This books is fantastic! While the writing is geared toward a YA or even middle-grades audience, it is worth reading for all ages. The history of women's suffrage in the U.S. is told through the the stories of the activists who led the cause. I've read a decent amount on the topic, and still found new information in this. The tone is inspiring, and ultimately, the book is about more than history; it's a call to continue fighting for equality.

In today’s political arena, a woman’s voice is heard just as loud as a man’s voice, but we have had this right for less than one hundred years. The nineteenth amendment that gave women the right to vote barely passed, yet it did. This historic event was not quick and was spearheaded by many women over many decades. Roses and Radicals tells the story of these women. Some are well-known suffragettes and others are lesser known, but not less important. This non-fiction book will bring readers a better knowledge of these issues we take for granted. Roses and Radicals is a good book that readers may finish quickly or at their own pace.

Great history for young readers on how women worked over decades to get the right to vote. I knew a lot of it, but learned a lot too.

A fantastic glimpse into the history of American Women and our fight for suffrage. I got emotional several times reading this, thinking of my sisters of the past and all they went through to get the right to vote, the right to own property, and rights to their children. What an incredible fight. One that the author acknowledges is not over.

I was inspired and grateful that this book addressed they hard truths of the fight for suffrage: the abuse and the neglect.

I must advise: this is a brief history, not in-depth. But it never claimed to be anything else. So if you want to be inspired, read this.

Good middle grade nonfiction. The extra info inserts did not disrupt the flow of the story.

I received a copy of this book from the author through Goodreads Giveaways.

When I saw this book in the list of giveaways, I was immediately interested in it. I can't speak for every high school and college in the country, but I can say that every US history class I took in school seemed to run out of time before we reached this point in history. After focusing on the birth of our nation, then stalling on the Civil War, we were usually left with a week to sprint through the 20th century. I realized that all I knew about suffrage was that it was led by Susan B. Anthony and that women were finally given the right to vote in 1920 with the 19th amendment. Aside from some things my husband and I have learned about female voters in Utah (more on that later), almost everything in this book was new to me.

The target audience for Roses and Radicals is listed as middle grade, but I found it highly readable even as an adult. The short length of the book and Zimet's style make for a quick read that will appeal to young readers and busy adults alike. The word "epic" in the subtitle is misleading, though, since it's not much more than an overview of the subject. But even as an overview, it contains a wealth of information. I would never have guessed that the women's rights movement wasn't even interested in giving women the right to vote at first. Of the demands women made in the early days, that just wasn't one of them. But even now, it's one of the only demands that was actually met.

My only frustration with the book was its Eastern-heavy perspective. Living in the Western United States, this has been a lifelong challenge. As I mentioned above, my husband and I have been learning a little of the history of female voters in Utah from the book [b:Saints Volume 2: No Unhallowed Hand|51247314|Saints Volume 2 No Unhallowed Hand|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581663723l/51247314._SX50_.jpg|71409920]. Knowing that the Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote in 1869 and that Utah followed in 1870, I was disappointed that Zimet's narrative jumped from 1869 to 1872 without any mention of those events. It was 36 pages later when we finally received a text box with a short summary of our history, as though we were an afterthought. The information wasn't very illuminating and misrepresented some of our experiences.

Despite that, I highly recommend this book. I'm glad to have it as part of my collection and look forward to letting my daughters read it when they're older.