Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The Extraordinary Suzy Wright A Colonial Woman on the Frontier By Teri Kanefield

I don't generally read nonfiction but this was the story of a woman who immigrated from England with her family.  She was a Quaker but, in the early 1700's, she was also a feminist.  She lived an nontraditional life compared to other women of that era.  I had to read her story...

Abrams Books sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It's being published today.

This is a lovely book.  It's filled with photos, side stories, and odd facts about life in that era.  It also has the look of an old manuscript on the pages, which is charming.

Suzy and her family left England because they refused to "pledge" themselves to the King.  They also didn't believe in classes of people.  They felt everyone was equal.  It was best for them to relocate.

Relocations turned out to be difficult.  The land was good and the Indians were friendly but not all the people in the area liked the Indians.  Then there was a war with the French that filtered down to them for a bit.  All in all, it was a challenge.

I'm glad I didn't live at that time.  I'm too independent to kowtow to anyone.  Suzy is a great example of how to survive at a time like that and thrive.

She never married.  She continued her education.  She did brochures and public speeches supporting the candidates and bills she wanted.  She was friends with Ben Franklin and his wife and other influential men.  She could discuss books or politics and some of the men asked her advice.  What more could she ask for?

Here's a chance for your child to see what it is was like in this era and to relive part of Suzy's life.  This book would be a great basis for a history project.  Why not share it with yours?

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