Review by Choice Review
In her biography of women's rights activist Lucy Stone, independent scholar Million argues that Stone was the principal figure in the antebellum feminist movement. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1847, Stone embarked on a career as a women's rights lecturer. Her energy drove the annual women's rights conventions held during the 1850s. Million describes the challenges Stone faced in organizing the women's rights movement--her fear, for example, that antislavery and other commitments were distracting Susan B. Anthony and other activists. No meeting occurred in 1857 when Stone was busy tending to her infant daughter, and her colleagues failed to replace her essential labor. Finally, as the Civil War loomed, Stone ceded her position to Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Million effectively shows Stone's difficulty in balancing her family life with her commitment to women's rights. The author also succeeds in placing Stone at the center of antebellum feminist agitation, but often celebrates Stone at the expense of other activists. Although she notes Stone's battles with other reformers, Million does not analyze how these disagreements shaped the course of the movement. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General collections, graduate students, faculty. C. Faulkner SUNY College at Geneseo
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
