[Failure Is Impossible] [Author: Sherr, Lynn] [January, 1996]

by Lynn Sherr

Juxtaposed with contemporary reports and biographical essays, the words of this legendary suffragist reveal Susan B. Anthony as a loyal, caring friend, and an eloquent, humorous crusader. "More than a collection of well-arranged quotations, the work informs, inspires, and gives historical perspective".--The Houston Post. 33 photos & illustrations.

Genres: History, Feminism, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Historical

Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Broadcast journalist and writer Lynn Sherr has been swimming since she was a toddler, learning first by watching frogs in a Pennsylvania lake. She has since expanded both her strokes and her waterways. For more than thirty years, she was an award-winning correspondent for ABC News. She is the author of many books, including Tall Blondes: A Book about Giraffes; Outside the Box: A Memoir, and Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words. She lives in New York.You can contact her at LynnSwims@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter@LynnSherr and at Facebook.com/SallyRideBio.

Reviews

[Kipi (the academic stitcher) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us (both men and women) who take the right to vote for granted have no way to comprehend the struggle it was for those who fought and won that right. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Susan B. Anthony's own words from the beginning of her work with her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the mid 1800s to her death in 1906. As a secondary school student, I know that her name was mentioned occasionally, but I had no appreciation of the dedication and determination of this remarkable woman who was truly a pioneer in the women's movement in America.

A compelling, important read.

[Mary Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Lynn Sherr for giving us this compelling biography of our first woman politician in America.

[A. S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a feminist. It doesn't mean that I'm a man-hater, it just means that I believe that women should have equal rights as men. I'm a huge believer in a sisterhood: I did reports on the suffragists (including Susan B. Anthony herself) when given free projects at school and I was a member of the Girl Scouts all the way through Seniors. But in all that time, I never gave serious thought to what it must have been like to actually not have those rights. Being a trailblazer is difficult because you literally have to cut the path through the scary jungle yourself.

That is why I really like Lynn Sherr's Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words. Sherr organized Anthony's own letters, diary entries, pamphlets, and speeches, as well as quotations and letters from fellow suffragists and enemies, into loose categories ranging from the Temperance movement that prompted Anthony's interest in social causes to slavery to the actual definition of womens' rights. Through it all we get to see a woman far ahead of her time: she remained single all through her life and considered her fellow suffragists not just her friends but as her family. She believed that the amendment granting black men (and only the men) the vote was a terrible injustice because it wasn't fair to neglect one marginalized group in favor of another because the point was to eliminate all forms of marginalization. She reprimanded one of her friends who, as a single lady, adopted a baby of her own (just like so many Hollywood celebs do these days), but the fact that she was raising a baby unmarried didn't bother her--she just thought that would take her friend's time away from doing all her suffragist activity! In almost every way Anthony was a trailblazer.

I really cannot go on describing the book because it would do injustice to the greatness of Anthony's personality. Go on and read it for yourself to get a glimpse of this thoroughly modern woman.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherr used Anthony's own words to tell her story, its realism had me reading with fresh eyes. I had not realized that Anthony had some clear-eyed sense of prophecy, but also she may have suffered too much from her idealism. She said (no doubt apologies to Archimedes) 'give to a woman a ballot, the political fulcrum on which to plant her moral lever and she will lift the world into a nobler and purer atmosphere.' Anthony was misunderstood in her lifetime and repeatedly vilified right up to her death. Her single status was seen as being anti-marriage or anti-women, when it was more a single-minded devotion to the cause. Sherr's episodic structure made this book easy to set down and return to without missing the thread, which is not to say it was boring. Anthony's words are so far from boring. And to my mind her life was heroic, the miles she traveled and the hardships she endured, and the ridicule to which she was subjected, and yet she never faltered. She wouldn't life to see universal suffrage, but she never seemed to doubt it would come.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of things I liked about this book - it really helped me understand the complete dedication Susan B. Anthony had towards the suffrage movement. There were offshoots that I found very interesting - about her helping prostitutes, abused women and children, slaves, being in favor of women wearing pants, and all sorts of interesting topics in between. I found that this is a good compilation of her speeches and a wonderful historical overview. I guess from a 'reading' perspective, it became rather repetitive. While I was interested in the topic, it wasn't a book I was dying to go pick up every night. All that said, I learned a lot, it was worth the time, and I'm glad I read it.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan B. Anthony has always been my heroine. But in English when we had to do an oral report on a biography we read, I automatically thought of reading a book on Susan B. Anthony. This book made me realize that she was so much more than a feminist. I have a completely new respect for this amazing women of American history. :)

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 1995 when it was released, so I don't remember very specific details. I do remember thinking that she was an amazing and important woman and that Lynn Sherr did SBA's story and legacy justice. It is now on my re-read list since a friend's 9 year old daughter, upon looking at her U.S. presidents placemat asked, "where are the girl presidents?". Maybe Hilary in 2016.

[C.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything mostly compiled of Anthony is excellent, and Sherr--wisely--interjected with very little, and that which she did interject mostly delved into or darned the edges of already biographical detail spoken by Anthony heresef.

[Nikki]

Interest Level MG (4-8)
Book Level 4.7

No Awards noted

Summary:

The author Lynn Sherr took a collection of speeches, letters, and quotes by Susan B. Anthony. This book goes over all the aspects of her life.

[Donna Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew who Susan B. Anthony was before I picked up this book, but I must admit only superficially. As I read this book, which tells her story in her own words through speeches and interviews, I found myself amazed at what an amazing woman she was.
She worked her entire life to bring about the vote for women and had a quick wit which enabled her to deal with the people who tried to keep women from getting the right to vote.
I must admit it was at times a slow read. The style of writing and speaking was different from today, but it was well worth the extra time to think about every word she said and to follow her viewpoints as she evolved as a person.
I really appreciated the right to vote and it was all due to her and the women that worked with her.
We are so fortunate to have her as a former resident of Rochester, NY!

[Christopher Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for content alone. For presentation, two stars would be generous. This is not a biography of Susan B. Anthony, it’s a loosely organized collection of quotes, diary and article snippets, and anecdotes. They are somewhat organized by theme, but even within a chapter the chronology jumps back and forth entire decades. This has the unfortunate effect of robbing them of all context. With the constant jumping through time and long stretches of italicized text, this was a real chore to read.
If I weren’t so interested in the subject I never would have finished this. There are some really great quotes and stories in here.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read compendium of Susan B. Anthony quotes and excerpts from various primary sources. It also contains some general history on the women's suffrage movement itself and pleasant informative commentaries by the author. I have no words with which to adequately describe my love and admiration for Miss Anthony and her work that continues to influence us and our society today. I wholeheartedly suport the canonization of Saint Susan B. Anthony, Our Lady of Suffrage!

[Larry Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a biography but a book full of quotes , speeches and letters written by Susan B and her friends and relatives organized by topics rather than by years. It gives a good idea of this important persons devotion to the cause for women.
I came away with a good basic idea of what women went through before and during the suffrage battle. I thought it was good for me (A man) and would probably be good for most of us to remind ourselves of this important time in history.

[Laura Waxman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I used it as a study for the novel I'm writing and had so many sticky tabs throughout it! A very well-put together book that inspires you to dedicate your life to a worthy goal.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read…unusually writing style. Uses letters, speeches, articles in abundance so typically reading source material. Much of it Anthony’s own words so feel like I really know her!

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a unique and creative way to write a biography. I learned so much and have even more admiration for SBA than I did before.

[Shannon]

Skimmed.
Did not like how this was laid out.

[booksbymonth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this is also empowering. Great book for women to read. Its a slow read but has interesting moments.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This text features many quotes from Susan B. Anthony's speeches and letters, and it is clear from the get-go that this is a fascinating person. The author lets Anthony's words stand on their own, however, often without much discussion, and this was a missed opportunity. Researchers seeking resources on Anthony would be a good audience for this book.

[David Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful book. It is a compilation of Susan B. Anthony’s (SBA) writings and speeches. I was excited to learn of a connection to my very own great great grandmother, Helen Mar Whitney, for whom my mother is named. Living in Rochester for nearly all my adult life. SBA is even today a prominent fixture and presence.

SBA was perhaps the most eloquent and influential voice in the early struggle for women's rights in the United States. While she dedicated herself to many issues, including the abolition of slavery, temperance, domestic violence, equal pay, coeducation, and financial autonomy, her chief legacy was as a leader of the woman suffrage movement.

From the mid-1800s through the turn of the century, she organized suffrage conventions, lobbied legislators, petitioned politicians, and lectured throughout the country and abroad for what she took to be the most crucial political right of all — the vote. Unlike other women's rights activists, she insisted that the vote was the single most critical right, for without it none of the others would last. While she died 1906, fourteen years before the 19th Amendment was ratified, she nevertheless succeeded in changing many laws and attitudes and became one of America's most venerated public figures.

My favorite among many stories of the book deals with SBA’s relationship with Horace Greely. When SBA voted for Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, she opposed Greeley because he did not support women’s suffrage. Anthony had asked for Greeley’s support five years earlier. He wrote “The bullet and the ballot go together, madam. If you vote, are you prepared to fight?” She tersely responded - “Yes, Mr. Greeley. Just as you fought in the late war—at the point of a goose quill.”

The book is an engaging and well-edited collection of excerpts from Anthony's speeches, letters, diaries, and interviews, woven together by Lynn Sherr's biographical commentary. The book examines all aspects of Anthony's life and work, from her childhood as the daughter of a Quaker activist and her early work in the temperance movement to her close friendships with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott and her efforts over nearly fifty years to secure the vote for women. According to Lynn Sherr, Anthony remains very much a woman for our time. As a pioneer of the women's movement, she and her colleagues were not only the first to take up many of the issues with which today's feminists are struggling, but "they carefully, wittily, and sometimes painfully laid the groundwork for virtually every right" that women are either demanding or already take for granted today.

Quotes

"Modern feminists, whatever they call themselves, tend to believe that every problem they face is a new one, that every issue needs a new solution. In short, they are still trying to reinvent the wheel without realizing that the instruction manual has already been written."

“Yes, your honor, I have many things to say, for in your ordered verdict of guilty, you have trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights are all alike ignored. Robbed of the fundamental privilege of citizenship, I am degraded from the status of a citizen to that of a subject … doomed to political subjection.”

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough, flowing writing. Honest portrayal of her contribution for women. Her tenacity & strength always intense.

The following is a quote that that speaks of her vision for the future that I find very intriguing.

"The women of the Twentieth Century will be the peer of man. In education, in art, in science, in literature; in the church, the state; everywhere she will be his acknowledged equal, though not identical with him. We cannot begin to see the good of this recognition.

It is impossible to foretell his exact conditions that will exist in the home; but we may be sure they will be more in accord with enlightened manhood and womanhood than any now known. The children will be better fed and clothed and schooled when the father, together with the mother, remains at home and takes part in their training.

The transition period from absolute subjection inevitably has many crudities, and many mistakes will be made; but we must have faith to believe that the final working out of the great principles of justice and equality into woman's perfect freedom with man will result in something vastly superior to the present. Man himself will be greatly improved when he finds at his own fireside an equal in the person he calls wife. And this cannot be until she hold in her hand that right preservative of all other rights--the ballot. So the sooner man takes the adjective 'male" from all of his creeds, codes and constitutions, and leave woman to feel her responsibility equally with himself in making and executing all the laws that govern society, the sooner will he begin to reap the harvest of the seed sown in the rights agitation of the nineteenth century.

The Twentieth Century will see man and woman working together to make the world the better for their having lived. All hail to the Twentieth Century! (pg. 305)

--Article, 1900 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 30, 1900, Twentieth Century Supplement, "Woman to Have the Ballot," by SBA

In my home, in my family I fill that I have seen this come to be. In our country we have yet to see justice and equality, completely between just men, or between women alone, how can it be between men and women?

[Michelle Adamo #EmptyNestReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ever there was a reason to vote in every election - no matter how small - it is in this book. "Failure is Impossible” tells the story of the struggle for the right of women to vote fought by Susan B Anthony and her peers. We should all show our appreciation by voting at every opportunity.

A fascinating story of the history of the suffragist movement, as told through Susan B Anthony’s own words, excerpted from her speeches and letters. At times slow-moving but always eye-opening (I picked it up and put it down several times over the course of a year), the book is full of details and information about the issues that she and her peers dealt with including a woman’s right to vote, as well as the same issues women struggle with today: domestic violence, sexual harassment, equal pay and even the victimization of prostitutes. Susan B. Anthony not only helped create the first women’s movement in this country, she led it- for more than 50 years.
We are the beneficiaries of their work.They laid the groundwork for every right we take for granted, and every right we are demanding. They did this so that future generations might enjoy the freedom denied them.

Named for her last public words: “Failure is impossible”—reflects Anthony's determination to help women be seen as equals and is a must read for women and men alike. Anthony leaves us with one final message to women everywhere: “Your judgment is sound, your opinion is worthy to be counted. ****

#EmptyNestReader #instagram #facebook #goodreads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle
#bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #womenshistorymonth #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #womenshistory #feminism

[Justin Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Inspired by the election this year, I wanted to read a good biography of Susan B Anthony. Most of the books I found were children's books, out of print, or out-of-print children's books. I thought this book seemed promising, but it let me down.

This is a collection of barely contextualized, often repetitive quotes, organized by subject matter (marriage, education) and presented with only superficial insight. It is more like reading someone's notes for a book than a finished product.

If entire chapters of Anthony repeating the same ideas over and over again to different friends and then in newspaper columns appeals you, this still might not be a good book to get for your kindle. The digital book was OCRed from a printed book full of italicizes words and never proofread; there are about 2–3 annoying typos per page.

I just stopped reading before getting too frustrated. I'd recommend you don't even start.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of some of the writings of Susan B. Anthony, one of the grande dames of the suffrage movement. It was slow going, but fascinating stuff. I really felt like I got to know her--her tenacity and courage and wit and just sheer stubbornness. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in women's history.

[Syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amazed by Susan's stamina when I read this book. I had no idea how old she was when she was traipsing around the country. Quite possibly one of the best books about determination I've ever read.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

so far i have read her introduction and the first 6 chapters and so far it is really good actually. Because she has been through her father diying and her mother having a nother child. she was born with a twin sister but she died at birth

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one to pick up and read portions of the book at your leisure. It really makes you appreciate what an incredible woman Susan B. Anthony was and how much women owe her and those who fight for the right for women to vote.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book you can read over time - I read it off an on over a six month period. In a time when it seems like our vote doesn't matter and the tendency is to just not bother, this was a great reminder to not take the right to vote lightly.

[Karen]

* Understanding Oppression: African American Rights (Then and Now)
* Understanding Oppression: Womens Rights (Then and Now)
Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words #slavery #suffrage #feminism

[Suzii Paynter]

Persist, hope, believe, organize, achieve.