How Women Won the Vote

This is how history should be told to kids—with photos, illustrations, and captivating storytelling.

From Newbery Honor medalist Susan Campbell Bartoletti and in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in America comes the page-turning, stunningly illustrated, and tirelessly researched story of the little-known DC Women’s March of 1913.

Bartoletti spins a story like few others—deftly taking readers by the hand and introducing them to suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. Paul and Burns met in a London jail and fought their way through hunger strikes, jail time, and much more to win a long, difficult victory for America and its women.

Includes extensive back matter and dozens of archival images to evoke the time period between 1909 and 1920.

Praise for How Women Won the Vote

"This is how a good history lesson should be presented."  - Booklist

"This accessible title warrants shelf space. A solid jumping-off point for students working on reports about the suffragette movement." - School Library Journal

"This succinctly written and carefully sourced text offers young readers a glimpse into the struggles required to enact political change...Chen's richly hued digital artwork meshes seamlessly with numerous captioned documentary photos...This is an attractive and informative introduction that fills in key details often missing from other accounts of this story." - Booklist

"Sidebars, captions, and the inclusion of photos and newspaper clippings add informative visual interest...[and] convey the conflict and struggle without sensationalism. The inclusion of a photograph of the January 2017 Women’s March acknowledges that there is more work to be done. A well-documented, highly condensed introduction with substantial visual appeal." - Kirkus Reviews

"[O]ffers an engaging and nuanced view of the movement...and comes far closer to providing the multigenerational, multiracial and, very often, racist bigger picture." - New York Times Book Review

"[T]imely history of voter suppression...To its credit, this candid account does not skirt irony — that in fighting gender discrimination, parade organizers themselves practice racial discrimination, at first barring black women from participation...Thus, the suffrage movement is shown to be both regressive and progressive, underscoring a persistent contradiction perhaps central to understanding our American story." - San Francisco Chronicle

"[W]ell-sourced account of the fight for American women's suffrage. A timeline of events preceding 1909 (beginning in 1775), an author’s note, extensive notes, and a selected bibliography are appended." - Horn Book Magazine

"Bartoletti tells the story of the final push towards the 19th Amendment with verve...while illustrator Ziyue Chen captures the feeling of the early 20th century. [T]his fascinating book...is the perfect introduction to the Suffrage Movement for young readers!" - A Mighty Girl blog