Firing the Heather: The Life & Times of Nellie McClung

By Marilyn I. Davis and Mary E. Hallett

Book Overview

Nelly McClung was a woman of eloquence and wit, intellligence and integrity, and a born leader with a keen sense of justice and an unrelenting drive. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1895618436
• ISBN13: 9781895618433
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Fifth House
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

She's a Rebel

"Firing the Heather" tells the life story of Nellie McClung, (1973-1951,) an irrepressible Canadian feminist, social reformer, writer, and politician. Its opening chapters are thorough to the point of tedium in chronicling her life and times, but the book can't help but get interesting as she matures and proceeds to set the world on fire. Her pivotal role in winning for Canadian women the right to vote is epic in itself, but that's just one of her many accomplishments. The book is neatly organized and indexed, with pictures and lots of quotable quotes. The title is apt, since "firing the heather" means clearing a field of an old crop to make way for fresh growth. She certainly had that effect upon Canadian society. She is shown to be a woman of eloquence and wit, intellligence and integrity, and a born leader with a keen sense of justice and an unrelenting drive. Tribute is also paid to peers like Emily Murphy - women whose impact was such that their relative lack of fame in Canadian history is a travesty. Anyone who takes for granted females' rights and freedoms should read this to appreciate how hard they were to win. If you like this topic, you may also like a book by a woman who carried the torch from these earlier feminists into the the 1960's and beyond: "Rebel Daughter" by Doris Anderson, former editor of Chatelaine.