was a fulfilling ending to a tumultuous time.