Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President - Hardcover

Malaspina, Ann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080753188X ISBN 13: 9780807531884

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2012

Synopsis

Top 10 on the 2013 Amelia Bloomer list

A nonfiction story about suffragist Susan B. Anthony's first trip to the ballot box.

On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony made history--and broke the law--when she voted in the US presidential election, a privilege that had been reserved for men. She was arrested, tried, and found guilty: "The greatest outrage History every witnessed," she wrote in her journal. It wasn't until 1920 that women were granted the right to vote, but the civil rights victory would not have been possible without Susan B. Anthony's leadership and passion to stand up for what was right.

About this title

About the Authors

Ann Malaspina has written many books for children, including Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper and Finding Lincoln. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.

Steve James has always enjoyed making pictures. Steve received his BFA in illustration from Brigham Young University, where he studied traditional painting techniques. He now lives in Lehi, Utah, with his wife.

From the Back Cover

A nonfiction story about suffragist Susan B. Anthony's first trip to the ballot box.

Reviews

Gr 2-4-Concentrating on one incident from her subject's life, Malaspina describes how Anthony voted in the 1872 presidential election, then was arrested, tried, found guilty, and fined. She and her lawyer took the position that the 14th amendment, ratified in 1868, extended voting rights to women. The judge did not agree. The case, however, helped bring attention to the suffragist movement. Although women did not gain the right to vote until 1920, this book demonstrates how Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other early activists were tireless in their efforts. Period photographs of Anthony often present a stern demeanor, but James takes a somewhat different approach. His digital-media paintings depict an energetic, intense figure with pleasant features. Bold splashes of color add vividness to the pages. At one point, the author compares Anthony to Rosa Parks, another woman who challenged a law she viewed as unjust. Although not directly sourced, quotations appear to come from Anthony's writings and historical accounts of her trial. As another presidential election approaches, this title would be a good addition to voting or women's-history units.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A multitude of books have been written about Susan B. Anthony, and here, another picture book joins the ranks. The subtitle indicates the focus, which is on a single significant event in her life rather than a biographical overview. The sparse text, arranged much like prose poetry, begins by setting the time and place: Rochester, New York, November 1, 1872, days before Susan voted, and was arrested and put on trial. Her crime was voting when women were not allowed to do so. The narrative ends with the judge’s infamously unfair decision of guilty, whereupon Susan was fined $100. Embellished dialogue and descriptions lend an immediacy to the story, although there are occasional missing pieces (for instance, no explanation for why the trial was held in Canandaigua, New York, and not Rochester, where Susan lived). James’ softly drawn paintings focus on faces, which are well characterized and realistic, while other details are intentionally less defined. A strong, straightforward introduction to an activist kids that will return to as they grow older. Grades 2-4. --Julie Cummins

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Heart on Fire

Susan B. Anthony Votes for President

By Ann Malaspina, Steve James

ALBERT WHITMAN & Company

Copyright © 2012 Ann Malaspina
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8075-3188-4

CHAPTER 1

The Fourteenth Amendment Passed by Congress June 13, 1866 Ratified July 9, 1868

Section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 5: The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Rochester, New York, November 1, 1872

Four days to the presidential election. "Register now!" the morning paper said. Susan B. Anthony jumped up to grab her purse and wrap.

Out the door and down the street she flew. Her sister Hannah and friend Mary hoisted their skirts to keep up.

Women couldn't be equal to men if they did not vote. Miss Anthony's heels tapped faster and faster.

At the voter registration office, she marched in like a gust of wind.

This was the moment Miss Anthony had dreamed of for so long. She demanded to register to vote.

The inspectors looked up, shocked and confused.

Only men could sign up to vote. Not women who owned property, paid taxes, held a job, or raised children. No woman was allowed to cast a ballot.

Outrageous. Unbelievable. True.

Miss Anthony believed women did have the right to vote, because of a new law, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

All persons born in the United States the same rights

The inspectors scratched their heads. They argued ... Yes, Miss Anthony's right! debated ...

No, women can't vote! and disagreed. Finally, one man said, "Sign here." It was done. Miss Anthony had registered to vote.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Heart on Fire by Ann Malaspina, Steve James. Copyright © 2012 Ann Malaspina. Excerpted by permission of ALBERT WHITMAN & Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080753188X
• ISBN 13: 9780807531884
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: James Steve
• Number of pages: 32