A time for Courage

A time for Courage

The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen

Washington, D. C. 1917

Kathryn Lasky

These "Dear America" diary books really “touch my heart”! This one is about 13 year old Kathleen Bowen who is growing up during World War II, and the suffrage movement.

She has two older sisters. Her mom is an active in the suffrage movement, her father is a doctor training other doctors to help overseas, her oldest sister is in college, and her other sister runs away to drive an ambulance in France.

Kat is really close to her cousin Alma, but Alma's dad sends Alma down to her grandma's old plantation. Unhappy with grandma’s ways, Alma runs away to be a volunteer nurse on the frontier.

Kat's mom is one of the women unfairly put in jail. They are held at an especially rough prison where they are beaten and fed stuff with worms in it. The women there hold a hunger strike, so they are force fed.

Cassie, her sister returns from college, and helps out at home. Even so, since she got a job Kathleen is left home alone a lot. But Kat makes some new friends and her dad agrees to take her to the hospital with him once a week. At the end her mom is released.

I really liked it. Though when I looked at the comments for this book I saw that someone thinks that the suffrage movement had absolutely nothing to do with the government giving women the rights to vote. Even though I know that that is just an opinion I think that that is outrageous and strongly disagree. Myself I think that no one could have been cold hearted enough to ignore all those brave women.

This book and other "Dear America" books are some of my favorite!

You really ought to read it and give me your opinion! My guess is that you will love it. Bookworm Promise! :)