One hundred years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment comes a reflective historical fiction novel with a compelling contemporary voice.

Discussions of the women’s suffrage movement largely center around the wealthy, charismatic leaders. Theirs are the names we’re taught in school, the ones we see in textbooks and documentaries. Yet, when so few names are immortalized, one must wonder who marched alongside these women but have since been forgotten. In The Accidental Suffragist, Galia Gichon explores this pivotal time in history through the eyes of a struggling factory worker. Examining the impact of economic class revealed a hidden voice — a woman with different motivations for joining the fight, someone with an awful lot on the line.

Gichon’s The Accidental Suffragist tells the story of Helen Fox, a garment worker living in New York’s tenements. After surviving the historic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Helen becomes consumed by the suffrage movement, propelled by the ways it could radically reshape her life. When her newfound activism puts her at odds with her husband and neighbors, she has to decide whether to put family first, or to risk everything in hopes of a better life.

“Gichon reminds us of the grave sacrifices so many women made more than a century ago and the debt of gratitude we owe them today” -Alisyn Camerota, CNN Anchor

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