Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The plight of 19-year-old Matilda Young, the youngest suffragist arrested after picketing at the White House in 1917, is brought to life in this fictionalized verse account by Atkins (Design a Game). As a child in Washington, D.C., Matilda watches her older sisters Lucy and Sophie march for women's right to vote. She soon follows in their footsteps, taking on a more active role in the movement by working with the National Woman's Party as a letter opener. But what she really wants is to be out picketing. Despite knowing that picketing is a dangerous job--protesters are often attacked and arrested--and her parents' disapproval of her choices, Matilda determines to stand for what she believes in, no matter the cost. This inspiring historical tale of perseverance experiments with formatting to connote mood; in poem "Do They Know?" Atkins uses clipped, one-word lines to highlight Matilda's stress about strangers learning she's a suffragist. Imagined versions of suffragists such as Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell feature alongside Matilda as their paths intertwine. Ages 13--up. Agent: Roseanne Wells, Lucinda Literary. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this verse novel based on real people and events, four sisters support one another in the turbulent fight for women's right to vote in early-20th-century America. Matilda Young, nearly 15, lives in Washington, D.C., with her parents, older brother, and three older sisters. She observes that there's a "fault line in our family-- / men vs. women," one exacerbated by the question of suffrage. Matilda is afraid to engage in public action that might lead to her arrest and initially agrees to sort mail at the headquarters of the Congressional Union, a group that's pushing for an amendment that would give women the vote. She also takes on a vital caregiving role within the movement. Matilda's mother encourages her: "The actions you take each day / add up / even if they seem small," and eventually Matilda starts picketing at the White House, even as her dad and brother criticize her and the cause she believes in. As World War I drags on, police action against suffragists escalates, resulting in some imprisoned women going on hunger strikes. The verse structure successfully conveys the grit, trauma, and violence of the times, adeptly emphasizing the activists' doubt, pride, persistence, and exhaustion. Atkins' skillful use of concrete poetry greatly enhances the work. Most characters are white; the book explores class conflicts as well as African American women's struggles for the vote. Powerful, necessary reading. (dramatis personae, author's note, historical notes, timeline, quotes, places to visit, further reading, sources)(Verse historical fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
