From KIRKUS REVIEWS:
BOOK REVIEW
A biography for middle-grade readers tells the story of the first woman elected to federal office in the United States.
Aronson (Bronislaw Huberman, 2018) introduces young readers to Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973), who was elected to Congress twice and voted against the United States' entry into both world wars. The book takes readers on a chronological tour of her life, from her childhood on a Montana ranch to her work as part of the women's suffrage movement and social work, moving into her political career and anti-war activism. It brings the story full circle with her late-in-life opposition to the Vietnam War, when a new generation of activists looked up to her as a role model.
Through well-documented research--the backmatter includes citations, a bibliography, and a timeline of Rankin's life--Aronson provides a thorough overview of her subject. He includes plenty of specific detail ("She was handed a bouquet of flowers and then driven down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol in an open car, waving to supporters as she was escorted by 25 flag-draped cars") while sticking to documented facts, and the numerous photographs and scanned newspaper images add to the reader's understanding of the various time periods. Aronson's prose is straightforward, conveying information without rhetorical flourishes: "On November 6, 1916, Rankin had the opportunity to vote for the first time in her life in a main election--and she voted for herself." He does a good job of establishing Rankin's historical noteworthiness but not overselling her legislative accomplishments, acknowledging the symbolic value of her initial election and her votes against the wars but also noting that the votes cost her re-elections in both cases. He also draws links between her relatively short congressional career and her lifelong activism. The concise narrative provides an age-appropriate amount of information, and it will be a useful addition to middle-school library shelves--particularly in light of the historic number of women elected to Congress last November.
A well-organized and thoroughly researched account of a remarkable historical figure.
From THE US REVIEW OF BOOKS
JeannetteRankin: America's First Congresswoman
by Peter Aronson
Double M Books
bookreview by Michelle Jacobs
"Ibelieved then as I do now that women are the ones who must be concerned withthe needs and development of the human race."
This second book in The Groundbreaker Series formiddle-grade readers is a biography of Jeannette Rankin, America's firstcongresswoman, who was elected in 1916. Born in Montana in 1880, Rankin'spioneering spirit is evident throughout her early life on her family's ranchwhere her parents instilled strong values and then later at college where shebegins to set a course for her life that is not a traditional trajectory towardmarriage and family. Instead, she begins to seek career opportunities in socialwork and eventually becomes a leading suffrage advocate working tirelessly topush for a woman's right to vote. As a congresswoman, she solidifies a legacyof pacifism, casting a vote against entering World War I and World War II.
Rankin was recognized throughout her life for her work asa feminist and for her anti-war activism. Her life story is inspiring andrelevant for today's young readers looking for historical role models.Informative and interesting, Aronson illuminates the life of Rankin with thiswell-researched biography of her extraordinary life. Organized chronologicallyand sprinkled with black and white photographs, each stage of her life isfilled out with details of her aspirations and ambitions to impact society andgovernment. Young readers, parents, and educators can draw a direct line fromRankin's life to the current wave of female congresswomen who made history inthe 2018 midterm elections. This important book solidifies the historicalrecord in the minds of young people who may be more familiar with famousfeminist forbearers like Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Rankin's name deserves to be known and her life studiedfor the legacy she built to empower women. Her determination to have a voice inthe decisions affecting all Americans but particularly women and childrenmotivated her to run for office. In the current era of the #metoo movement andrecent possible judicial and legislative impacts on women, the life of thisimportant pioneer can serve as a model for public service and political power.Though some of her votes as the first female congresswoman were largelysymbolic, having a voice in a room full of men still reverberates through time.Aronson describes the realities of the unfortunate timing of Rankin's firstvote--a vote against entering World War I. It was not a popular vote, and it wasone she would repeat during World War II. But she held firm that she wasrepresenting the mothers of the country who would be sending husbands and sonsto fight and die. She also felt that because she could not fight in the war asa woman, it was not fair to send someone else to fight. She stood her grounddespite holding unpopular opinions about war and peace. Late in her life, shealso joined the anti-war movement during the Vietnam era.
As Aronson chronicles these periods of Rankin's life withrich detail, the story of her life leaps along with ease and superbreadability. Aronson captures the quiet ambition of one woman propelled intothe historic spotlight as she campaigns for a woman's right to vote as acitizen and as a representative.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
I am a former journalist and a former lawyer and now write children's books full-time. I began this new endeavor after seeing my teenage daughters read mostly dystopian-themed books, It inspired me to write books about real people or novels with a strong dose of reality. Therefore, I started writing two series for middle-grade readers. The first is my Groundbreaker Series, biographies about extraordinary people doing extraordinary things, for middle-grade readers. The first book in this series, Bronislaw Huberman: From child prodigy to hero, the violinist who saved Jewish musicians from the Holocaust, was published in July 2018. The second book in the Groundbreaker Series, Jeannette Rankin: America's First Congresswoman, is being published now. The second series is the Mandalay Hawk adventures, novels also for middle-grade readers. Mandalay Hawk's Dilemma: The United States of Anthropocene, is due out in late 2019. The series focuses on three young teenagers as they strive to solve the world's biggest problems. First up, the biggest problem the world currently faces: global warming. There's a lot of KRAAP: Kids Revolt Against Adult Power, with a march on Washington unlike any other and rapping in the Oval Office to a captive president. What else are kids going to do when adults mess up? WEBSITE: www.peteraronsonbooks.com
