The Accidental Suffragist

Thank you for the gifted copy of this book.

Give me a story about strong women, and I won’t be able to put it down, and this is what happened when I picked up The Accidental Suffragist.

It's 1912, and protagonist Helen Fox is a factory worker living in New York's tenements. When tragedy strikes in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Helen is seduced by the Suffragist cause and is soon immersed, working alongside famous activists.

As Helen's involvement with the cause deepens, she encounters myriad sources of tension that test her perseverance: estrangement from her husband, who is blindsided by his wife's sudden activism; ostracization by neighbors; unease at working side by side with wealthier suffragettes; and worry about her children as she leaves them to picket the White House in Washington.

The narrative spans World War One and concludes with the triumph of 1919. In a time when the obstacles for women, from any background, were insurmountable, Helen discovers her voice as an independent woman and dreams of equality in a male-dominated society.

This is a story that truly opened my eyes with its poignant storyline, and I learned a lot about suffragists. How can I possibly put into words how much I admire these women? They never gave up even though they were pushed back on every single time they did anything. The strength each of these women showed throughout the story was just so empowering.

Now I’m off to find more historical fiction books that follow other suffragettes!!