Too often women’s history has been forgotten or left untold. Have you ever heard of Jeanette Rankin? During the Progressive Era, she became well known as a champion of rights for women and all who were oppressed. Three years before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granted the right to vote to women, Rankin made history being the first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Winning the Earthquake: How Jeanette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress by Lorissa Rinehart tells her incredible life story.
Before reading Winning the Earthquake, I knew her name but I knew absolutely nothing else about her. She was born on a Montana ranch in 1880, and this fascinating biography begins with her remarkable childhood in Big Sky Country. A dedicated activist and suffragist, Rankin also was a firm believer in peace and negotiation as an alternative to war. This book was inspiring and hard to put down. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Check out my bookshelf of recommended reads here. This is an affiliate link. Thank you for your support of my writing.
