Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928)

Let me first explain my reasoning behind the three thumb review; I found this book to be a strangely impersonal account of Mrs. Pankhurst’s life. It read more like a diary of the main events of the WSPU (Suffrage movement) in the lead up to the outbreak of World War I. This made it extremely difficult for me, as a reader, to get a handle on what she was really like as a person, or the opinions of others of the movement of which she and her sister, Christabel, were such a big part of in England; this in turn had me doing further research at the library and on the internet to fill in the gaps.

Giving an explanation of what propelled her out of the normal role of women in her time, into a political arena is an interesting and eye opening journey into what it was like to be female in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, and this was one of things that kept me reading this book. This book is a snapshot into a turbulent time in British history, and may be an eye opener for those who read it and are not acquainted with the nuances of that time.

One thing I became aware of whilst reading this was the tremendous hardships and deprivations these women went through to secure the vote for women. They were humiliated, beaten, force-fed and denigrated in a way that not even the worst of criminals were at the time, all because they wanted more control over their lives and things that ultimately affected the way they lived. This in turn led me to consider the women’s movements today and how they regard the role of women in the twenty first century; there really is no comparison and it made me grateful for the freedoms I do have as a woman today.

I was disappointed that this book ended with the advent of World War I as I would have felt it would have added to the account if there had been an endnote saying what happened to the WSPU and their campaign for Women’s Rights after the end of the war; this was one part of where my extra research came in.

Despite its short comings this is a good read, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning about the origins of feminism and treatment of women in the United Kingdom.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2015/05/11/review-my-own-story-emmeline-pankhurst/





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.… (més)

Let me first explain my reasoning behind the three thumb review; I found this book to be a strangely impersonal account of Mrs. Pankhurst’s life. It read more like a diary of the main events of the WSPU (Suffrage movement) in the lead up to the outbreak of World War I. This made it extremely difficult for me, as a reader, to get a handle on what she was really like as a person, or the opinions of others of the movement of which she and her sister, Christabel, were such a big part of in England; this in turn had me doing further research at the library and on the internet to fill in the gaps.

Giving an explanation of what propelled her out of the normal role of women in her time, into a political arena is an interesting and eye opening journey into what it was like to be female in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, and this was one of things that kept me reading this book. This book is a snapshot into a turbulent time in British history, and may be an eye opener for those who read it and are not acquainted with the nuances of that time.

One thing I became aware of whilst reading this was the tremendous hardships and deprivations these women went through to secure the vote for women. They were humiliated, beaten, force-fed and denigrated in a way that not even the worst of criminals were at the time, all because they wanted more control over their lives and things that ultimately affected the way they lived. This in turn led me to consider the women’s movements today and how they regard the role of women in the twenty first century; there really is no comparison and it made me grateful for the freedoms I do have as a woman today.

I was disappointed that this book ended with the advent of World War I as I would have felt it would have added to the account if there had been an endnote saying what happened to the WSPU and their campaign for Women’s Rights after the end of the war; this was one part of where my extra research came in.

Despite its short comings this is a good read, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning about the origins of feminism and treatment of women in the United Kingdom.


Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2015/05/11/review-my-own-story-emmeline-pankhurst/





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.… (més)