UB Libraries Book Group discussion
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Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
March 2020
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March 2020 Discussion
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Thank you so much for posting this. I'd love to go. I'm reading a book about Alice Paul right now, and I'm in awe of what she did for all of us.
Mod
Looks like the tea event this Sunday is already sold out! The author events look interesting too. My schedule is a little nutty right now so am not sure I can commit to a field trip but keep me in the loop if you guys make a plan!
Sorry for the late start to our discussion. We all know how crazy it is everywhere right now. I hope you all are staying healthy. Those of you from UB are presumably working from home. So good luck to us all as we switch to that new routine.About our book -- first off, I should say that I had already read this book last spring, before I attended a week-long book retreat in Seneca Falls. I guess this author, Penny Colman, tends to write for young adult (YA) audiences normally. I liked the approach she took in contrasting the backgrounds of Stanton and Anthony and then following them chronologically through their lives. I read a more "adult" biography of Stanton last spring also and I much preferred this sort of joint bio by Colman. I think the discussion questions at the back of my copy of the book are aimed at YA readers. I may use a few of them anyway.
I have to say that even though I knew the names of Stanton and Anthony, I had no real sense of what they specifically did in the looooooong movement to win the vote for American women. What surprised you most about this book?
Like Ellen, I knew the names involved with women's suffrage, but little else. I also enjoyed Colman's style of contrasting chapters between the two women. I think what surprised me most, and I'm always surprised by this, is the amount of traveling people did in that time period. I wasn't surprised, but I enjoyed learning about the different lifestyles of Susan and Elizabeth, and their very close friendship. It reflects the value of women's contributions to society and the importance of their fight for equal rights. I want to make a trip to Seneca Falls now.
Seneca Falls is definitely worth the trip. The National Women's Park is worthwhile and we had a great guide when we were there. Unfortunately Stanton's house was closed down for renovation last May. But we all sat on the porch and discussed the woman's movement.The guide emphasized the interacting movements: abolition, temperance, woman's suffrage. And I think the Colman book also did a good job of bringing that out. Although invariably the different movements clashed and tough decisions had to be made, thus generating big divides.
I liked the way Stanton and Anthony's strengths complemented each other's. Stanton was the philosopher and writer. Anthony was the organizer and coordinator. And she pitched in doing anything to allow Stanton to be able to think and write. We all need an Anthony in our life!
I agree about the traveling, Lori. They went from coast to coast, traveling in all sorts of conveyances, over bad roads and in blizzards. And despite the lack of modern communication methods, they did manage to communicate and spread the word. Determination can overcome almost anything!
Sorry I'm coming to this late. Kind of crazy. What I liked about it was the emphasis that no matter what they disagreed on, and there were plenty of times they disagreed, they always remained friends and respected their individual opinions. As women, we tend to judge way too much and bring each other down. I always thought the argument of working mom vs stay at homes was always waged among women. We need to stand together.
Mod
I guess a LOT of things surprised me about their stories -- I realized I knew next to nothing about all of the efforts these women made. Some of the surprises for me:
1) How closely aligned the anti-slavery and woman suffrage movements were (esp. in the early days).
2) Like Lori and Ellen both mentioned, the great amount of travel these women did. Coast to coast, multiple times, staying in a variety of lodging (sod house? bug infested?). Amazing. Especially how they did this into advanced age (esp. Anthony).
3) I had no idea they spearheaded this for fifty years! I don't know how they kept at it (along with their writing, raising kids etc) without becoming completely beaten down by defeat.
4) How when Anthony was arrested for voting, the DA moved the trial because he could "hardly find twelve men so ignorant on the citizen's rights - as to agree on a verdict of guilty". And the judge wouldn't send her to jail because he didn't want to allow her to appeal!! Unbelievable.
I enjoyed their friendship and devotion to each other; much greater connection than Stanton had with her husband for sure. I agree they complemented each other nicely, with both of their skill sets necessary to advance the movement. So amazing! I would also like to visit Seneca Falls.
I liked the side by side chronology that Ellen mentioned. It's interesting that this was YA; I can't always spot a difference with adult books.
FYI, Marlies and I went to the Kenan House exhibition and author talk in Lockport on March 7 (though it seems a lifetime ago now). I thoroughly enjoyed it and would have highly recommended it, if we were still able to attend such things.The Art of Suffrage exhibit was curated by Mary Brennan Taylor, a Lockport woman who actually had a pen pal relationship with Alice Paul, the main focus of the exhibit. Alice Paul is credited with finally gaining visibility for the woman's suffrage movement and pushing the right to vote through. Yet I had never heard of her!
It seems Paul clashed with the successor movement leaders to Anthony and Stanton, which eventually evolved into the League of Women Voters. And because they didn't like Paul or approve of her methods, they wrote her out of the suffrage movement's history. It was a state vs. federal thing in terms of strategy.
I also read an interesting book called The Myth of Seneca Falls. I got it off the Women's History Month exhibit in the entrance of Lockwood. It focused on how Anthony especially controlled and wrote (and rewrote) the history of the woman's suffrage movement sort of as they lived it.
The author talk we saw in Lockport was given by Tina Cassidy who wrote Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait? Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the Right to Vote. She was great and I learned more about Paul, plus about Woodrow Wilson and his opposition to the woman's vote.
It's all so interesting to me and so relevant, as the 100th anniversary of the woman's vote will be marked this summer. I hope we are able to be out and about to enjoy related events by then. Hang in there everyone!
I forgot to say we received a slip listing some of the reasons women could not vote pre-1920 at the exhibit:-voting will make you unattractive
-voting will make your ovaries atrophy
-you are ill-informed and your vote will weaken the electorate
-you have an inferior brain
Mod
Slightly off topic, but I think an ill-informed electorate was also partially why the electoral college was created. I think it's time for that anachronism to also fade away.
Well said Kath. Thanks Ellen for a great conversation.
Ellen wrote: "FYI, Marlies and I went to the Kenan House exhibition and author talk in Lockport on March 7 (though it seems a lifetime ago now). I thoroughly enjoyed it and would have highly recommended it, if w..."Hi Ellen and UL Book Clubbers,
Some of my friends are missing their in-person book club meetings...I'm wondering if it's ok to invite them to participate in this one. Most folks are non-UB affiliates, and I'm not sure if that presents a problem. Hoping you can advise - thx, Kathleen
The more the merrier
I defer to Kath, but I think we agreed last year or so that it was fine to open this group up to the world basically. The more the merrier.I'm discussing with my other book club whether we should have an online meeting or establish a goodreads group (or both). I've been hosting family online meetings a couple times a week using Webex. I assume UB would not mind me using their licensing for the community good during this unprecedented crisis.
Mod
FYI, Kathleen, the only book we have left to discuss this semester is The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See; we will be discussing it in May. Then sometime during the summer we will begin selecting for the following year.
Is our next book the One Community book for all Buffalo?
Yay -- it worked this time :-)
Mod
The May book is the One Community One Book selection. :)
Maybe there will be more virtual events associated with it, depending on where we are in this crisis come May. Hopefully we'll all be out and about and enjoying in-person interactions. Fingers crossed!
Mod
https://buffalonews.com/2020/02/07/co...
I hope to see the exhibit in Lockport before it closes on March 29. A few other author events are promised, so I'll keep my eye out for those as well. Possible field trip anyone?