What do you think?
Rate this book
The Icon and the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America
A riveting history about the little-known rivalry between Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett that profoundly shaped reproductive rights in America
In the early days of the reproductive rights movement, two pioneering activists Margaret Sanger and Mary Dennett. Sanger would go on to found Planned Parenthood, while Dennett’s name has largely faded from public awareness. Each held a radically different vision for what reproductive autonomy and birth control access should look like in America.
Few are aware of the fierce personal and political rivalry that played out between Sanger and Dennett over decades—a battle that had a profound impact on the lives of American women. Stephanie Gorton’s meticulously researched and vividly drawn new history, The Icon and the Idealist, reveals how and why these two women came to activism, the origins of the clash between them, and the ways in which their missteps and breakthroughs have reverberated across American society for generations.
With deep archival scope and rigorous execution, The Icon and the Idealist weaves together a personal narrative of two fascinating women and the political history of a country arriving at one of the most necessary social inventions of the modern day. Refusing to shy away from the enmeshed struggles of race, class, and gender, Gorton has made a sweeping examination of every force that has come in the way of women’s reproductive freedom.
Brimming with insight and compelling portraits of women’s struggles throughout the twentieth century, The Icon and the Idealist is a comprehensive history of a radical cultural movement.
In the early days of the reproductive rights movement, two pioneering activists Margaret Sanger and Mary Dennett. Sanger would go on to found Planned Parenthood, while Dennett’s name has largely faded from public awareness. Each held a radically different vision for what reproductive autonomy and birth control access should look like in America.
Few are aware of the fierce personal and political rivalry that played out between Sanger and Dennett over decades—a battle that had a profound impact on the lives of American women. Stephanie Gorton’s meticulously researched and vividly drawn new history, The Icon and the Idealist, reveals how and why these two women came to activism, the origins of the clash between them, and the ways in which their missteps and breakthroughs have reverberated across American society for generations.
With deep archival scope and rigorous execution, The Icon and the Idealist weaves together a personal narrative of two fascinating women and the political history of a country arriving at one of the most necessary social inventions of the modern day. Refusing to shy away from the enmeshed struggles of race, class, and gender, Gorton has made a sweeping examination of every force that has come in the way of women’s reproductive freedom.
Brimming with insight and compelling portraits of women’s struggles throughout the twentieth century, The Icon and the Idealist is a comprehensive history of a radical cultural movement.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published November 26, 2024
114 people are currently reading
5366 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Gorton
2 books61 followersStephanie Gorton wrote "The Icon and the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry that Brought Birth Control to America" (2024), which won the ASJA Award for Biography/History, was a finalist for the Plutarch Award for biography, and was longlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize. Her first book was "Citizen Reporters: S. S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and the Magazine that Rewrote America" (2020), a finalist for the Sperber Prize for journalism biography.
Previously, she held editorial roles at Canongate Books, The Overlook Press, and Open Road, and fellowships with the Logan Nonfiction Program at the Carey Institute for Global Good and the Massachusetts Historical Society. She has guest-taught at institutions including NYU, Northeastern, and Goucher College, and been a guest speaker at the Southern Festival of Books, WAWA Welcome America Festival, Brandeis Book & Author Festival, and Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Boston Globe, and Smithsonian, among other publications, and she has appeared on radio shows including On Point and Slate Political Gabfest.
Lebanese American by birth, she lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
Previously, she held editorial roles at Canongate Books, The Overlook Press, and Open Road, and fellowships with the Logan Nonfiction Program at the Carey Institute for Global Good and the Massachusetts Historical Society. She has guest-taught at institutions including NYU, Northeastern, and Goucher College, and been a guest speaker at the Southern Festival of Books, WAWA Welcome America Festival, Brandeis Book & Author Festival, and Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Boston Globe, and Smithsonian, among other publications, and she has appeared on radio shows including On Point and Slate Political Gabfest.
Lebanese American by birth, she lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 31, 2025
Scared me with its relevancy to today. Had a hard time keeping track of the two women and some of the key players sometimes. There was a LOT of information packed into this book.
February 22, 2025
I was unfamiliar with Dennett's story. Reading about these two women's experiences was very eye-opening.
Women can never be unvigilant about our reproductive health.
Women can never be unvigilant about our reproductive health.
October 15, 2024
The Icon and the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America is an entertaining and enlightening double biography. Author Stephanie Gorton chronicles the intersecting lives and work of Dennett and Sanger, two of the early 20th century's leading (and often competing) birth control activists. (I received an advance copy through Goodreads' Giveaways in exchange for my review.)
I didn't come to this book with much knowledge of either Dennett or Sanger, but I was quickly enthralled by this history of their activism. Gorton gives equal time to her subjects, detailing their parallel journeys. As Gorton tells it, the two women had contrasting styles--Dennett more academic, Sanger more emotional--and different approaches to making contraception more widely available. Dennett spent many years working to change national law, while Sanger initially focused on educating the public through her writing and speeches.
"Dennett had made inroads in Congress so far as creating a birth control lobby, faltering and joked-about as it was," Gorton writes of Dennett's accomplishments circa 1922. "She had laid a foundation. Meanwhile, Sanger was writing books and periodicals on the topic, holding conferences to promote it, and testing and pushing the parameters of the law. Unwilling as they were to work together, they were each assembling necessary components for a movement that had momentum--a movement that could persuade a meaningful mass of people who wielded cultural and political clout, and who could carry birth control out of the muffled darkness of a taboo into legality and legitimacy."
The fact that birth control ultimately wasn’t legalized in the United States until 1965 (more than four decades later!) clearly demonstrates the headwinds Dennett and Sanger faced. It also hints at how their individual advocacy could undercut each other. The rivalry between them is a recurring theme, a consistent source of frisson through the book.
Gorton is clear-eyed in presenting the strengths and shortcomings of both individuals. As much as Dennett and Sanger are presented as brave and resilient, they are also shown to be petty and short-sighted at times. Gorton captures all of their messy humanity. This is particularly true as their early bodily-autonomy arguments for birth control give way to more eugenics-based arguments (particularly in Sanger's case). Gorton spends considerable time examining how the birth control movement became intertwined with the eugenics movement—how it was politically advantageous and how it had disastrous consequences.
In addition to being an informative double biography, this book is an engaging look a transformative period in American history. The United States of a century ago was a very different country, and Gorton paints a vivid and detailed picture of the world that Dennett and Sanger inhabited. She also draws clear connections to the present, illustrating how the issues of Dennett’s and Sanger’s time are still very present today.
Well-researched and highly readable, The Icon and the Idealist is recommended for anyone who wants to better understand movements and how they're shaped by the personalities involved.
I didn't come to this book with much knowledge of either Dennett or Sanger, but I was quickly enthralled by this history of their activism. Gorton gives equal time to her subjects, detailing their parallel journeys. As Gorton tells it, the two women had contrasting styles--Dennett more academic, Sanger more emotional--and different approaches to making contraception more widely available. Dennett spent many years working to change national law, while Sanger initially focused on educating the public through her writing and speeches.
"Dennett had made inroads in Congress so far as creating a birth control lobby, faltering and joked-about as it was," Gorton writes of Dennett's accomplishments circa 1922. "She had laid a foundation. Meanwhile, Sanger was writing books and periodicals on the topic, holding conferences to promote it, and testing and pushing the parameters of the law. Unwilling as they were to work together, they were each assembling necessary components for a movement that had momentum--a movement that could persuade a meaningful mass of people who wielded cultural and political clout, and who could carry birth control out of the muffled darkness of a taboo into legality and legitimacy."
The fact that birth control ultimately wasn’t legalized in the United States until 1965 (more than four decades later!) clearly demonstrates the headwinds Dennett and Sanger faced. It also hints at how their individual advocacy could undercut each other. The rivalry between them is a recurring theme, a consistent source of frisson through the book.
Gorton is clear-eyed in presenting the strengths and shortcomings of both individuals. As much as Dennett and Sanger are presented as brave and resilient, they are also shown to be petty and short-sighted at times. Gorton captures all of their messy humanity. This is particularly true as their early bodily-autonomy arguments for birth control give way to more eugenics-based arguments (particularly in Sanger's case). Gorton spends considerable time examining how the birth control movement became intertwined with the eugenics movement—how it was politically advantageous and how it had disastrous consequences.
In addition to being an informative double biography, this book is an engaging look a transformative period in American history. The United States of a century ago was a very different country, and Gorton paints a vivid and detailed picture of the world that Dennett and Sanger inhabited. She also draws clear connections to the present, illustrating how the issues of Dennett’s and Sanger’s time are still very present today.
Well-researched and highly readable, The Icon and the Idealist is recommended for anyone who wants to better understand movements and how they're shaped by the personalities involved.
March 23, 2025
I rarely write reviews, but this book feels so important in the current climate that I want more people to read it. This was such an interesting deep dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the fight for legalizing contraception. I didn't know of Mary Ware Dennet, but the portraits of both her and Margaret Sanger were very engaging.
January 20, 2025
Though the information was good and I enjoyed the stories, the writing was dry, and I found this book very hard to get through.
December 21, 2024
Interesting view of two early birth controllers and how they built the world we know today. I must say that I found Dennet much less interesting than Sanger. I consistently wanted to dive much deeper into Sanger’s contradictions and ego. Dennet, on the other hand, seemed to be a significantly more strait forward individual who removed herself from private life in the last couple chapters of the book leaving the stage entirely to Sanger. Her inclusion makes sense as an expansion to the existing historical narratives regarding the BC movement but as a reader only vaguely familiar with Sanger and completely unfamiliar with Dennett, I was left unsatisfied.
The book also occasionally digressed into the modern day. For example, at one point the Catholic response to the BC movement is mentions, so Gorton gives a short history of Catholic BC doctrine up to 2022. These detours felt somewhat out of place and should probably have been kept to the epilogue.
The chapter on the African American relation to BC also felt out of place since Dennett and Sanger were nearly completely removed from its narrative. While I understand the desire to defend the BC movement from accusations of racism, this book is nominally a dual biography. Not to mention, the contents of the chapter are worth an entire book of consideration leaving the chapter feeling under considered.
The book also occasionally digressed into the modern day. For example, at one point the Catholic response to the BC movement is mentions, so Gorton gives a short history of Catholic BC doctrine up to 2022. These detours felt somewhat out of place and should probably have been kept to the epilogue.
The chapter on the African American relation to BC also felt out of place since Dennett and Sanger were nearly completely removed from its narrative. While I understand the desire to defend the BC movement from accusations of racism, this book is nominally a dual biography. Not to mention, the contents of the chapter are worth an entire book of consideration leaving the chapter feeling under considered.
April 22, 2025
Incredibly in-depth reporting on such an important topic. It’s been over 100 years and we are still facing similar issues today! Definitely recommend if you like literary non-fiction, history, and stories of women’s rights.
June 25, 2025
Marathon- read this and ate up every delicious morsel of this melodrama.
September 22, 2024
I anticipate that this book will be pitched as being about the repetition of history, and the persistence of the fight for women's rights. Post-
Dobbs
, and particularly post-Thomas' concurrence in Dobbs, status of contraception as a matter of protected rights is in doubt in the United States. However, in our ongoing Decision '24 series, I think that the history here is more useful in the difference in the arguments, and what that means.
This is a dual biography of Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett, two advocates for birth control and women's rights in the early part of the 20th Century. Sanger is remembered, occasionally unfondly, as the creator of Planned Parenthood, while Dennett is forgotten. In the process of telling their stories, the book is a history of contraception, abortion, and reproductive rights in general, with a focus on how those points interacted with early Feminist thought and policy.
The framing of the book is odd, and the epilogue admits as such. Sanger is meant as the icon and Dennett the idealist, but neither label fits either. The distinction in their views is somewhat ex post facto, in the way that Sanger seems archaic while Dennett seems prescient if not modern. It is also odd to call it a rivalry, since they were rarely in direct competition. But the enmity arose from a snub on the part of Dennett that Sanger never forgot or forgave, and was frequently in a position to extract vengeance for.
Sanger wanted a bigger change with smaller effects, while Dennett wanted the contrary. The distinction in their methodologies is greater. Sanger was a front-office coalition builder (which is often core to her being criticized). Dennett was more of a lobbyist, working on careful persuasion of targeted individuals who could effect the changes that she wanted. They were both harassed by Postal Inspectors, and they both had feet of clay when it came to race and eugenics.
The book favors Dennett, but this seems a reasonable choice, in terms of Dennett's contemporary philosophy, and her being lesser known. But one of the masterful qualities of the book is that it is not limited to biography. Each chapter is dense with contextual information so that the reader understands what is going on, even without much background in the topic or even U.S. history.
We are still debating contraception, abortion, and feminism. The earlier form of this argument here brings into focus how this is about female autonomy: not bodily, but at all. The ossified euphemisms of the modern debate is not this, but it ought to be entirely relevant for how those arguments are understood.
It is reflected in Sanger and Dennett's disagreements in themselves, both about who acts with authority in the proto Feminist movements but also how feminism itself ought to relate to the concept of the existing authority, when to challenge and how, and what responsibilities to make personal versus what to need professionals.
In short, exemplary book, and a slow read in a good way in providing a surplus of detail and explanation.
My thanks to the author, Stephanie Gorton, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Ecco, for making the ARC available to me.
This is a dual biography of Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett, two advocates for birth control and women's rights in the early part of the 20th Century. Sanger is remembered, occasionally unfondly, as the creator of Planned Parenthood, while Dennett is forgotten. In the process of telling their stories, the book is a history of contraception, abortion, and reproductive rights in general, with a focus on how those points interacted with early Feminist thought and policy.
The framing of the book is odd, and the epilogue admits as such. Sanger is meant as the icon and Dennett the idealist, but neither label fits either. The distinction in their views is somewhat ex post facto, in the way that Sanger seems archaic while Dennett seems prescient if not modern. It is also odd to call it a rivalry, since they were rarely in direct competition. But the enmity arose from a snub on the part of Dennett that Sanger never forgot or forgave, and was frequently in a position to extract vengeance for.
Sanger wanted a bigger change with smaller effects, while Dennett wanted the contrary. The distinction in their methodologies is greater. Sanger was a front-office coalition builder (which is often core to her being criticized). Dennett was more of a lobbyist, working on careful persuasion of targeted individuals who could effect the changes that she wanted. They were both harassed by Postal Inspectors, and they both had feet of clay when it came to race and eugenics.
The book favors Dennett, but this seems a reasonable choice, in terms of Dennett's contemporary philosophy, and her being lesser known. But one of the masterful qualities of the book is that it is not limited to biography. Each chapter is dense with contextual information so that the reader understands what is going on, even without much background in the topic or even U.S. history.
We are still debating contraception, abortion, and feminism. The earlier form of this argument here brings into focus how this is about female autonomy: not bodily, but at all. The ossified euphemisms of the modern debate is not this, but it ought to be entirely relevant for how those arguments are understood.
It is reflected in Sanger and Dennett's disagreements in themselves, both about who acts with authority in the proto Feminist movements but also how feminism itself ought to relate to the concept of the existing authority, when to challenge and how, and what responsibilities to make personal versus what to need professionals.
In short, exemplary book, and a slow read in a good way in providing a surplus of detail and explanation.
My thanks to the author, Stephanie Gorton, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Ecco, for making the ARC available to me.
December 28, 2024
I found this an excellent overiview of the battle for birth control and a more widely applicable study of how social and political change happens. Stephanie Gorton clearly did deep research in the archives. She has assembled the facts into a balanced, engaging and very clearly written study of the two leading proponents of legalizing access to birth control in the first half of the twentieth century.
Mary Ware Dennett took the more idealistic course by fighting for the right to information on the basis of equal protection under the Constitution. Sanger was more direct, using more practical arguments and accepting a practical alliance: asking for access to birth control only through physicians.
The book follows their decades of work to change public information about sex and contraception, to publicize the massive human (especially female) cost of unceasing childbearing, and to eliminate legal impediments. Sanger chose a more public, state-by-state based movement, while Dennett spent years lobbying Congress to take contraception terminology out of the Comstock Law because it barred shipping sex manuals and contraceptive devices. Eventually, the events that rolled back the barriers were liberating court cases. These were decided, not coincidentally, long after public opinion had coalesesced behind the birth control movement so strongly that to obstruct itappeared insupportable. But still Congress has not passed a law affirming the right to birth control.
The closing chapter states the obvious: without such legislative (preferably Constitutional) protection for all reproductive rights, there is no guarantee that what happened to Roe v Wade under Dobbs won't happen to birth control. The conservative Congressmen (and they were men) who refused to consider Margaret Dennett's arguments for the benefits of, and right to, birth control in the 1920s and 1930s sound virtually identical to many right wing members of Congress today.
Finally, Gorton deals straightforowardly with the contentious relationship between Sanger and Dennett. The existence of rival organizations, and Sanger's sabotage of Dennett's legislative efforts, are lessons for all groups trying to effect social change. At the same time, they remind us that all social movements are composed of human beings with faults as well as commitment and various gifts. Sanger and Dennett led lives of loss, intermittant poverty, and years away from their families in pursuit of their goals. We have much to thank them for.
Mary Ware Dennett took the more idealistic course by fighting for the right to information on the basis of equal protection under the Constitution. Sanger was more direct, using more practical arguments and accepting a practical alliance: asking for access to birth control only through physicians.
The book follows their decades of work to change public information about sex and contraception, to publicize the massive human (especially female) cost of unceasing childbearing, and to eliminate legal impediments. Sanger chose a more public, state-by-state based movement, while Dennett spent years lobbying Congress to take contraception terminology out of the Comstock Law because it barred shipping sex manuals and contraceptive devices. Eventually, the events that rolled back the barriers were liberating court cases. These were decided, not coincidentally, long after public opinion had coalesesced behind the birth control movement so strongly that to obstruct itappeared insupportable. But still Congress has not passed a law affirming the right to birth control.
The closing chapter states the obvious: without such legislative (preferably Constitutional) protection for all reproductive rights, there is no guarantee that what happened to Roe v Wade under Dobbs won't happen to birth control. The conservative Congressmen (and they were men) who refused to consider Margaret Dennett's arguments for the benefits of, and right to, birth control in the 1920s and 1930s sound virtually identical to many right wing members of Congress today.
Finally, Gorton deals straightforowardly with the contentious relationship between Sanger and Dennett. The existence of rival organizations, and Sanger's sabotage of Dennett's legislative efforts, are lessons for all groups trying to effect social change. At the same time, they remind us that all social movements are composed of human beings with faults as well as commitment and various gifts. Sanger and Dennett led lives of loss, intermittant poverty, and years away from their families in pursuit of their goals. We have much to thank them for.
June 27, 2025
First things first - I’m definitely team Mary Ware Dennett. Margaret Sanger seems like she would have been difficult to tolerate for long periods of time - and like she was definitely looking out for number one as they say. All that aside, this is a fascinating book about the unquestionably huge contributions both of these women made to the availability of birth control in the United States. Sanger is the titular icon and Dennett is the idealist - but they both made serious inroads in the first part of the 20th century - creating awareness and ultimately accessibility while continuing to fight the legal fight - both in Congress and in the courts. Dennett’s devotion to sex education was extraordinary as well. The book is also the story of the historical birth control movement these women led - and describes the way their relationship and eventual personal animosity for each other and their inability to agree on tactics and approach compromised the movement they both cared about so intensely.
The book covers the role of eugenics and the association of the early birth control movement with the eugenics movement - and while I was certainly aware of eugenics, I was unaware before reading this book of how pervasive those views were during some of this period in American history. Gorton talks about the well-known connection between eugenics and racial discrimination but also highlights the other categories of people whose reproductive rights were at risk based on eugenics ideas - including disabilities or deformities, STIs, tuberculosis, illiteracy, and immorality.
Gorton also provides excellent coverage of the Comstock Act and - particularly Dennett’s diligent attempts over many years to get the provisions regarding contraceptives repealed.
All of this historical information is particularly important today - now that scotus has overruled Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision. Justice Thomas clearly stated in his concurring opinion that all of the rights secured by sdp should be reevaluated, including the right to contraception. Anti-choice groups are also currently working to inhibit access to contraceptives and we are still in a world where most of the states that criminalize abortion offer nothing beyond abstinence for sex education. The book seems very timely - a chance to remember where we have been when we are still fighting some of the same fights we fought 100 years ago. Worth a read.
The book covers the role of eugenics and the association of the early birth control movement with the eugenics movement - and while I was certainly aware of eugenics, I was unaware before reading this book of how pervasive those views were during some of this period in American history. Gorton talks about the well-known connection between eugenics and racial discrimination but also highlights the other categories of people whose reproductive rights were at risk based on eugenics ideas - including disabilities or deformities, STIs, tuberculosis, illiteracy, and immorality.
Gorton also provides excellent coverage of the Comstock Act and - particularly Dennett’s diligent attempts over many years to get the provisions regarding contraceptives repealed.
All of this historical information is particularly important today - now that scotus has overruled Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision. Justice Thomas clearly stated in his concurring opinion that all of the rights secured by sdp should be reevaluated, including the right to contraception. Anti-choice groups are also currently working to inhibit access to contraceptives and we are still in a world where most of the states that criminalize abortion offer nothing beyond abstinence for sex education. The book seems very timely - a chance to remember where we have been when we are still fighting some of the same fights we fought 100 years ago. Worth a read.
September 5, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you so much to Stephanie for providing me a copy of your incredible book via Goodreads Giveaways! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Stephanie Gorton’s The Icon and the Idealist is a compelling and masterfully crafted narrative that combines historical depth with nuanced character exploration. Gorton weaves a gripping tale of two contrasting yet interconnected figures whose lives unfold in a meticulously researched setting.
The strength of this book lies in its rich character development and the intricate portrayal of their personal struggles and triumphs. Gorton’s writing is both evocative and insightful, bringing the historical context to life while maintaining a deeply engaging and emotional storyline. The balance between historical accuracy and creative storytelling is flawless, making it a captivating read for both history enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
The pacing is perfect, with each chapter revealing more about the characters and their evolving relationships. The dialogue is authentic and contributes significantly to the overall immersion into the time period.
The Icon and the Idealist is more than just a historical fiction; it’s a profound exploration of ideals versus reality, making it a standout novel that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a gripping and thought-provoking read.
Thank you so much to Stephanie for providing me a copy of your incredible book via Goodreads Giveaways! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Stephanie Gorton’s The Icon and the Idealist is a compelling and masterfully crafted narrative that combines historical depth with nuanced character exploration. Gorton weaves a gripping tale of two contrasting yet interconnected figures whose lives unfold in a meticulously researched setting.
The strength of this book lies in its rich character development and the intricate portrayal of their personal struggles and triumphs. Gorton’s writing is both evocative and insightful, bringing the historical context to life while maintaining a deeply engaging and emotional storyline. The balance between historical accuracy and creative storytelling is flawless, making it a captivating read for both history enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
The pacing is perfect, with each chapter revealing more about the characters and their evolving relationships. The dialogue is authentic and contributes significantly to the overall immersion into the time period.
The Icon and the Idealist is more than just a historical fiction; it’s a profound exploration of ideals versus reality, making it a standout novel that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a gripping and thought-provoking read.
December 7, 2024
Gorton’s double biography of Margaret Sanger and Mary Dennett does more than tell the personal histories of two key American activists in the fight for birth control in the first half of the 20th century; it also provides a thorough political and cultural context of the time and why exactly that fight proved so difficult.
Both leaders worked tirelessly to enact change and to help women (particularly women living in poverty) exert bodily autonomy. Their methods and aims were different, and because they were often at odds, they undermined each other’s work. Groton explains why and how this happened, while exploring each woman’s respective strengths and talents, as well as their flaws (ego, stubbornness). Groton does a masterful job of unpacking why the birth control movement, led primarily by white women, unfortunately aligned with the eugenics movement and sidelined women of color.
I found this to be a well-researched, fascinating book, one that exposes a history of outrageous sexism. I knew next to nothing about Dennett, and am glad that Groton is bringing attention to Dennett’s important role in fighting for women’s rights. It is a timely read, given the current post-Dobbs climate and the potential for the Comstock Act to come back into play; we are sadly reliving aspects of the era Groton investigates, when women were prevented from obtaining the health care they so desperately needed and deserved.
Both leaders worked tirelessly to enact change and to help women (particularly women living in poverty) exert bodily autonomy. Their methods and aims were different, and because they were often at odds, they undermined each other’s work. Groton explains why and how this happened, while exploring each woman’s respective strengths and talents, as well as their flaws (ego, stubbornness). Groton does a masterful job of unpacking why the birth control movement, led primarily by white women, unfortunately aligned with the eugenics movement and sidelined women of color.
I found this to be a well-researched, fascinating book, one that exposes a history of outrageous sexism. I knew next to nothing about Dennett, and am glad that Groton is bringing attention to Dennett’s important role in fighting for women’s rights. It is a timely read, given the current post-Dobbs climate and the potential for the Comstock Act to come back into play; we are sadly reliving aspects of the era Groton investigates, when women were prevented from obtaining the health care they so desperately needed and deserved.
February 10, 2025
Blown away by this one, both in its prose (very compelling) and content. Popular history tends to be, well, too popular (i.e. surface-level) for me, but this book does such an excellent job of discussing the historical context and ideas around gender, race, sexuality, womanhood, US postal law, eugenics, and how that shaped both Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett approaches birth control and the birth control movement as a whole. As with all things in history, the idea of the permanence (and the conservativism) of certain ideologies does not hold up. Birth control was widely used (if not widely accessible) throughout the US until the 1870s, and was only criminalized by the efforts of a particularly persnickety US Postal Inspector, which is so wild! Republican politicians were the first to offer some support of the birth control movement - which I think is vital to know given the current actions/state of the party (though don't get it twisted, their support was 100% for eugenics purposes). Gorton does an excellent job in her discussions of eugenics and Sanger (and Dennett), and avoids villainizing Sanger or downplaying her beliefs. Vital, I think, is Gorton's conclusion, which highlights how the (complicated) legacy of Sanger has been used to discredit Planned Parenthood/diminish women's rights and women's access to healthcare, and how we cannot take for granted the hard work that (complicated and difficult) women did to get us here.
March 27, 2025
In this fascinating new dual biography, readers explore the lives and rivalry of Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett as they founded two sides of the birth control movement in the early twentieth century. In exploring their little-known personal and political rivalry, this timely new history book explores how they became activists, how they became rivals, and how their activism reverberated across modern American history. Full of incredible historical details and primary sources, this book brings a famous woman (Sanger) and a comparatively unknown woman (Dennett) to life in incredible detail. The book itself is excellently written, well-organized, and incredibly detailed, which allows readers to gain a full and complete understanding of this complicated history and its fascinating depths. Engaging, immersive, and descriptive, the book balances the two narratives incredibly well and identifies some of the larger challenges present in this fascinating history around birth control and reproductive rights at the movement’s inception. In addressing this topic with historical objectivity, the book’s incredible detail and fascinating information really educates readers in a balanced and impartial way. Entertaining, informative, and very well-written, this is a brilliant new history book that women’s history readers and those learning about current events absolutely have to read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the advance copy.
February 20, 2025
I picked up the book because it was tagged as historical non-fiction about a topic that greatly concerns women throughout the world today and is an ever-present conversation in modern times.
I understand now that this book was meant as a biography for these women, but the title led me to believe the conversation would be more about birth control and the movement surrounding the need, desires, pros, and cons of birth control instead of their individual lives.
Overall, it was very informative; however, I am dismayed that the book skipped over the negative history and consequences of birth control that need to be part of every conversation when discussing the future of birth control. The whole "oh, she's not racist despite supporting eugenics" thing got really old after stating multiple times that Sanger was pro-destruction of anyone who wasn't able-bodied and white. Why this was glossed over and understated as if her ideals were noble is beyond me. Say what you will about the necessity of birth control, but her reasons were atrocious and should be treated as such.
Overall, the book is fine, but I don't support anyone trying to hold Sanger up as a visionary when almost everyone I know and love doesn't fit her vision for a perfect society.
I understand now that this book was meant as a biography for these women, but the title led me to believe the conversation would be more about birth control and the movement surrounding the need, desires, pros, and cons of birth control instead of their individual lives.
Overall, it was very informative; however, I am dismayed that the book skipped over the negative history and consequences of birth control that need to be part of every conversation when discussing the future of birth control. The whole "oh, she's not racist despite supporting eugenics" thing got really old after stating multiple times that Sanger was pro-destruction of anyone who wasn't able-bodied and white. Why this was glossed over and understated as if her ideals were noble is beyond me. Say what you will about the necessity of birth control, but her reasons were atrocious and should be treated as such.
Overall, the book is fine, but I don't support anyone trying to hold Sanger up as a visionary when almost everyone I know and love doesn't fit her vision for a perfect society.
May 9, 2025
This is an era of American history that I am sadly not familiar with, so coming to this book I knew I was asking a lot of the author to not just share the stories of these two women but to set a stage for me so that I could understand the full scope the wolrds.they were living in. Stephanie Gorton did an excellent job on both fronts and wrote a double biography that spoke to me not just of the historical past but also showcases how shades of this past are still being cast on our present. This is not a story of two women in blurry black and white photos, but one of women living Technicolor lives. Beautifully written and researched this is a story that comes to life on the page and makes you wonder what would I have done if I lived then?
Although well written and engaging, please be prepared for a book that will ask you read slowly, thinking, and recorder the way you look at change and how organizations with similar objectives work together or not based on the visions of their founder's philosophies.
Thank you to the Stephanie Gorton, Ecco Publishers, and Goodreads for the copy that I read. The above are my own thoughts and complete review.
Although well written and engaging, please be prepared for a book that will ask you read slowly, thinking, and recorder the way you look at change and how organizations with similar objectives work together or not based on the visions of their founder's philosophies.
Thank you to the Stephanie Gorton, Ecco Publishers, and Goodreads for the copy that I read. The above are my own thoughts and complete review.
June 2, 2025
Well researched and interesting. Like many, I grew up learning of Margaret Sanger as the heroine of the birth control movement (and, later, her fall from grace) and heard nothing at all of Mary Ware Dennet's contributions. Gorton does a great deep dive into their personal stories and motivations for picking of the mantle of birth control. Dennet, the more didactic of the two, struggled with getting her message through the cloud of her steely convictions, and Sanger, the more savvy of the two, struggled with her ego blinding her to obvious connections that may have furthered the cause. Gorton didn't pull punches on both women's cooperation and perpetuation of eugenics as a point of advocacy for currying favor for birth control (although, it seems, Sanger was much more the believer than Dennet on that point). I enjoyed learning about the forgotten figure of Dennett and learning more about the political and social climate of the era that, in turns, blocked and propelled the cause. Sadly, the book also reveals just how much the current climate has fallen back on old, misogynistic rhetoric to chip away at too much of what Dennett, Sanger and their cohorts struggled to achieve.
April 18, 2025
Incredibly enthralling. I found this book in an attempt to better understand the arguments against abortion as a eugenics movement. I found my answer as the author grapples, rather spectacularly, with the plight of women in a truly troubling era. Not only are the problematic beginnings of planned parenthood addressed, but the movement for birth control is not so neatly separated into two movements inspired by Mary Dennett and Margaret Sanger. This dual biography comprises a tale of two women fighting through hardship together but separate, and the challenges they face because of it. In this sense it becomes crucial literature for anyone who wants to fight for birth control today. It takes understanding of our previous moments to understand this one. So I implore you, in a critical moment for women's rights, to read this book and learn from the mothers of the movement.
July 11, 2025
This book includes detailed history and analysis about the conflicts and connections between two major advocates for the availability of birth control and women's fertility health in the United States. The author then uses the stories of these women and the tensions between them to tell a broader story about the way that different individuals and their allies can create (or fail to create) meaningful social change.
I had heard about Margaret Sanger but I didn't know much about Mary Ware Dennet. I learned a lot from this book and appreciated the new information. It was pretty dense and felt a bit like a marathon, and I wish there had been cleaner checkpoints or additional synthesis. I honestly wouldn't mind adding these even if they made the book slightly longer, as it would have made it feel more nicely segmented.
I had heard about Margaret Sanger but I didn't know much about Mary Ware Dennet. I learned a lot from this book and appreciated the new information. It was pretty dense and felt a bit like a marathon, and I wish there had been cleaner checkpoints or additional synthesis. I honestly wouldn't mind adding these even if they made the book slightly longer, as it would have made it feel more nicely segmented.
February 9, 2025
This is about the history of obtaining birth control for women in the 19th and 20th centuries as told mostly through the stories of two women, Mary Dennett and Margaret Sanger. I felt that the book was longer than needed, and I almost dnf'ed it a couple of times. The beginning was more compelling than the latter parts, which sort of wandered to an ending point. Still, it was interesting to be reminded about what life was like for women in the 19th century when birth control was just one more way that their lives and bodies were not their own. It was also a revelation that the success of birth control legislation was tied to unrelated things such as economics or eugenics, rather than the well-being and rights of women.
May 24, 2025
I didn't find the accounts of the personal lives of Sanger and Dennett to be that interesting. However, the rest of the story makes the book worthwhile. The author opens by revealing that at the start of the 1900s many people didn't really understand the biology of human reproduction. Today we clash over "culture wars", but they were just as extreme one hundred years ago. The Comstock Act caused irreparable harm, and yet it hasn't really gone away. The quotes from radically misogynistic congressmen (all white males, of course), are both comical and shocking, revealing how out of touch they were with their constituency. And finally, the connections between the eugenics and birth control movements are a constant theme throughout the book.
February 5, 2025
This was such an interesting and informative book about the struggle to get birth control legalized and recognized as a human right. I had never heard of Mary Ware Dennett before reading this book, and she was such an important part of the fight. It seems that Margaret Sanger's outsized personality dominated the news, so Dennett was forgotten. The fight seems not to be finished yet. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 likely will try to have birth control outlawed, and with the current Conservative Supreme Court, that is a distinct possibility. If they could overturn Roe, they can do anything they want. This book should be required reading for everyone!
March 26, 2025
--If you like detail, you will love this book. It was a slow read, but seemed thorough. The topics of the detail were very repetitive, although different substance. The author provides pages and pages of notes should you want to explore a "fact" further or just check her facts.
--I had never heard of Mary Dennett before so was glad to be introduced to her and her work. Despite all the book's details, it was hard to get a real sense of Sanger and Dennett going after many of the same goals (but in some very different ways) in the time period. I'd love to time travel back to ~1915 to 1940 and get a close-up of the two women's personalities and efforts.
--I had never heard of Mary Dennett before so was glad to be introduced to her and her work. Despite all the book's details, it was hard to get a real sense of Sanger and Dennett going after many of the same goals (but in some very different ways) in the time period. I'd love to time travel back to ~1915 to 1940 and get a close-up of the two women's personalities and efforts.
March 30, 2025
I knew something of this material because I had read a biography of Margaret Sanger quite a few years ago, but hadn't been aware of Mary Dennett, and had a number of questions about how the movement to legalize birth control information went forward.
At times the book gave a little more detail than I would have liked, and it was discouraging to read about the infighting that went on, but overall the author did an excellent job of recounting this campaign, and I learned a lot. I was so amazed how long it took, and how difficult it was, for women to be treated with respect, and how in our present day it is sliding backward again.
At times the book gave a little more detail than I would have liked, and it was discouraging to read about the infighting that went on, but overall the author did an excellent job of recounting this campaign, and I learned a lot. I was so amazed how long it took, and how difficult it was, for women to be treated with respect, and how in our present day it is sliding backward again.
February 9, 2025
This is a dual biography of birth control advocate Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett, an early feminist and lesser-known rival to Sanger. This was a book I listened to on audio, and I have to admit that there were times I felt the story skipped around somewhat. I don't know if I had read the hardcover if that might have made a difference or not. Giving the book four stars doesn't mean I think it's a bad book, but in places, it could have been better. For anyone interested in the rights of women to control their own bodies, this is definitely a must-read.
December 25, 2024
To a 72-year-old radical feminist who has been fighting these fights for more than 50 years now, is a terrible reminder of the disrespect that this society has for women. The doctors didn’t help until it was financially beneficial to them. Legislators were just as dim and ignorant as they are now. The Comstock Act is still the law. The ignorance and mistreatment of women in this society is astounding. And Trump promises to make it worse.
January 31, 2025
Fascinating deep dive into the birth control movement of the early 1900s and the two women at the forefront in the U.S., Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Demerest. It’s too bad they clashed, because together they could have made better progress, given their differences in personality. The bulwark of paternalistic legislators and the so called morality of the Victorian era were something they had to chip away at, and we’re still chipping today.
February 7, 2025
Very well researched and written book. It is extremely relevant to what is happening today, as women continue to fight for their rights. Even with the right to vote, women today are up against the same forces and even some of the same laws that were enacted over a century ago that aim to suppress and restrict their freedom. Much more needs to be done in the legal arena in this regard. The fight won’t be easy, as these women showed.
March 7, 2025
I knew nothing about Mary Ware Dennett and really enjoyed her activism and morals. On the other hand, I had heard about Margaret Sanger but didn't realize what a b**** she was and how she used the eugenics movement and also her beauty to make a name for herself by getting birth control legislation passed and not let anyone else have any glory. I enjoyed hearing Stephanie Gorton speak at the Brandeis luncheon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews