Book: Her Quiet Revolution: A Novel of martha Hughes Cannon Frontier Doctor and First Female State Senate by Marianne Monson
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
It's been awhile since I've read a biography of sorts. This one is a fictionalized (aka. novel form) of the life of Martha Hughes Cannon who made a name for herself becoming a doctor when women didn't do such things, and then fighting for women's right to vote and for the practice of polygamy in Utah back in the day, and on to become the first woman senator. Quite fascinating!
She crossed the plains as a Mormon pioneer, seeing both her baby sister and father die on the way. As she grew up, she was fascinated by science and excelled in all her classes where everyone was a boy. She wasn't fazed by that, but fought to keep going to school, even though her mom thought it was quite ridiculous.
She ended up being able to go back east to get her education to become a medical doctor, then came back to Utah to practice it. It was there that she ended up in a polygamous marriage. This part made me crazy because even though she believed in the practice (sort of) she should have known better than to just jump right in and think it would all be different for her. (Like when he got married again...and again... she was all... dude... why? When she herself was the third wife! Like did you not think he'd go ahead and get more? Sigh.)
Anyway. Since it was against the law, now both she and her husband were in trouble, so she went back to England to hide and it wasn't the greatest. But she did end up in Wales, where her family was from and she meets a lady there that helps her and changes everything for the better.
When she finally gets home again, she is determined to help the world and that's when she starts in on the politics and giving speeches everywhere and everyone is blown away by her which leads eventually to her being asked to run for the Senate...against her husband in the end. Which seems crazy, but I guess really happened? Wow.
And she wins and the rest is history!
I found it to be a very interesting life. There were some slow parts and some frustrating moments, but in the end, it was fun to learn about this person who I had no idea about before.
Thanks to the publisher, Shadow Mountain, for sending me this copy to read and review!
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