Something Worth Doing: A Novel of an Early Suffragist

By Jane Kirkpatrick

Book Overview

In 1853, Abigail Scott was a 19-year-old school teacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When financial mistakes and an injury force Ben to stop working, Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family. What she sees as a working woman appalls her, and she devotes her life to fighting for the rights of women, including their right to vote.Following Abigail as she bears six children, runs a millinery and a private school, helps on the farm, writes novels, gives speeches, and eventually runs a newspaper supporting women's suffrage, Something Worth Doing explores issues that will resonate strongly with modern women: the pull between career and family, finding one's place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices women encounter when they compete in male-dominated spaces. Based on a true story of a pioneer for women's rights from award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick will inspire you to believe that some things are worth doing--even when the cost is great.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800736117
• ISBN13: 9780800736118
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Women were slaves

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick Publisher: Revell Reviewed by mrsboone1, Green Forest, AR, USA This book is about an early suffragist named Abigail Scott. Mrs. Kirkpatrick takes the facts of a true story and weaves fiction with it, to make a complete novel. Abigail knew from a young age that she was meant to help change women's plight. Women at that point in our history had no rights, were not able to vote and could not own anything. If they came into a marriage with property, their husband could take it and do what he wanted to do with it. Abigail knew several women who were divorced by their husbands and were not allowed to keep their children. Abigail lived in Oregon with her family. She had planned on not getting married for a long time and certainly didn't want to be made old before her time from having too many children. She was married by 18. She had 5 boys and one girl. She did everything in her power to provide for her children and to keep her daughter from working too much. Abigail traveled nationwide to promote women's rights. She gave speeches and led demonstrations. She worked extra hard in her home state and had a column in the local newspaper called "The Farmer's Wife" where she told about the issues that women face and how she dealt with them. It is much different from how women are treated in today's times. The book covers more of the suffragist side, I like the history side. Many thanks to Goodreads and Revell for the complimentary copy and I was under no obligation to post a review.