Radical Red - Hardcover

Duffy, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068419533X ISBN 13: 9780684195339

Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1993

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Connor leaves her father, a reactionary policeman, behind with her mother to follow Susan B. Anthony on her crusade for women's suffrage, a battle fraught with sacrifice and triumph.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-A gripping story of women's rights, set in Albany, New York in 1894. A chance encounter between Connor O'Shea, 12, and Miss Bertha Hall, one of "Aunt Susan's girls," changes the lives of the girl and her mother forever. Susan B. Anthony is in town to convince the state constitutional convention that women are entitled to vote. Connor (and her mother's) feminist sympathies grow as her father, the sergeant of the capitol police, becomes increasingly antagonistic. He isn't able to vote, either, since he can't read; but he is happy to rely on his friend Senator Phelan to guide him, and gets abusive when his wife and daughter disagree. By focusing on this one small episode in the history of women's suffrage, Duffy not only shows the dedication and hard work involved but also the contributions made by hundreds of humble, now-forgotten people. Radical Red is a well-crafted story, with strong characters and the kind of detail that bring the events to life. And, while it is an excellent addition to historical fiction collections, the subplot of family conflict makes it universal in appeal. Its major flaw is the puzzling absence of an author's note; readers deserve to know who is real and who is not, what Duffy's sources were, and what happened afterward.
Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The New York legislature is about to vote on woman suffrage. When Connor O'Shea, 12, is offered a pamphlet by a Susan B. Anthony colleague, her illiterate father (policeman, drinking crony of Senator Phelan's, and relentless enemy of the cause) threatens to strap her if she traffics with ``crazy women.'' Nonetheless, Connor and her mother Nora volunteer to help the women (including Anthony herself) congregated at Bertha Hall's mansion to get out the word and organize peaceful protests. When ``Da'' finds out and brutally beats them both, they escape to Bertha's home, where (if Da doesn't pursue them, as is his legal right) Nora will have the job of housekeeper. Duffy smoothly incorporates a lot of social history into this rather old- fashioned story, especially concerning women's vocational choices and educational opportunities in 1894, the suffragists camaraderie and persistence, despite the men's unfair tactics and their affection for ``Aunt Susan,'' and the status of Irish immigrants. With a mix of fictional and historical characters, the absence of an explanatory note is a real lack. Still, a credible portrayal of the period in a story eventful enough to hold readers. (Fiction. 10-13) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 068419533X
• ISBN 13: 9780684195339
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144