Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution

by Denise Kiernan

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Girls of Atomic City and The Last Castle comes a sweeping chronicle challenging the traditional mythology of the nation's beginnings and championing the unsung women behind the American Revolution.

History has always celebrated the "Founding Fathers"—the sly but victorious tactics of Washington, the daring exploits of Lafayette, the grand ideas of Jefferson. Yet we rarely hear of the women who kept the colonies running and liberty alive. Obstinate Daughters finally rewrites the story of America’s birth by revealing the courageous, resourceful women whose actions shaped a nation. From the battlefields to the printing press, from the plantations to the pulpit, these women fought, spied, published, preached, farmed, organized. From the front lines to the home front, from the colonies to the frontier, these unsung heroines turned the tide.

In Obstinate Daughters, readers will meet women who armed themselves and took matters into their own hands to defend their town. A Cherokee leader who warned patriot settlements of looming attacks, risking the lives of her own people in the process. A British spy at the center of a plot to assassinate George Washington. Enslaved women who risked their lives while fighting a parallel battle for their own freedom, embodying the very ideals the revolution claimed to uphold. The only woman to have her name on the Declaration of Independence. And many more.

As she has done so many times before, Kiernan masterfully weaves these individual stories together into a single, compelling narrative and carves a place in history for these impactful females. With journalistic rigor and narrative flair, Kiernan reminds us that the past is always open to challenge, and that every untold story can inspire a new generation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American Revolution, American History, War, Biography, Womens

432 pages, Hardcover

First published June 23, 2026

About the author

Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist, producer, and host of “CRAFT: Authors in Conversation.” Her new young reader’s book, "We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from then to now," arrived September 2023, and is a companion title to the popular adult nonfiction book, "We Gather Together," and children’s picture book, Giving Thanks. Her titles "The Last Castle" and "The Girls of Atomic City" were both instant New York Times bestsellers in both hardcover and paperback. "The Last Castle" was also a Wall Street Journal bestseller, a finalist for the 2018 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. "The Girls of Atomic City" was also a Los Angeles Times and NPR bestseller, was named one of Amazon's “Top 100 Best Books of 2013,” and is now available in multiple languages. It was also awarded the 2014 American Political Science Association's Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for the best book published in the United States on government, politics, or international affairs.

Kiernan has also co-authored several popular history titles including "Signing Their Lives Away," "Signing Their Rights Away," and "Stuff Every American Should Know." She has been published in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, Time, Ms. Magazine, Reader's Digest, Discover and many more publications. She has also worked in television, serving as head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season and has produced for media outlets such as ESPN and MSNBC.Throughout her career, Kiernan has been a featured guest on many radio and television shows, including NPR's "Weekend Edition," PBS NewsHour, MSNBC Morning Joe and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She lives in North Carolina.

Find out more about Denise's projects at:
http://denisekiernan.com
http://facebook.com/DeniseKiernanAuthor
http://www.twitter.com/DeniseKiernan
https://www.instagram.com/iamdeniseki...

Reviews

[Linda Galella]

From the earliest pages to the last, while reading OBSTINATE DAUGHTERS , by Denise Kiernan, the old adage, “Behind every great man is a greater woman.”, kept coming to mind. The women presented in this meticulously researched book come to life under the skillful prose of Kiernan. Some of the brave daughters were familiar but most were new to me. Their accomplishments were foundational in the formation of our United States of America and it’s well beyond time for them to be recognized. Two hundred fifty years was a long time to wait but they’ve finally been recognized by a talented author who gave eight years of her life to give them their due.

Author, Denise Kiernan’s, writing is exquisite. Her ability to take extensive research and deliver accessible prose, is magical. I was drawn completely into each chapter and amazed as individuals reappeared, how they interconnected and moved through Revolutionary War events.

It was extremely satisfying to find so many of these women involved in writing, bookstores, newspapers and other literary pursuits. The accounts of how an enslaved poetess moved freely to provide critical influence thru her poetry had me stunned. All of these women were courageous, sometimes acting in place of wounded or dead husbands as far as fighting on battle fields. Others took over family businesses in their absence or created businesses of their own to help in the fight for freedom. Chapters highlighting women acting as spies, dressing like men for access purposes or taking on key religious roles are thrilling. More than a few times it felt like I was reading an epic thriller. I can easily see this book becoming a series on a streaming platform.

The book begins with insights about the Indigenous tribes and their women leaders; immensely interesting and not what’s being taught in our history classes. Kiernan begins this discussion well before the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s an humbling part of this work. If you ever wondered about wampum, you’ll find an informative explanation in these pages.

Kiernan continues the book in rough chronological order of events. In between traditional chapters, she inserts unnumbered others that tell of her personal experiences visiting locations of particular importance to the story. Readers are clued in to present day conditions about key historical sites and unique opportunities to experience; intriguing.

The final 20% of the book is devoted to Kiernan’s notes. To quote the author, “Welcome to the notes section! You’re about to have a blast”. Part of the notes are what she calls, “Global”. These are a few pages of groupings by specific subject for easy access. Most of the notes are done exhaustively by chapter. For those who enjoy extra details, her key research info is easily visited by smart links highlighted blue. It will be easy to spend days, maybe months, following your own inquiries.

Who’s the best reader for this magnificent book? Highly recommended for readers of American History, Revolutionary War, History, Women in History, Women of the Revolutionary War or any reader of Non-Fiction, Homeschoolers. An excellent addition to Highschool Libraries, Public Libraries, Family Libraries. A must read for everyone📚

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.
Read and Reviewed from an e-ARC via Kindle with thanks to the publisher and author.

[Katie B]

Thank you Dutton for sending me a free advance copy!

I’m always up for learning about women’s wartime contributions. OBSTINATE DAUGHTERS caught my eye as the focus was on the American Revolution rather than a world war. The author introduces us to sone of the women whose actions helped shape the country and also shares her travel tales to the historical sites.

It’s been decades since I’ve been in a classroom so the book also served as a refresher course on the American Revolution. Native and enslaved women were featured as well rather than focusing only on white women’s contributions. While there’s a ton of interesting info presented it was hard keeping track of everyone. Someone would be introduced and then it might be awhile before their name was brought up again.

So a bumpy reading experience but if you have a strong interest in the subject it’s still worth checking out.

[Bailey]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I did not feel that the author focused as much on women as they thought they did. Obviously, the women were a central part of the story, but it was also very based around the men as well. I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting.

[Sharon Huether]

A historical account of women who ignited the American Revolution.
The Author brought to life the hidden stories of extraordinary women on all sides of the Revolution.
The author detained researched brought the reader to New England present day as the author investigates the street and buildings, used by these women.

These are the women: Eliza Pinchney, Polly Cooper, Abigail Adams, Mary Otis Warren, Sybil Ludington, Esther De Berdt Reed, Lucy Knox, Mary Katherine Goddard, Nancy Ward Watauga, Deborah Sampson, Margaret Corbin, Elizabeth Drinker, Belinda Sutton, Phillis Wheatly, Mary Perth, Lucy Stone
and Elizabeth Freeman.

[Rose Crill]

This book did not deliver. The book included more information on the men in the American revolution than the women despite the title. The author would’ve been much better off writing a shorter book that didn’t have filling of pages and pages with no mention of a woman. The author also clearly wanted to write about more marginalized groups than just women, so the book should have been marketed that way. The author included a lot of primary source excerpts that added nothing to the book.
The author also included chapters throughout where she talked about her visits to historical sites. That can be used well to connect the subject matter to the modern world, but that wasn’t accomplished here.
Second after the author giving more attention to men than women is my issue with the organizational structure. The author does not organize it chronologically, geographically, or even topically. There are so many women introduced who have backstories (almost always about how they are related to a man) but not much other substance, until chapters later when they are mentioned again and it’s hard to keep straight who is who.
I went into this book expecting to learn about women’s contributions to the American revolution, but I was just frustrated at the lack of clarity and having to read more information about men that was already stuffing the history books I read in school.

[Patti]

Obstinate Daughters by Denise Kiernan gave me a very different way of looking at the American Revolution. Instead of telling the story primarily through the familiar Founding Fathers, battles, and political speeches, Kiernan focuses on women whose lives and actions were deeply connected to the Revolution. What I found most interesting was the incredible variety of these women. They were soldiers, spies, writers, publishers, preachers, businesswomen, Indigenous leaders, enslaved women, and ordinary women trying to protect their families and communities.

What I appreciated most about the book is that Kiernan doesn’t present one single version of the “Revolutionary woman.” There were women who supported independence, women who remained loyal to Britain, Quaker women who struggled with the morality of war, Indigenous women protecting their communities, and enslaved women pursuing their own freedom. There were also women who simply had to keep their families and businesses functioning while the men in their lives were away.

That made the Revolution feel much more personal to me. Instead of thinking only about dates like 1776 or famous events such as the Declaration of Independence, I found myself thinking about what those years actually meant for individual women. For some, it meant taking over a farm or business. For others, it meant fighting, spying, writing, nursing, fleeing slavery, or trying to protect their families. For many, it meant living with uncertainty and loss.

The title Obstinate Daughters also makes more sense when looking at these individual stories. These women were considered “obstinate” because they refused to remain within the boundaries society had established for them. Margaret Corbin refused to remain on the sidelines of a battle. Deborah Sampson refused to accept that military service was exclusively for men. Elizabeth Freeman refused to accept that she had to remain enslaved. Other women used writing, religion, business, or political influence to make themselves heard.

To read my complete review, please go to Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution by Denise Kiernan – A Different Side of the Revolution

[Parker]

VERY DISAPPOINTED. One would think from the title that this would be a book about women and the role they played in the war (and leading up.to it). Unfortunately, she spends more time talking about the men and the events surrounding each woman than the women themselves.

I'm a Museum Educator and Living Historian specialising in the histories of traditionally disenfranchised people, so I definitely understand the difficulty of talking about people who had no voice.

Oh, and a not so minor niggle about Phillis Wheatley: the author states that she took her name from the ship she arrived on (the Phillis). She was GIVEN the name by her owner; she certainly did not choose it.

[Nita]

This was about what I expected. I liked the authors personal interludes. I thought this was just a taste of what I wanted. I wanted more of the women's stories.

[Katie]

I had every intention of finishing this book, but I made it about 225 pages in and realized that I was just desperately trying to finish it so I could move on to another book that I might enjoy more. And life is short, and my TBR is long.

It felt very unfocused - it jumped around a lot, and didn't always include dates when telling the backstory of a featured woman, so I would assume it was during the Revolutionary War, and then two pages later it would say something like "twenty years later, during the 1770's". Like tell me a date at the beginning of the story, not the end.

She included these interludes where she would go into her personal experiences visiting placces featured in the book. I was not a fan of these chapters. I wanted to learn about historical women, not a modern woman. Also I was put off because her chapter on Mount Vernon includes a sort of snide comment about how Washington would have felt about the gluten-free burger offered at Mount Vernon. Sorry some people have celiac disease? I don't even have it and I was annoyed.

The author spends a lot of time on men - both famous men who we already know about, and enslaved or Indigenous men. Normally there's a woman somewhere in each story, but she isn't always the focus, and that's how the book is advertised.

It's a no from me, dawg.

[Diana]

What a disappointment. I had high hopes for Obstinate Daughters, but I made it only halfway through before giving up on trying to follow the author’s narrative.

The biggest problem for me was the lack of organization and clarity. The book jumps back and forth among men, women, issues, time periods, and events, making it difficult to understand how the pieces fit together. Instead of building a coherent story, the narrative often felt scattered.

I was also distracted by the author’s frequent insertion of her own research experiences and observations alongside the stories of colonial women and historical events. Rather than adding to the narrative, these asides interrupted it and, at times, felt unnecessarily self-referential.

There were also details that seemed completely disconnected from the historical story I was expecting. At one point, I found myself wondering why I was being told what is currently being served in the Mount Vernon café.

I kept trying to find the thread and give the book a fair chance, but eventually I had to admit that I was spending more energy trying to figure out where the author was going than enjoying the history she was trying to tell.

Sadly, I gave up halfway through.

[♡ Vincent ♡]

Before I start this review - I want to clarify the reason I took a long time to read this book wasn't because it's bad but more because I had finals and other things so I couldn't read it.

But onto the review. I won it from Goodreads in March but I didn't receive it until May 31th so due to that I went straight into reading this as I wanted to see if it was worth the wait.

It was for sure.

The names of people you already knew, like the founding fathers and their wives were here but there's a whole new group of native American women whose stories were ignored until now. I loved learning about these women - as they were just as "strong as a man".

Not just them too! Enslaved women's stories were also forgotten but Kiernan brings them back to life! Like the Native women - they also had such powerful and interesting stories to tell! It will always hurt me that they are barely acknowledged in history books.

I did find some information in this book to be a bit of filler due to sources not being here and at parts, I found it to be too much to handle. Other than that, I enjoyed this book!

A must read for all readers interested in this subject!

[Mary]

This book took me FOREVER to get through. The topic is interesting: it’s the stories of women who influenced the American Revolution. In fact, it’s as dry as toast. There is no flow to the narrative. It jumps back and forth and back again. I had to keep checking: who is the author talking about now? I couldn’t keep Elizabeth Drinker and Elizabeth Freeman straight, for example.
Readers would have been better served with better organization. Focusing each chapter on a different woman, perhaps? It started to give me a headache.
The most interesting chapters are those about trips the author took to historic sites for research.
Doing a book about the unsung (female) heroes of that time is admirable and has the potential to be an important addition to the understanding of that time.
But it needs to be enjoyable for the average reader. I got halfway through it and decided I may as well finish it. I’m giving it two stars, not for the subject matter, but for the tedious presentation.

[Maggie Walsh]

I had high expectations for this book based on its title. Unfortunately, it fell short. Yes the book shows that American History isn't just about "some white dudes", but it still felt like the author needed to mention them. It seemed like she spent more time talking about troop movements and the generals and officers than the effect on women living in the areas.

In some cases, we hear about women in letters written by husbands, but not their replies. So it seems like a one-sided conversation. My guess is the wife's letters didn't survive given they were sent to military camps.

And while I'm grateful for the inclusion of non-white individuals, I question why I'm reading about non-white MEN when the book is supposed to be about WOMEN.

The following is a formatting critique: the chapter references are just blocks of text, the references all running together. It would be easier to read through them if each one started on their own line.

[Larry Prather]

While the history and the stories of the women are really good, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. It's choppy, it jumps around geographically, chronologically and with the story lines. You have to either make a note about which woman is which or spend your time looking for where she was described previously. It would be preferrable (to me, at least) to tell each story from beginning to end rather than divide it all over the place.
Too much space is wasted on being "politically correct" rather than simply telling the stories. For instance, not one "enslaved person" escaped, they "self-emancipated". These stories took place in the eighteenth century, so the use of twenty-first century viewpoints is simply out of place. Right, wrong or indifferent, history happened, we cannot force modern values or morality into it.
All in all, a good read but I would have preferred a more "tell it like it was" style.

[Sam Sebesta]

This book found me about a week before the 4th of July. America 250. Red white and blue everywhere. I feel like many americans could stand to learn a thing or ten from whats tucked in these pages. This was a great dive into not only the history of the United States, but into the lives of the women who lived during those trying times. Everything they fought for and endured was equally as important as the men that are remembered more often. It details how they took the jobs no one wanted that were imperative to survival. How they sought their family tirelessly when separated and overall how they played such a crucial role in our history.

[Abbey]

Did you know the original Declaration of Independence condemned slavery? Or that many newspaper publishers during the Revolutionary period, even before the war, were women? Or that women were serving in combat roles centuries before Congress “allowed” it?

While a little dry on audio, this was a great read to gain new perspective on the Revolutionary War era. Patriarchal history likes to highlight a few key white male heroes, but it takes thousands of people the change history. I enjoyed learning about women of all races on all sides of the conflict - yes, white wives of military leaders but also Black and Native women supporting the colonists and the British. Obstinate daughters unite!

[Alicia]

I saw the recommendation in (I believe) BookPage and am always up for a nonfiction about women from history. But it fell flat. Way flat. It dragged on like a textbook to nowhere. Sure the women themselves have fascinating backstories and led lives as rebels that we can all be proud of but the writing was such that it didn't keep me invested in reading. It dragged and droned on feeling, as mentioned, more like a textbook than narrative nonfiction and I need that sense of narration to thrive-- I've read books of refrigeration and the sports bra-- all of which packed the bunch of entertainment and information.

[Tonja Graham]

The American Revolution is known for being won because of the actions of brave men and the bold actions of the Founding Fathers. Men weren’t the only ones doing all they could to help an idea of an independent country become a reality. Women not afraid to step up and out of their normal roles helped shape the revolution that would create the United States of America.

I enjoyed this book so much. I loved that it included women who are well known for their roles in the revolutionary period as well as some that aren’t well known at all. I appreciated how facts were shared as well as mentioning how some stories of these amazing women are partially myth as well.

[Alyssa Chester]

WOMEN

Starting and ending with indigenous women is so powerful, especially considering that this book woke me up to the (in hindsight very obvious) reason why some of them chose to aid in the British efforts to defeat the colonists.

Not only did Kiernan include stories of indigenous women, but black, loyalist, enslaved, patriot, and freed. While some were more in depth than others, it was so well done. Was still waiting for the inclusion of Nancy Hart (the only woman who has a Georgia county named after her) but I guess I'll be okay.

Also the casual Liberty's Kids reference got me.

[Sara]

I love reading about what women have done and this book recounts the stories of many women during the Revolutionary War who were often overlooked. I had read and heard of quite a few of them but enjoyed reading about the ones who were ignored even though in many cases, they had major parts in their communities and like the Cherokee woman, were highly regarded in their tribe. Others, like Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren are well-known to those of us who read history.

[Suzi Sullivan]

Fantastic book. Denise Kieran has become a favorite writer because of her meticulous research and storytelling making lots of information easy to learn and retain. She, like other authors, are highlighting the women in our country that made great differences by their small and meaningful contributions of patriotism! This book will be a “must read” and “highly recommended” when asked!

[Marilyn]

I used to be able to write about the books on Goodreads.com before I completed them. Now I have to lie. I haven’t read this book but I want to remember that I got it from the PLS System, that it has chapters on enslaved people on pages 33,73, 150-2, 154, 160, 308-9, and also under specific individuals’ names.

Check this out again and read it

[George Hamblen]

The book is a game changer. The author provides a view of the revolution as seen through the eyes of women, native Americans and slaves. The book goes into a chronological order as it weaves the narrative. I also liked how it explains the views of the loyalists. So many stories that really needed the amplification. Book is well researched and written. Should be required reading

[Denise]

Disappointed. I loved Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts and was expecting similar stories. Sadly, the 14% I read was 75% about men. I don't want to read about women sprinkled into men's stories. I want to read about Obstinate Daughters living from birth to death if it is known. Not the few heroic deeds in a few days or years interspersed with HIStory context.

[Lauren Delaney Wallace]

I wanted to love this book. I wanted to read about all of the brave and courageous women who get left out of our history. But, as I started to read it was more like the women were an afterthought, not the main characters. So fitting for the society we actually live in as women, but utterly disappointing for what the book was titled to be.

[Esther]

So much interesting information surrounding the American Revolution! If you’re a history buff, this is your jam. My disappointment focuses on my impression this was all about women and the book does not present that way. However, still a great read with lots of detail and many historical figures that I know about now.

[Taylor K]

Thank you to Denise Kiernan and publisher for sending me an advanced copy. Book greatly told the story of women who ignited the American Revolution with different parts and stories. Great choice if you love history and reading nonfiction about this time period.

[Leslie]

Audiobook. These chapters each discussed a different woman during the times leading up to the Revolutionary War. I couldn’t understand why the women about which this book was written were included. I stopped listening after just over one hour.

[Dawn Rumfield]

wonderfully done. a great look into women's history and how they fought for and stood up for what they believed in. the amount of research time she did to find the facts is what brought us this amazing book. cant wait for more keep up the great work.

[Sasha]

This book held so much information and so many diverse woment that had an impact on the world we live in today. In a day and age when the rights and autonomy of women are being stripped, this is a hopeful reminder of those who have come before.
Information rich and goes back to previous.