Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President

Gr 2-4—Concentrating on one incident from her subject's life, Malaspina describes how Anthony voted in the 1872 presidential election, then was arrested, tried, found guilty, and fined. She and her lawyer took the position that the 14th amendment, ratified in 1868, extended voting rights to women. The judge did not agree. The case, however, helped bring attention to the suffragist movement. Although women did not gain the right to vote until 1920, this book demonstrates how Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other early activists were tireless in their efforts. Period photographs of Anthony often present a stern demeanor, but James takes a somewhat different approach. His digital-media paintings depict an energetic, intense figure with pleasant features. Bold splashes of color add vividness to the pages. At one point, the author compares Anthony to Rosa Parks, another woman who challenged a law she viewed as unjust. Although not directly sourced, quotations appear to come from Anthony's writings and historical accounts of her trial. As another presidential election approaches, this title would be a good addition to voting or women's-history units.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA