You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?

Fritz, J., & DiSlavo-Ryan, D.  (1995). You want women to vote, Lizzie Stanton? New York:  Putnnam’s

            You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? fits into the category of non-fiction as a biography.  The purpose of this book was to inform the reader of how Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for the equal rights of women, specifically women’s suffrage, the right to vote.  I can also see the an underlying purpose of this book would be to entertain.  The structure of this book is in chapters and is written much like a novel of realistic fiction.  It doesn’t just give facts, it tells a story.  It starts off from the time Elizabeth was born and introduces facts as it tells the story of her life.  It introduces all of the characters as they come up in her life.  It mentions many notable figures of American history such as Frederick Douglas, Susan B. Anthony, and Abraham Lincoln.  It tells the story of her encounters with these individuals.  Susan B. Anthony plays a major role in this story as her and Elizabeth were very close friends and partners in the fight for women’s suffrage.  The theme of this book was to tell about Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s life and how she fought for women’s rights throughout her life.  The author’s style was not necessarily formal.  Facts were given but in an entertaining way. 

            This informational book was written in a way that students would be able to easily read it.  I feel that students would enjoy reading this book because it wasn’t just about facts, but about someone’s life.  It did give many facts about history and there were notes at the end of the book explaining some of them and why things were the way they were in the 1800s.  I think young girls would especially like this book because it will cause them to feel empowered.  It shows them that nothing is impossible.  No, women’s suffrage did not completely end until 1920, after Elizabeth’s death, but she is given much credit for this.  She fought her entire life for it. 

            I used the post-it note strategy while reading this book and wrote down my reactions to some of the things I read.  Since this was non-fiction, I mostly used this strategy to write down dates and important people that came up in the story and their significance.  This book did not have bolded print so I was unable to use the Mark the Bold strategy.  It did have a list of the notes at the back that could be discussed with students after reading or while reading the book.  This book is an ALA Notable Book and A Booklist Editor's Choice.

Big Question:  Would you be brave enough to stand up against your father and town for something you believe in?  How far would you go to fight for something that you believe should be in place to make sure that the world is fair for all?  What is one thing that you think needs to be changed in our current society?