About this item
A sweeping, smart, and smart-ass graphic history of women's ongoing quest for equalityIn March 2017, Nevada surprised the rest of America by suddenly ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment--thirty-five years after the deadline had passed. Hey, better late than never, right? Then, lo and behold, a few months later, Illinois followed suit. Hurrah for the Land of Lincoln!That left the ERA just one state short of the congressional minimum for ratification. One state--and a legacy of shame--are what stand between American women and full equality.She the People takes on the campaign for change by offering a cheekily illustrated, sometimes sarcastic, and all-too-true account of women's evolving rights and citizenship. Divided into twelve historical periods between 1776 and today, journalist, historian, and activist Jen Deaderick takes readers on a walk down the ERA's rocky road to become part of our Constitution by highlighting changes in the legal status of women alongside the significant cultural and social influences of the time, so women's history is revealed as an integral part of U.S. history, and not a tangential sideline.Clever and dynamic, She the People is informative, entertaining, and a vital reminder that women still aren't fully accepted as equal citizens in America.
About the Author
History has always been a passion of mine. I stop to read plaques. My mother was deeply involved with the League of Women Voters during the push for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, and she made sure I knew about my foremothers. It's because of her that I ended up writing She The People.Ten years ago, I founded an Equal Rights Amendment page on Facebook in the hopes of renewing interest. My interactions on and around the page made me realize how little people actually knew about not only the ERA, but also how citizenship and democratic process works. That made me want to tell the story. My Mom grew up in veterans housing in Winthrop, Massachusetts on Boston Harbor. My Dad grew up in the Bronx. I grew up as a stealth Townie in a gentrifying working class neighborhood in Brookline, Massachusetts.The brilliant teachers at Brookline High School taught me how to write and that just keeps paying off. I will always be grateful that I had access to excellent public education.I got my BFA degree in theater from Emerson College in Boston after an unsuccessful year at Grinnell College in Iowa and a gap year spent trying to figure myself out in San Diego and Europe. That travel was funded with a cashed-out $2000 mutual fund that my Dad had started for me at some point. Thanks, Dad.After graduating Emerson, I moved to NYC where I took a half-hearted stab at pursuing acting, and then ended up doing stand up comedy, which was fantastic. I made money temping, then consulting, which pays more and involves less Xeroxing. I was in NYC for nine years, and then moved home to Boston to marry and have a kid, not necessarily in that order. I now have an amazing 14-year-old and a decent ex-husband. I live in Cambridge with my kid surrounded by hipster cafés and intellectuals.
