Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote written by Veronica Chambers and reviewed by Debra Gantz

Summary: In a two page spread there are images of women we may have learned about who had a hand in the women's suffrage movement including 8 women all appearing white in the sketches. The next spread is a two page spread with at least 40 others who are obviously white, black, Hispanic, and Native American with mostly unfamiliar names to me. I was hooked right then. This book in 13 chapters and a conclusion puts the focus on the ways that voting rights for women mixed often with rights for other groups: Black Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans as well as the reality of the lack of rights for women in general, especially if they were not married to a man. The writing is easy to read and intermixed with photos and illustrations that highlight the time period of the suffrage movement well. Veronica Chambers and the staff of the New York Times have made a very heated and contested topic approachable for the very young. The backmatter is spectacular, which makes sense as it was written by folks with newsroom expertise. The illustrations by Ellen Duda are interesting and I had to return to the pages throughout the book when reading the Illustrator's note about the flowers along the page edges connecting to specific women in the suffrage movement. I also listened to this book using the Hoopla app through my public library and found it wonderful to hear. I believe my ability to read the names of some of these famous women was lacking and I need to do better in saying the names of these remarkable women just as I say the names of my students. Names matter. These women matter now more than ever and I am glad to have learned about them. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: I see this as a great book for middle school and high school libraries to support students who want to understand the epic struggle the suffrage movement was and to recognize the things it could not do yet. I was a student who often researched beyond the textbook and I know many of my current students do the same now. I want our libraries to offer them more than they learn in class when they seek it and to support the need to research and learn as much as can from the books they have access to at school. I am sharing this with a high school library in my district where it will supplement the collection well.