Cover Image: Good Girls Don't Make History

Good Girls Don't Make History

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Wasn’t what I expected. Didn’t enjoy much of it. Could have used more interesting approach to topic.

Was this review helpful?

The history of suffrage is complicated, as "Good Girls Don't Make History" shows to the reader. The stories demonstrate how suffrage came in fits and starts, and how the various groups supporting suffrage didn't always agree on the details. Those details made for a bumpy road to suffrage, augmented by the disbelief and sheer anger of men in the political arena in response to women's suffrage.

"Good Girls Don't Make History" should be required reading for anyone whose history classes either gloss over the struggle for the right to vote, imply that the right to vote came after a few parades as if there was some "suffrage fairy" with a "Wand of Voting" or were unaware of the disenfranchisement of women of color by members of women's suffrage groups who traded for political expediency or just plain discrimination.

Was this review helpful?

Focusing on the struggle for women’s suffrage in the US, this book certainly tells an important story, but I am not convinced by how the story is told. I didn’t enjoy the collage-like style of the artwork, nor the lengthy and unnatural dialogues, especially in the modern-day scenes. Overall it feels like a textbook or an educational pamphlet pretending to be something more fun. Three solid stars for the content, but two stars taken away for the storytelling.

Was this review helpful?

Well done graphic novel that goes over the U.S. Women's suffrage movement from Seneca Falls to the present.

I was hoping it wouldn't be too white washed, because the white women are usually credited with the movement. But because it was told from the prospective of the past as well as the present, we do get comments from the present day women about how screwed up and racist the movement was. The example given, which I have heard about before, was that during the March on Washington, just before Wilson was inaugurated, that Ida B. Wells, who was Black, was asked to march at the back of the march by some of the white organizers. She refused.

Good, complete story. Highly recommend it.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Was this review helpful?

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

"It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union... Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less."
- Susan B. Anthony

Good Girls Don't Make History is a very quick and informative read. I liked going back and forth through the past and present throughout this. Mostly because we got to see the women, we all learned about in History classes, raising their voices and wanting to be heard. The battle for equal rights was never easy and it's frustrating that women's rights are in trouble once again.

With the fight never dying from the people determined to make sure equality becomes a real thing and not an unreachable dream. I feel like there will never be enough information that people can provide when it comes to this fight. Each day something new is said or done and it makes the world think.

In the end, I just hope more voices are heard and more books are made and read that revolve around these fights. Whether it's more graphic novels or an actual novel. Words are powerful. Voices can be loud and get louder.

Continue the fight to make the world a much better place for everyone.

Was this review helpful?

Huge thanks to Quarto Publishing Group @quartobooksuk, Wide Eye Editions and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I want to say that I am a huge advocate of using graphic novels for educational purposes. I think graphic novels are sadly under used in the educational system and they absolutely shouldn't be. This book is one of them that should 100% be used to educate future generations. This novel follows the lives and paths of the women who fought in the United States Women's Suffrage Movement. These stories are perfectly written. The author did an awesome job of sticking to the facts while still explaining the emotional journeys of each one of the "characters." The art is beautiful and plays perfect homage to the story being explained.

Overall I give this story five stars. This books advocates for the women who fought so hard for the freedoms we women now enjoy. This story is absolutely necessary and couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Women are absolutely under attack in this country and we need these type of inspiring stories to fight for the rights we deserve. I've already bought this for my home library and I absolutely recommend you do as well. Read this! Read this! Read this!

Was this review helpful?

This was fantastic! What a wonderful way to tell such an important, and still fresh, part of our history. The graphic novel format lifts this story up and makes it easier to read, which means it is more easily accessible for different age groups and levels of language proficiency.

Good Girls Don’t Make History is a perfect starting place for those who might want to learn more about the Women’s Suffrage and the history of how women fought diligently for the right to vote. It is inspiring, educating and, in my opinion, necessary. Some of these names, like Alice Paul, I had never heard of before. I think it’s important to read up on how ordinary people became extraordinary in the way they helped change the course of history, and this graphic novel offers a perfect chance to do just that.

The art-work and the art style of the graphic novel are also both magnificent. I loved how the story jumped from “today” back to the 1800s/1900s to showcase important events of the women’s movement, from inside of meetings, to rallies, marches, demonstrations and even some newspaper articles. It kept the story fun and easy to read.

If you are in any way interested in the suffrage movement, the ongoing fight for equality, feminism, or just reading more nonfiction, then I highly recommend getting this graphic novel!

Was this review helpful?

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

I'm not American and I don't know the history of the United States so I can't talk about the veracity of this comic.
I can only say that I liked it a lot.
I couldn't help looking at this story with a teacher's eyes, this is a comic that I would work a lot in the classroom in many ways, it's dense but very important reading and in my opinion, it can bring a lot of discussion into a classroom.
To give a rating to this comic is very difficult but I don't think I can give anything other than 5 stars because of the importance of this story and others like this cannot be overlooked.
I would very much like to see comics of this type focused on the history of other countries!

Was this review helpful?

This graphic novel is all you need to know about women's right to vote. It was wonderfully narrated. You can easily understand everything. I really enjoyed my reading. As it's a graphic novel you can read it faster than if it was big and long text and paragraph. So it's more accessible for younger people and that's important.
I liked that they didn't forget about how WOC are really important in this fight for woman's rights. People need to know the true history of woman's rights and not the white-washed version of it. WOC played and still plays a big part in the fight for women's and men's equality but sadly it's often forgotten. This book taught me new things about woman's history while being diverting.
In conclusion, this is a fast read and an essential read for our generation to learn our history, history that is not correctly described in school.

Was this review helpful?

The title Good Girls Don't Make History was inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich who wrote that "well-behaved women seldom make history" and comes from her 1976 article on Puritan funeral services despite having been attributed to many different people in the past. The statement and often-quoted phrase speaks to the prevailing and chronic way in which women frequently fail to receive proper attribution or credit for their work and contributions. Too often female lives, points of view and accomplishments have been excluded from history altogether.

This graphic novel was created as many extraordinary women, as well as men, have been sidelined for far too long in the American school system. It strives to give its readers a wide-ranging overview of the diverse men and women who fought ardently for women's liberty and the use of the illustrated format makes this a much more vibrant, engaging and accessible read. The systematic abuse, disrespect and imprisonment of women during their campaign to win the right to vote is an embarrassment to history and a badge of honour to those who bravely fought for what is right.

The book proudly shares the stories of 70 years of socially and economically diverse women who had one clear goal: to achieve the right to vote. As we celebrate the first female Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, it is important to acknowledge the decades of persistent and doggedly determined female leaders who paved the way to this historic moment. An informative, empowering and fascinating read from start to finish. Full of people who should be celebrated a lot more than they actually are. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Solid Gold 5 out of 5 stars from me!

It was so cool for me to finally take the leap into Women's Suffrage in the US and oh MY GOSH was this an incredible place to start.
The art is gorgeous, the storytelling is intensely consumable, and I had so many moments where I was close to tears so reading this over my lunch break in work wasn't the best idea.
This book is so important as it highlights so many current issues alongside those of the past 100 years and all of the key players across the century. Women who risked so much in return for so little but kept hoping and planning and fighting so the women who came after them could achieve their goals, step by excruciatingly small and ever thwarted step. It is also stunning.

This is another book I will be buying physically as soon as I can and doling out to as many people in my lives as possible.

Was this review helpful?

The narration style of this book chose to use vignettes of present day situations illustrating why/how women should be grateful for what they have today but we have so much farther to go yet. The story would then jump to the past to tell the story of how women in the past fought for the right to vote in America. The stories introduced us to several important women like Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Alice Paul. The illustration was simple and easy to follow but not very interesting to look at. I think this would be great for the classroom and any budding feminist.

Was this review helpful?

An easily accessible graphic novel that delves into women's rights and voting right's history. I really liked this feminist approach as we follow the different women and see how their actions connect to today's modern audience. Graphically I really enjoyed the moments when it's of important held several panels in close ups, it help make the time it's set feel authentic. I would recommend this for anyone to read!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you so much for the gifted book Elizabeth Kiehner, Kara Coyle, NetGalley, and Quarto Publishing Group!

What I liked:

The illustrations are WONDERFUL. I mean, how can you draw so beautifully authors?
The way it makes you reflect on how hard it was for women to get the vote and equal rights.
The dialogs of the women of this book. EMPOWERED WOMEN!

What I didn't like:
I think that this book is more for people of the USA because I didn't really know the women mentioned, but it was not a book's problem, it was my own. Anyway, I learned a lot from it because of it, but I expected a little more context.

Thanks again for the book, I feel so honored that I received it!

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful illustrated graphic novel which tackles an important subject and does not shy away from the tension between some of the leaders. I did not know anything about the American suffrage movement, but now feel mor3 e lightened and informed. This will not only appeal to its target audience but many many other people who will find it an easy and engaging read and will learn a lot along the way.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

A step back in time for one of the most important event in history of women in the U.S, the right to vote and a good reminder to the modern woman that without those strong figures, the present would have been very different for them. It was a battle for liberty and for equality that is still going on, let's not forget that.

It was so inspiring and very interesting to learn or remember the names of those who left their mark in history. Nice read but I did not like the artwork that much. I hope that more books like this one will be made with different subjects in the future.

Was this review helpful?

I usually stay away from non-fiction books of any kind. However, the cover and title intrigued me, so I decided to pick it up. I’ve never been more glad to have picked up a book.

The novel switches between different times, from 2020 to 1918 and so on. We see glimpses of young women today voting and the struggle that it took to get there. I can imagine the switches between different periods of time may seem confusing for some. Personally, I had no issues with it. I found it super easy to follow and keep up with. The differences in time and history was clear and trackable.

The graphic novel is a quick read, I flew through it. It doesn’t bore you with too many details and the story keeps moving. It was definitely fast paced and exciting.

The illustrations were so beautiful. I’m not sure if this the correct term for it, but it definitely had a watercolour type of feel to it. And it worked so well with the concept.

I can’t comment on the historical accuracy of the novel. I’m more familiar with the movement in New Zealand. I must say, I was so shocked to see that the right to vote took so long in America. It made me so much prouder of New Zealand for being the first self-governing country to introduce equal rights for voting. Go Kate Sheppard!

My favourite thing about this was that it didn’t just focus on the history of white women, but also considered POC. It frustrated me so much knowing it took so much longer for Black women and Native Americans to gain the same rights.

I don’t think this is a novel for historical experts who are looking for an informed read. This seems ideal for someone like me, who’s interested in an introduction or a skim through the timeline. I felt so empowered after this.

This was a compelling and empowering read that everyone needs to pick up. If I could afford it, I’d buy this for every young female out there to read, so we can be more grateful for the rights we have today. It’s super quick and an easy read, so there’s no excuse not to. Just do it.

Was this review helpful?

Good Girls Don’t Make History by Elizabeth Kiehner and illustrated by Kara Coyle is a book every woman about to vote whether it be for the first time or the tenth time needs to read.

Yes it’s American history. Yes I am Canadian. Did I still get emotional and cry? Yes of course.

This book does a good job of giving you the most important facts and people and dates without too much sensory overload. The pacing is great for both the past and present scenes. I liked that they showed the current situation in America’s voting politics along with the history.

I actually learned a thing or two and was interested to learn about it. And that’s saying something since I barely paid attention during high school social studies. Just ask my teachers and friends, I was constantly asleep. Really. So for a book to keep me interested all the way about this topic is a big deal.

I think this book should be standard literature found at at high school in America and even Canada. This story is important. This fight is important.

Almost done I promise. Included inside are also the voices of black and indigenous women, and for that I am so thankful. It shows the reality of what WOC were facing alongside the white women. And spoiler alert, it was harder for WOC. Shocker, right?

Anyway please read this book no matter what gender you are, what nationality. It’s an important and interesting one. That we still need to learn from.

I even got a Jeopardy question right after reading this. And for that it’s getting 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

A great graphic novel, that is both informative and a work of art. This is a great read I would recommend any woman reading to better understand the history of the gender.

Was this review helpful?

This is a beautifully drawn, impactful graphic novel narrating the women's suffrage movement in the United States. It does a wonderful job of connecting stories and events and presenting them in a succinct and hard-hitting way. I also liked that it included the contributions of black and native women's stories and not just the more well-known stories of white women although I do think that could have been expanded on more.

This is a great book and I really enjoyed and felt like I learned something from it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?