When I think of women’s suffrage, the mental picture that came to mind was of working class women persecuted in their fight for the vote. This author takes the time to examine the wealthy and rich socialites who fought to give all women the right to vote. It was eye opening to me to learn the risks these women took by using the clout and power they had, as well as the criticism and pushback they experienced. As more and more restrictions are placed on voting across the US, I think this is an important work in the understanding of fighting for suffrage, how to be an ally, and how those who have social power can and should use it. This novel was excellent in opening my eyes to a period of history that I was not as familiar with. 

Thank you to NetGalley who provided a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The image of the suffragette marching with her homemade sign on the city streets is only part of the story of women's fight for the vote. Movements must usually attract powerful influencers to succeed, and that is the story of the wealthy and influential women who threw their considerable social (and actual) currency behind the fight for women's rights. The individuals are fascinating, though knowing just how much wealth plays a part in these sorts of battles is frustrating, or at least something that makes me feel very ambivalent. A well-researched and engaging read.

A fascinating read and a must to anyone interested in women gaining the vote, equality or gender history. I never tire of reading about this period which in the grand scheme of things wasn't that long ago.

There’s been much emphasis in the UK this year (2018) about the fight for women’s suffrage, so this excellent book is a timely reminder that American women too were fighting for the right to vote. Here the author concentrates on the richest and most privileged women in New York, of whom many espoused the cause and put their considerable fortunes plus their influence and position into fighting for it. They were sometimes accused of merely taking up the cudgels because it was the fashionable thing to do and a distraction from their otherwise vacuous lives. But these were capable, intelligent women and there seems little doubt that they believed in right of women to vote. As well as looking at the individual women themselves – many of them household names even today, Astor, Vanderbilt, Tiffany and so on – Neuman examines the political and social background against which they operated, which makes the book an extremely informative, entertaining and comprehensive piece of social history. Highly recommended.

I can't finish this book, not because there is something terrible or bad, but because it's not my cup of tea. I thought it would be. The blurb talks about feminism, women's suffrage, and history, and I was very excited. Sadly, the writing didn't help me. I just had a hard time reading, I can' exactly say what put me off but there was no way I could read it. I opened the book I got distracted easily, I couldn't read more than two paragraphs. I wasn't into it. 

So, don't thank you.

Although not the most well known of the suffragist movement, they are nonetheless critical to the history of women's rights. Although it feels strange to be touting a book about the social elite's place in history given the current massive divide in social classes, their contribution deserves to be acknowledged.  Well written and researched, an important part of history is put in the spotlight.

I did not read this galley in it's entirety. Though I enjoyed what I did read.

4.5 gilded and glittering stars!

"The men will see that the women will laugh last, and he who laughs last laughs best, you know."

Yet again, I put off reading a book (as I sometimes do, for no apparent reason whatsoever), only to have finished it and LOVED it! What was I thinking putting this one off for so long?!? I feel so ashamed!

Neuman clearly knew what she was talking about when she wrote Gilded Suffragists; it is so incredibly thorough and well-researched - traits I always adore seeing in books that I read. It was astounding how much work she put into it. I'm totally in awe!

The concept behind this book is what caught my attention and had me requesting it - the idea that New York City's most elite women (Neuman credits around 200) used their keen senses of fashion and large bank accounts to attract public attention to the suffrage movement is incredible!

These wealthy women were not regarded by men as equal citizens, so, they reasoned, they were exempt from following the laws in the same way that men were, even if that meant using drastic measures every now and then...like shouting on street corners and from atop soap boxes, or picketing outside the front gates of the White House, all of which were incredibly unladylike things to be caught doing in the early 1900s.
Interestingly, American women fought hard to keep themselves separate from their English counterparts - despite the fact that both groups were fighting for the exact same thing - for fear that American men would be put off and feel emasculated (gasp!) if their women adopted the same extreme tactics that British women were using to draw attention to suffrage (including assaulting members of Parliament, cutting telephone wires, and treating golf courses with acid). The majority of American women felt that their "Deeds, not words" slogan would be sufficient in winning them the right to vote. Whether this is actually true or whether it was their eventual escalation to picketing, imprisonment, and hunger strikes that won them the vote, win it they did.

These 200-ish women manipulated the press into featuring the suffrage movement in some of the country's most prominent newspapers. In fact, these very women are credited with starting the paparazzi-style reporting that is still going strong today: "At a time when print was ascending, these elite women of an earlier generation rode the crest of a new phenomenon called celebrity journalism." These gilded suffragists understood all too well that for the right price, the public would learn what it needed to about their work as suffrage advocates...and none of what it didn't. They used their lofty positions atop the social ladder to bring attention to a cause that spoke to them on a very deep level. And most importantly, they learned to play the game - and win the vote - by adopting a few male-approved tactics; charm, social connections, money, and, when necessary, a bit of arm-twisting.

After reading Gilded Suffragists, I am much more familiar with suffrage and what it meant for these women to stand on the right side of a very wrong time in history. Marriages dissolved, children grew resentful, friendships broke apart, and reputations were smeared, but these women fought valiantly for a cause that was undeniably important to them. They wanted to ensure that they would leave the world a more tolerant place than when they had entered it.

I am upset that the issues this book addresses are not taught in history classes today. If children were familiar with the suffrage movement and just how important it was, they might not take such things for granted because these women (whatever their motives for winning the vote might have been) were brilliant, brave, and remarkable, to say the least, and it's a damn shame that this part of history is not common knowledge today.

This book makes me proud to be a woman, and I'd like to think that I would have picked up a banner or handful of pamphlets and marched right alongside these women had I been alive during that era.

Neuman truly knocked it out of the park when she wrote Gilded Suffragists.
Take a chance on this one...you won't be disappointed!



*A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley, the publisher, and the author in exchange for an honest review.*

Today’s Women’s Marchers owe a lot to Johanna Neuman’s Gilded Suffragists. There’s no doubt that high society at the turn of the twentieth century was the precursor of today’s activist celebrities. I just wish Neuman’s book had been more compelling.

The women’s suffrage and enfranchisement movements weren’t moving forward very quickly until the women of means started to participate. These were women who understood how to manage the media of time. They also had the backing—if only financially—of wealthy husbands and families. Their social lives gave them access to both local and national politicians as well.

Despite those advantages, the suffragists didn’t unite together behind one banner. They created various separate committees and organizations. Then the groups wasted energy fighting with each other instead of just against the patriarchy. I was incredibly frustrated by the factions, which stalled and derailed the process. Yet somehow, they managed to pull it off. Women became fully voting U.S. citizens.

To me, the story as Neuman tells it isn’t that they accomplished their goal in spite of male opposition. It is that they accomplished their goal in spite of themselves.

The book’s tone and structure frustrated me. Most of the book felt like a recitation of facts, with only a minor bit of sociological interpretation in the last several pages. Neuman chose not to include much supposed dialogue among the suffragists, gilded or otherwise. I understand the author’s desire to stay strictly historical, but this can be done artfully as well as accurately. For example, the way Holly Tucker did in City of Light, City of Poison.

Neuman built the story chronologically. And yet, I often felt that the same facts were introduced as new in multiple places. I never quite connected with any of the women involved, despite the information I learned about them. And the various factions only added to my frustration. I wish the book’s organization had focused on fewer women, or had followed committee lines instead of timelines. Perhaps another style would have made it seem less like a doctoral dissertation.

Nevertheless, I was glad to learn about the participation of these women in a cause that has defined the way American women contribute to politics. Kudos to Neuman for bringing them to the forefront.

Thanks to NetGalley, New York University Press, and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Terrific telling of such an interesting time in our history.

in her 240 pages long book the Gilded suffragist, Johanna Neumann tries to bring light to the American upper-crust women who fought for women's right the foremost of course the right to vote. To distinguish themselves from the British suffragettes they chose to be called suffragists as they were determined to choose other methods. These women used their own means to move the cause forward like easy access to important people, use their own publicity to introduce the topic to a wider audience and use their money in many ways to support women's rights. The time spans from 1907 till 1947 and the book describes many of these upper class women contributed to the cause. It brings a wealth of details not sparing the infighting or rivalry among various branches of women rights clubs or parties and how often the women lacked solidarity. the book is an interesting read for all who want to get an insight into the women rights movement and at the same time how society functioned at that time and at that higher class level.  What is not so perfect is that the chapters at times lack cohesiveness and the book seems not well organized.  It is also distracting that the author finds it necessary to describe in details the costs of table settings, room decoration and of clothes of these upper-class women. Nevertheless,  it is a good read for the wealth of information and brings the other side of suffragists who are rarely if ever mentioned.

This was a very dry book, and started off with the rather dull beginning of clubs. It is interesting to know our history, it is just very difficult to relate to women born with a silver spoon in their mouths. And with the writing style being so dry, I am surprised I finished it.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
From the publisher - 

New York City's elite women who turned a feminist cause into a fashionable revolution In the early twentieth century over two hundred of New York's most glamorous socialites joined the suffrage movement. Their names--Astor, Belmont, Rockefeller, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Whitney and the like--carried enormous public value. These women were the media darlings of their day because of the extravagance of their costume balls and the opulence of the French couture clothes, and they leveraged their social celebrity for political power, turning women's right to vote into a fashionable cause. Although they were dismissed by critics as bored socialites "trying on suffrage as they might the latest couture designs from Paris," these gilded suffragists were at the epicenter of the great reforms known collectively as the Progressive Era. From championing education for women, to pursuing careers, and advocating for the end of marriage, these women were engaged with the swirl of change that swept through the streets of New York City. Johanna Neuman restores these women to their rightful place in the story of women's suffrage. Understanding the need for popular approval for any social change, these socialites used their wealth, power, social connections and style to excite mainstream interest and to diffuse resistance to the cause. In the end, as Neuman says, when change was in the air, these women helped push women's suffrage over the finish line.

I am pressed to name any NYC socialite that does so much for change these days --- Instagram feeds maybe.  "Real" housewives? Not at all. The descendants of the families in this book - Astor, Belmont, Rockefeller, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Whitney et al are still well-known names but they have been replaced by socialites who throw balls and collectively spend more on their gown/hair/makeup/etc. then the balls' final tally of "monies raised". Here is an idea, ladies - sell tickets to stay at home and donate the ticket price and all the frou-frou directly to the charity!
Back to the book - ahem. These women are why we can vote today. Why The US had a woman run for president. Why we have a voice in everything from our private lives to political office. We should revere them and learn more about them by reading this book! I had no idea that these women were involved in getting the US the voting rights of women. 
We were a little earlier than the 19th amendment allowing women to vote in the USA in 1920 in some parts of Canada ... Provincially, women were given the vote in 1916 in the four western provinces, in 1917 in Ontario, in 1918 in Nova Scotia, in 1919 in New Brunswick, in 1922 in Prince Edward Island, and in 1940 in Quebec.  1940!!!!!!!!!  

Anyone who is interesting in history would enjoy this book - I certainly did so. (and if your daughter ever says that you are not being fair .. give her this book and let her see what things were like 100 years ago.

3.75

Fascinating anecdotal account of the overlooked support for women's suffrage by a daunting number of wealthy socialites in the early 20th century. Sadly, the movement was as partisan and factionalized as any political group and many of the "gilded" women were erased when history was written. The individual stories are often dramatic and note worthy and this account sheds some light on a lesser known time and some significant participants. 

I was given an ARC via Net Galley in return for my honest review.

This was an interesting look at some of the most famous women of the era and how their popularity helped the suffragist cause.

Gilded Suffragists The New York Socialites who Fought for Women's Right to Vote by Johanna Neuman in bookstores these days is a wonderful book. If you are a woman you must read it. It's very clear, bubbling, entertaining and plenty of informations, book, dreaming in some part, but mostly, while you will read it, you will "live" the sensation of being transported thanks to the light, sunny writing-style of the author at the beginning of 1900s.
It's a story of women this one and of women of the best and most influential families of NYC, the richest part, wonderfully "painted" and described.
There are the Astor, Belmont, Harriman, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, including many intellectual great names and of course the creative women and girls working in the city, for a total of more than 200 girls and ladies all ready for starting the suffrage movement.
A trip in the past but also in that rights so forgotten and neglected. If we are more free is also thanks to these women.
An anecdotes for all: problems like the sinking of the Titanic was in 192, didn't create just polemics because of the lack of sufficient lifeboats but also because most men left their place to a lot of women and children with a profound discussion between the various parts.
John J. Astor IV died in April 12  with other 1503 other souls.
He accompanied his pregnant wife to a lifeboat leaving her alone because the motto was is and always will be: "Women and children before" and then he died. When the Titanic sank.
Some men asked: "Would the suffragette have stood on that deck for women's rights or for women's privileges?"

Read it: it's a wonderful tale, plenty of informations, funny, electrifying. You'll just adore it!

I thank NetGalley and NY University Press for this eBook.

Gilded Suffragists describes the effects of the society women who joined the women's suffrage movement. This was very well-researched, citing many ignored contemporary articles. It also provided many nice moments, such as the anecdote about the woman reciprocating the dinner at the club line to the people who did it to her. While well researched and occasionally touching, this book would go off on long tangents, like on the methods of the movement and the men in the movement, which were interesting but not the focus, making the book seem disorganised. Additionally, at certain points, the book turned into lists of salons hosted by society women, which could have been mentioned together rather than expounding on everyone of them. 

A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I need to be honest… this book is not generally something that I would read. I tend to find that a lot of history/non-fiction type books can get a bit tedious and boring. That said, this was not the case with Gilded Suffragists. I found the detail to be incredibly fascinating. I am sure Johanna Neuman’s delivery has everything to do with that.

That said, Johanna Neuman has definitely done her homework in Gilded Suffragists. The incredible amount of historical detail really places the reader back into the early twentieth century alongside these courageous, and exceedingly extravagant, women. You really learn to appreciate the commitment of these early socialites who took their celebrity and power to make lasting changes in their communities, even when faced with dismissal and ridicule. You also realize that social status was resourcefully used as a tool to drive these positive changes. From helping immigrants and the poor, improving education, and all the way to voting rights of women, these ladies brought together in their elite clubs fought against their stereotypes to make a real difference.

This title is incredibly relevant today’s politics. I’ve heard so many people criticize that celebrities have no place in politics and social issues. Gilded Suffragists demonstrates exactly why people who have social power not only have the right to speak up but further validates our necessity for today’s celebrities to use their voices. We need them. They can be louder than the rest of us. They have access to far more resources.

I can easily see Gilded Suffragists becoming part of curriculum, so we (students) may have a better – broader – understanding of the history of women’s rights to vote. It is much to easy too gloss over the topic as is and subsequently take the women’s right to vote for granted. To be frank, I can’t recall learning much if anything about the fight for women to be able to vote. Perhaps, too, the notoriety and familiarity of these women, even if just by surname, may connect with young people today. Better yet, maybe more celebrities could be driven to find inspiration in Tiffany, Astor, Whitney, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt and the many others who proved what social status can drive.

I am giving Gilded Suffragists, 4 courageous stars!

Subtitled, The New York Socialites Who Fought for Women's Right to Vote, Johanna Neuman's book credits the forgotten women of the upper class who joined the movement for suffrage.

Just as today the media loves wealth and beauty, a hundred years ago the media loved the elite denizens of New York, helping to establish the power of the 'celebrity endorsement.'

When socialites decided to form their own club, become involved with the betterment of the immigrant and the poor, and support women's right to self-government, they provided much-needed funding and a public voice from within the establishment. 

They thought it important to be well dressed and feminine to counter the stereotype of suffragettes as masculine or hysterical. Some took to soap boxes while others held elegant soirees. The women publicly paraded in white with banners, an act of nonconformity that brought ridicule and angry threats. Eventually, enlightened men supported their wives, marching with them, while others' disapproving husbands sat grimly on the sidelines.

WWI had a huge impact on the movement. The Suffragists were criticized for drawing the president's attention away from the war, and it was then that they became targets of police brutality and inhumane treatment in prison. 

I was moved by the story of Jeanette Rankin, a pacifist Montana Republican and the first women elected to the U.S. Congress. When President Wilson asked Congress to approve entering WWI, Rankin was under huge pressure. Should she stand by her pacifist beliefs? Or, representing all women and their political future, must she prove that women could rise to the occasion and support war when circumstances required it?

When Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony published their History of Woman Suffrage they omitted or distorted the history of the movement, emphasizing their own roles as founders. Over the years, the Gilded Suffragettes were relegated to the sidelines of history and then were forgotten.

Neuman locates the movement in the history of the early 20th c., a time of great social change, including the establishment of the federal income tax, laws overseeing business, and population shifts from rural to urban areas. 

I finished this book August 18; it was on August 18, 1920, that the 19th Amendment was passed. In some ways, women have come a long way, and yet our rights for self-determination and political and equality are under threat. A hundred years ago society's darlings, dressed in couture fashions and big hats, stood up for social equality. I would like to know, are today's women of the 1% as willing or interested in standing up for political equality? Or is it only the new class of elites from the entertainment business that have the courage? 

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book was such a learning experience for me. I was not aware of these brave women who used their place in society to fight for women's rights and improve the world. I also liked reading about the men that supported these women. Some of them even joined in the fight with these courageous women. This is one of my favorite topics to read about, and the author did not disappoint. I could tell it was well researched and it was also very readable. I loved it! Highly recommend!