Brave Women and Unsung Heroes: An Interview With Roses and Radicals Author Susan Zimet

It feels like women are finally having their moment, and Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Susan Zimet is the perfect book to accompany it. A page-turning history of the suffrage movement, you and your young reader will put this book down feeling inspired and motivated. It teaches a part of our history that many schools do not, and is a comprehensive look at the women who helped change the system. Zimet is inspiring the next generation of girls to get involved and get radical! She answered a few questions from The B&N Kids’ Blog about her exciting new book.

It still blows my mind how recently women won the right to vote!  Why do you think it’s important to tell this chapter of history now?

Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote

Hardcover $19.99

Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote

By Susan Zimet , Todd Hasak-Lowy

Hardcover $19.99

It is also a shock to me to think how recent it was that women got the right to vote. When I was growing up, we were never taught about the struggle for a woman’s right to vote. Yet this is one of the greatest civil rights struggles in our history. It was also the first time civil disobedience was ever used when the suffragists protested in front of the White House.

It is also a shock to me to think how recent it was that women got the right to vote. When I was growing up, we were never taught about the struggle for a woman’s right to vote. Yet this is one of the greatest civil rights struggles in our history. It was also the first time civil disobedience was ever used when the suffragists protested in front of the White House.

It is important that young girls and boys understand the intensity of the struggle. Finally, we have an environment where it is safer for young girls and women to speak out and speak up about injustices they encounter. The political environment right now is very polarized, turning too many away from the political process. Yet it has never been more important for young people to understand the importance of registering to vote upon turning eighteen, casting that vote in every election, considering running for office or supporting someone who is running that represents their values. The sharing of this story will hopefully inspire young people to get involved.

Who are some of the most important “characters” in this story?

There were so many brave women and so many unsung heroes, and each one played their part in winning women the right to vote. Of course, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt, Lucy Burns and Alice Paul are the stars of the movement. However, Matilda Joslyn Gage is also a critical player who was never given her due for her influence on the movement. Ida B. Welles also had a major impact on the movement as well as so many others.

Is there something especially surprising that you discovered during the process of writing the book?

The entire story was surprising to me from beginning to the end. Again, that is because I never was taught about this in school. There were no movies or books known of that told the story. The real discovery was the violence imposed on these women. The horrors they faced and the treatment they received was really upsetting to read about. What is expressed in the book is only a small sampling.

What would have been like to be a girl living back in the Suffragette era?

They had no rights. They barely got an education. They could not go to college. Young girls were expected to get married by fifteen or sixteen, give birth to many children and live by their husbands’ rules no matter what, he always had the final say. If they did work, their money belonged to their father. Young girls today could never imagine a life so confined.

To quote Elizabeth Cady Stanton from when she was a young girl “Everything we like to do is a sin … I am so tired of that everlasting no! no! no! At school, at home, everywhere it is no!”

Young girls dreamed of being born a boy. Because of these strong, bold and brave women, young girls today can dream big.

This is your first book for young readers. Why did you choose to tell this story in this format?

The book’s format was a joint decision between myself and the publisher. We felt the overarching story should be told, with sidebars filling in the history and highlighting the other women and men important to the story. This story spans seventy years. There is so much history; so many women and men are important to the story. We wanted to allow the book to tell the story without getting bogged down in too many facts and too many names. We wanted it to be engaging, with a flow to the story.

As someone who has held elected office, do you have any recommendations for how girls who are interested in politics can get more involved?

The most important thing for girls to understand is that if they want to run for office when of age, they should do it! Do not let anyone tell you no. It is common for men to think they can run for office and they will say yes, the first time they are asked. Women tend to say no seven times because they think they are not capable. Then they say yes and win the first time out. Say yes if that is what you want.

When I was in high school, I volunteered to make “Get Out the Vote” calls for a state official running for office. My first year in college, I volunteered on a presidential campaign. Go to your school board meetings, your local town or city council meetings. Get your class to go to the state capital and ask your legislature to introduce you on the floor. It is exciting, and they love to do it. Just step up and out, get involved and remember, radicals do make things happen!

 Roses and Radicals is on B&N Bookshelves January 16.