Blog Tour: Clarina Nichols - Frontier Crusader for Women's Rights by Diane Eickhoff ~ BookishRealm

Happy Monday everyone!! I'm so grateful to be the first stop on the TLC Book Tours book blogging tour of Diane Eickhoff's Clarina Nichols - Frontier Crusader for Women's Rights. Below you will find some information related to the book, my thoughts/review, author information, as well as future tour stops. I hope you enjoy!

Purchase: Amazon

Published: March 1, 2016 by Quindaro Press

# of Pages: 240

Source: Review Copy by Publisher

In 1827, when Clarina was a teenager, she remembers, "I had a longing desire to do good." But America wasn't ready for an ambitious, intelligent young woman. Clarina was supposed to get married and start a family. But her husband turned out to be abusive and a deadbeat. The law was of little help. Her situation seemed hopeless. This is the amazing true story of how Clarina Nichols turned tragedy into triumph—and went on to help fuel the movement that created a brighter future for women everywhere.

Praise

"The name Clarina Nichols deserves to be placed next to those of such luminaries as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton" —Booklist

“Readers will gain a sense of the bravery and conviction it took for Nichols and other women to challenge unjust and ingrained ideologies in order to ensure freedom for future generations.” — Publishers Weekly, Nov. 30, 2015

It's 2016, the year of a Presidential election. With such a significant event occurring, many individuals and organizations have begun to advocate for U.S. citizens to exercise their right to vote. As a young, African-American female I sometimes forget how important it is to recognize the struggle many women went through to make sure I and so many others have the right to vote. With this subject so scarcely covered in history classrooms, Diane Eickhoff does a wonderful job introducing the topic of women's suffrage through Clarina Nichols.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was the information I had access to. I was given the opportunity to learn about various aspects of the 19th century that I never learned in school, not even as a history major. Here are a few examples:

Ladies were solely educated in piano, art, singing, etc. to become more eligible for marriage whereas men were given a scientific education. (pg. 19)
People drank three times more in the 19th century than people now. (pg. 25)
Poor widows were often auctioned off to the lowest bidder. (pg. 67)
If a mother had custody of her children for years she lost it as soon as she remarried. (pg. 69)

These are just a small percentage of things I learned while reading the novel. The text is full of riveting information as it relates to Clarina Nichols and women's fight to have just as many legal rights as men. Eickhoff clearly sets forth to expand the mind of all her readers.

In addition to the newly gained information associated with the book, Eickhoff's writing makes the book extremely accessible. Quite often with non-fiction younger readers are turned away because the text is not information they can relate to or understand. Eickhoff presents the story of Clarina in a clear, concise manner that makes the information accessible to individuals of all ages. It becomes a tale for everyone to enjoy. It covers numerous perspectives of Clarina while introducing the names of more well known women's rights activists such as as Susan B. Anthony. If you are searching for a young adult non-fiction novel that gives a great perspective of the women's fight towards equal rights I would definitely recommend checking out this novel which does a wonderful job of building and illustrating the story of Clarina Nichols.

About the Author

Diane Eickhoff grew up on a farm in Minnesota, taught school in Appalachia and New York, and helped edit a newspaper for an anti-poverty program in Alabama. She has written widely for publications aimed at high school and younger readers. Her biography, Revolutionary Heart, from which this book is adapted, was named a Kansas Notable Book and the winner of ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year competition in biography, among other honors. She lives with her husband, author Aaron Barnhart, in Kansas City.

Please make sure you check out the following bloggers for the rest of the blog tour!

Tuesday, March 22nd: Lectus

Tuesday, March 22nd: The Avid Reader

Wednesday, March 23rd: Time 2 Read

Thursday, March 24th: A Bookish Affair

Tuesday, March 29th: Tina Says…

Wednesday, March 30th: Rambling Reviews

Thursday, March 31st: Bibliophilia, Please

Monday, April 4th: Puddletown Reviews

Tuesday, April 5th: Raven Haired Girl

Wednesday, April 6th: I’m Shelf-ish

Thursday, April 7th: Unabridged Chick

Thursday, April 7th: Reading is My Super Power