The Vote: A Novel

The Vote: A Novel by Downing, Sybil. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780826338570.

"A provocative reminder of how hard American women had to fight for their rights. . . . Well-researched and elegantly written, this powerful narrative should be read by everyone, women and men."--Kate Lehrer, author of Confessions of a Bigamist ". . . a gripping story that brings history to life."--Margaret Coel, author of The Drowning Man The year is 1918. The issue is passing the 19th amendment to the Constitution. Kate Brennan, a sheltered upper-class college graduate, is mistakenly arrested when she goes to the aid of suffragists being attacked in front of the White House during a peaceful rally. Galvanized by her fourteen-day sentence in the Occoquan workhouse, she becomes a passionate supporter of the National Womans Party.Kate works with Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, actual historical leaders of the Party. She falls in love with a man who may or may not sympathize with her cause. When the fight takes her to Colorado, she joins forces with Mary Daly, an intrepid union leader, and literally puts her life on the line for the vote.