Overview

This passionate and inspiring book by the New York Times bestselling author of The Hello Girls shows us that the quest for women's rights is deeply entwined with the founding story of the United States. When America became a nation, a woman had no legal existence beyond her husband. If he abused her, she couldn't leave without abandoning her children. Abigail Adams tried to change this, reminding her husband John to ""remember the ladies"" when he wrote the Constitution. He simply laughed-and women have been fighting for their rights ever since. Fearless Women tells the story of women who dared to take destiny into their own hands. They were feminists and antifeminists, activists and homemakers, victims of abuse and pathbreaking professionals. Inspired by the nation's ideals and fueled by an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, they wouldn't take no for an answer. In time, they carried the country with them. The first right they won was the right to learn. Later, impassioned teachers like Angelina Grimké and Susan B. Anthony campaigned for the right to speak in public, lobby the government, and own property. Some were passionate abolitionists. Others fought just to protect their own children. Many of these women devoted their lives to the cause-some are famous-but most pressed their demands far from the spotlight, insisting on their right to vote, sit on a jury, control the timing of their pregnancies, enjoy equal partnerships, or earn a living. At every step, they faced fierce opposition. Elizabeth Cobbs gives voice to fearless women on both sides of the aisle, most of whom considered themselves patriots. Rich and poor, from all backgrounds and regions, they show that the women's movement has never been an exclusive club.

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In the skillful hands of Elizabeth Cobbs, intrepid women of diverse backgrounds come alive on the page as they struggle to defend their own honor, care for their families, and fight for equality, autonomy, and dignity in a nation that has long denied them. Fearless Women is a gripping panoramic history that pairs ingenious excavation with enlightening explanation to relight the fire of feminist political identity at the very moment when we need it most. -- Tiya Miles, author of <i>All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake</i> Feminism has given Americans a common language, Elizabeth Cobbs argues in this brilliant and inspiring book, making her case through sixteen paired biographies of diverse, carefully selected female subjects, both well-known (Mary Church Terrell, Frances Perkins, Phyllis Schlafly) and unknown (Abigail Bailey, Ann Marie Riebe, Yvonne Swan). A remarkable and gripping achievement. -- Mary Beth Norton, author of <i>Liberty's Daughters</i> What a great read! In unfailingly crackling prose, Cobbs freshly retells some familiar stories and colorfully excavates many new ones. Rich, consistently compelling, and often moving in detail, Fearless Women brilliantly illuminates women's long struggle for equality in America, while making a robust case for the centrality of that struggle in the master narrative of American history. A magnificent achievement. -- David M. Kennedy, author of <i>Freedom from Fear</i> Cobbs's novelistic skills shine as she dramatizes policy debates and draws on personal memoirs and other sources to bring each woman to life...Feminists will savor the depth and intimacy of this optimistic survey. * Publishers Weekly *

Cobbs's novelistic skills shine as she dramatizes policy debates and draws on personal memoirs and other sources to bring each woman to life...Feminists will savor the depth and intimacy of this optimistic survey. * Publishers Weekly * The right to compete, learn, lobby, vote, earn equal pay, obtain equal legal protection, and be assured of physical safety are among the issues the author examines through the lives of her brave protagonists. A fresh, well-researched perspective on women's history. * Kirkus Reviews * Unflinching...Delivering a timeless message of equality, Fearless Women is wide-ranging in its biographical surveys of the women who shaped the US's struggle for women's rights since her founding. * Foreword Reviews * Who are the feminist patriots and where did they come from? Covering US history since 1776, this book tackles women's drive for equality, or at least access, to sixteen different 'rights' starting with education and ending with physical safety. * Senior Women Web * In the skillful hands of Elizabeth Cobbs, intrepid women of diverse backgrounds come alive on the page as they struggle to defend their own honor, care for their families, and fight for equality, autonomy, and dignity in a nation that has long denied them. Fearless Women is a gripping panoramic history that pairs ingenious excavation with enlightening explanation to relight the fire of feminist political identity at the very moment when we need it most. -- Tiya Miles, author of <i>All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake</i> Feminism has given Americans a common language, Elizabeth Cobbs argues in this brilliant and inspiring book, making her case through sixteen paired biographies of diverse, carefully selected female subjects, both well-known (Mary Church Terrell, Frances Perkins, Phyllis Schlafly) and unknown (Abigail Bailey, Ann Marie Riebe, Yvonne Swan). A remarkable and gripping achievement. -- Mary Beth Norton, author of <i>Liberty's Daughters</i> What a great read! In unfailingly crackling prose, Cobbs freshly retells some familiar stories and colorfully excavates many new ones. Rich, consistently compelling, and often moving in detail, Fearless Women brilliantly illuminates women's long struggle for equality in America, while making a robust case for the centrality of that struggle in the master narrative of American history. A magnificent achievement. -- David M. Kennedy, author of <i>Freedom from Fear</i>

In the skillful hands of acclaimed historian and novelist Elizabeth Cobbs, intrepid women of diverse backgrounds come alive on the page as they struggle to defend their own honor, care for their families, and fight for equality, autonomy, and dignity in a nation that has long denied them regard. Fearless is a gripping panoramic history that pairs ingenious excavation with enlightening explanation to relight the fire of feminist political identity at the very moment when we need it most. -- Tiya Miles, author of <i>All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake</i> Feminism has given Americans a common language, Elizabeth Cobbs argues in this brilliant and inspiring book, making her case through sixteen paired biographies of diverse, carefully selected female subjects, both well-known (Mary Church Terrell, Frances Perkins, Phyllis Schlafly) and unknown (Abigail Bailey, Ann Marie Riebe, Yvonne Swan). A remarkable and gripping achievement. -- Mary Beth Norton, author of <i>Liberty's Daughters</i> What a great read! In unfailingly crackling prose, Cobbs freshly retells some familiar stories and colorfully excavates many new ones. Rich, consistently compelling, and often moving in detail, Fearless brilliantly illuminates women's long struggle for equality in America, while making a robust case for the centrality of that struggle in the master narrative of American history. A magnificent achievement. -- David M. Kennedy, author of <i>Freedom from Fear</i>

Author Information

Elizabeth Cobbs holds the Melbern Glasscock Chair in American History at Texas A&M University. A prizewinning historian, novelist, and documentary filmmaker, she is the author of The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers, American Umpire, The Hamilton Affair (a New York Times bestseller), and The Tubman Command.

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