Hi! Let me tell you something about myself. I’m a journalist and the author of eight books. I came to write books after a long career in newspapers and magazines. I caught the writing bug in my freshman year of college, after walking into a classroom whose walls were covered with the front pages of iconic newspapers like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor. In fact, I went on to work for Dow Jones, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal. I feel more at home in a newsroom than anywhere else in the world!

I was born in Rochester, New York, the home of suffragist Susan B. Anthony and an epicenter of reform activity. And yet—incredibly!—I knew nothing about the suffrage battle. I made up for lost time, reading hundreds of books, articles, memoirs and journals, and visiting suffrage exhibits and historic sites.

The idea behind Women Win the Vote! surfaced the moment a colleague mentioned that 2020 was the 100th anniversary of the woman’s suffrage victory. Maybe it’s because I think in terms of news stories—I did write newspaper headlines in my first editing job—but I immediately made a connection with the number 19… 19 for the 19th! 

As I soon found out, the suffrage fight was long and complex, with many twists and turns. But I thought that by focusing on the people involved, I could bring this intricate story to life. The suffragists were heroes, yes, and their place in history is well deserved, but they started life just as you and I did. They grew up in homes of poverty or of plenty, they loved and fought with their brothers and sisters, they rebelled against their parents, they were constrained by and then questioned the traditions of their day, and they followed the passions of their heart. I’m excited to share their lives with you in Women Win the Vote! You’ll never look at old black-and-white photos in the same way again. These women led vibrant, colorful lives of purpose, and their legacy can spur us on to activism in our world today. 

It is a privilege for me to take part in the continuing celebration of this historic victory. I live in the lovely town of Hopewell, New Jersey, surrounded by Revolutionary War history. But now I look at houses in my town and wonder whether a suffragist—or maybe an anti-suffragist!—lived here or there. I know that suffragists spoke at our little theater and from soapboxes on our street corners. Maybe someday soon, I’ll hear an echo of their voices as I walk to the post office or the library. These days, I share life with my own suffragents — my husband, John, and our son, Evan, on his occasional visits home.

My Year with “Women Win the Vote!”

View more photos of author Nancy B. Kennedy from book events for Women Win the Vote!