Wheels of Change

Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way). Sue Macy. 2011. National Geographic. 96 pages.

Sometime between May and November, 1876, Colonel Albert Augustus Pope took a trip that changed American life forever. 

Wheels of Change is a great little book! It is so well-written, so informative, so engaging! So what is the book about? Well, it's about how the introduction of the bicycle into American culture/society, changed the way women saw themselves, and how others saw them too. Bicycling was fun, yes, and it was physically challenging; but it was so much more than that. At a time when everyone assumed women were weak and mindless and needed to stay that way. Well, I exaggerate slightly, perhaps. But in terms of what women could do--inside or outside the home, in terms of what women could wear, in terms of where women could go, in terms of what kind of relationships and friendships women could have, etc. Forgetting the morality of it all, there were some that believed that women should not exert themselves physically at all. That any type of exercise at all could damage a woman's body or mind. But of course, morality does come into it. What kind of woman rides a bicycle? Who does she ride with? Does she ride on a bicycle built for two? What else is going on besides bike riding in these meetings? And a woman who wears bloomers?! Well, that has to say something about her moral character, right?!

As you can guess, this one is such a great little book. Each chapter is fascinating. And this one is designed so well! It is so reader-friendly. There are so many pictures, so many photographs, so many little asides...this one just says read me, read me, read me!

• Chapter 1: Inventing the Bicycle
• Feature: Celebrity Cyclists
• Chapter 2: The Devil's Advance Agent
• Feature: Cycling Slang
• Chapter 3: Fashion Forward
• Feature: Cycling Songs
• Chapter 4: Fast and Fearless
• Feature: The Cycling Press
• Chapter 5: New Freedoms
• Feature: Selling with Cycles

This one was well-researched. And I'd definitely recommend it!!!

Read Wheels of Change

• If you love nonfiction
• If you are interested in women's history
• If you are interested in bicycling, the history of it
• If you are interested in American history during the Victorian period

Women's Independence
Women's Liberation and the Bicycle
Courting with a Bicycle
New Bicycle Technology

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Nonfiction Monday: Unraveling Freedom

Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I. Ann Bausum. 2010. November 2010. National Geographic. 96 pages.

In the spring of 1917, as the United States prepared to declare war on Germany and enter the fight that would become known as World War I, perhaps as many as a quarter of all Americans had either been born in Germany or had descended from Germans. 

If you can enjoy a book about war, then I can definitely say that I enjoyed this one. The focus? On America's homefront during World War I. Bausum explores how individual freedoms--rights--were "unraveled" for the sake of creating a safer (better) America. With the war, differences--any differences--could make you a suspect--at least to your neighbors if not the government. Many things were now seen as being un-American. It went beyond suspecting those of German ancestry. It went beyond suspecting European immigrants.

Bausum could have easily kept the focus on one American war. Instead, she chooses to look at the pattern of how wars have a way of "unraveling" freedom and democracy. How fighting for those principles we love, often means compromising those freedoms--at least during wartime. She specifically makes a connection between the sinking of the Lusitania and World War I with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the Afghanistan/Iraq wars.

I found the book fascinating. The section on the Lusitania was heartbreaking, for example. If you're looking for a quick, compelling read, then I'd definitely recommend this one! I loved so many things about it--the layout, style, and format. It's just a beautifully detailed book. The use of color, space, photographs and other images and illustrations wowed me; everything just works well.

The back matter includes a guide to wartime presidents, a timeline, notes and acknowledgments, bibliography, resource guide, citations, index, and illustration credits. 
 

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Nonfiction Monday: Liberty or Death

Liberty or Death: The Surprising Story of Runaway Slaves Who Sided With the British During The American Revolution. By Margaret Whitman Blair. 2010. National Geographic. 64 pages.

Liberty and freedom are not the sole province of any set of people anywhere. The fact that three of the first four Presidents of our nation were slaveholders would seem to suggest that our nation was founded in slavery.

I'll be honest. I was mostly interested in Liberty Or Death because I've been fascinated by a few recent fictional titles on this subject: Octavian Nothing volume 1 and 2 by M.T. Anderson, and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. (Forge, the sequel to Chains, releases this fall.)

I'm glad I read Liberty or Death. I found it interesting and informative. It mentions how African Americans fought on both sides of the War. How some chose to trust the British. How some chose to trust the Americans. It not only covers the years of the American Revolution, it tells the bigger story. What happened to these former slaves who fought for the British after the defeat. Where they settled. What kind of lives they led. Their continued struggles.

I found the book very engaging--very compelling.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Nonfiction Monday: If Stones Could Speak

If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking The Secrets of Stonehenge. Marc Aronson. 2010. March 2010. National Geographic. 64 pages.

Stonehenge, Near Salisbury, England.
It is a typical September day in western England--we had heavy rain yesterday, and the sky is still slate gray, but when the clouds break there are sudden moments of clear sunlight. I keep noticing the changing light because I am dashing to stay out of the way of a Japanese film crew. They are following the archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson as he leads them around Stonehenge--the mysterious circle of stones that was built on Salisbury Plain 4,500 years ago and is now a World Heritage site.
Somebody went to a great effort very long ago to shape these stones and then lift them into place. But unlike the Egyptians who were raising their great pyramids at the exact same time, the builders did not know how to write. All they left behind was this beautiful circle of stone. And so we walk around it, snapping photos, and wonder, What are you telling us, stones? What did you mean to those who put you here? We want the stones to speak. We sense that if we could only understand them, we would be able to reach back in time. We would be in the world of Ancient Britain.

This one just fascinated me! I loved learning more about Stonehenge. About the various theories people--mainly archaeologists--have come up with. About how this place has fascinated so many for so long. I loved reading about the new insights, the new discoveries made just recently.

This one had everything I look for in a nonfiction. The writing was engaging. It was full of information. And the photos and illustrations were great!


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews