Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story

This may be the best book I've read in a long long time. Future of biography?

This is the way biographies should be written. There are so many facts presented in such a compact, fun way. I read this quickly, but it can be a wonderful resource for more in-depth research as well. Margaret Sanger's fight for women's access to birth control was inspired partially by awareness of

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her own mother's 18 pregnancies. "As a young nurse, she saw women harming themselves to prevent further pregnancies, and living in appalling conditions surrounded by financially draining unwanted children due to ignorance of birth prevention." In addition to being readable, the book dispels many myths surrounding Sanger's crusade and personal life.

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Good graphic introduction to Sanger.

It occurs to me that a lot of our current problems are still problems because people don't know enough about Margaret Sanger. The divide over abortion and birth control persists a century later because people (mostly men) don't understand how inextricably sex and politics are linked for women, and

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this is what Sanger spent decades making people realize. She has always been a particular target of slander and demonization from those who fear independent women, so even progressives come away with significant misunderstandings about her. This graphic memoir makes a point of explaining context, correcting false information, and pointing readers in the right direction for further research. I hate the illustration style, but the book is a wonderfully important one.

"Government and industry have conspired to subjugate women for their own selfish ends... They want us to remain baby-making machines in order to replenish their armies and factories. Meanwhile, established religions - particularly the Catholic Church - have interpreted the sex act as a sordid and animalistic function that serves no purpose other than procreation... the inevitable result being war, poverty, child labor, crime and overpopulation... while taking a savage toll on the lives and health of women and their children."

"Are you suggesting birth control will solve all these problems?"

"Let me put it this way: They cannot be solved without it."

_____

"Tonight I'd like to discuss the morality of birth control... When one acts recklessly and irresponsibly we regard such behavior as immoral... except, we're told, when it comes to procreation - the results of which demand the most responsibility of us...

When women first demanded an education, it was argued that it would degrade our morals. The same with our demands to own property, drive a car, and the right to vote... All of which has come to pass, yet miraculously society hasn't crumbled. Yet those same naysayers are convinced that our demand for voluntary motherhood and dominion over our own bodies will surely bring about the end of civilization."


VOLUNTARY MOTHERHOOD. Possibly the two most important words in feminist history.

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This book is packed with all kinds of information about Sanger and her fight for reproductive rights. The story moves very quickly, and a lot of things are left to be derived from prior knowledge. However, this does not impede the main story, but rather leaves you wanting to know more. Luckily, the

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author explains a lot of this in notes at the end of the book. This story portrays both Sanger's faults and virtues.

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Not a big hit with me despite the subject matter. I just couldn't reconcile the material with the art; the dissonance stayed with me throughout.

Library copy

Not a big fan of the artwork, but the story was engaging and informative, inspiring me to learn more about Margaret Sanger and the context she worked in.

I thought I was pretty familiar with Margaret Sanger, but I learned a ton from this. It's packed with biographical information and has citations at the end explaining the source material.

Great for anyone curious about the history of contraceptive use in America.