One Step Forward

Starred review from January 1, 2025
In this verse novel based on real people and events, four sisters support one another in the turbulent fight for women's right to vote in early-20th-century America. Matilda Young, nearly 15, lives in Washington, D.C., with her parents, older brother, and three older sisters. She observes that there's a "fault line in our family-- / men vs. women," one exacerbated by the question of suffrage. Matilda is afraid to engage in public action that might lead to her arrest and initially agrees to sort mail at the headquarters of the Congressional Union, a group that's pushing for an amendment that would give women the vote. She also takes on a vital caregiving role within the movement. Matilda's mother encourages her: "The actions you take each day / add up / even if they seem small," and eventually Matilda starts picketing at the White House, even as her dad and brother criticize her and the cause she believes in. As World War I drags on, police action against suffragists escalates, resulting in some imprisoned women going on hunger strikes. The verse structure successfully conveys the grit, trauma, and violence of the times, adeptly emphasizing the activists' doubt, pride, persistence, and exhaustion. Atkins' skillful use of concrete poetry greatly enhances the work. Most characters are white; the book explores class conflicts as well as African American women's struggles for the vote. Powerful, necessary reading. (dramatis personae, author's note, historical notes, timeline, quotes, places to visit, further reading, sources)(Verse historical fiction. 13-18)

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January 6, 2025
The plight of 19-year-old Matilda Young, the youngest suffragist arrested after picketing at the White House in 1917, is brought to life in this fictionalized verse account by Atkins (Design a Game). As a child in Washington, D.C., Matilda watches her older sisters Lucy and Sophie march for women’s right to vote. She soon follows in their footsteps, taking on a more active role in the movement by working with the National Woman’s Party as a letter opener. But what she really wants is to be out picketing. Despite knowing that picketing is a dangerous job—protesters are often attacked and arrested—and her parents’ disapproval of her choices, Matilda determines to stand for what she believes in, no matter the cost. This inspiring historical tale of perseverance experiments with formatting to connote mood; in poem “Do They Know?”
Atkins uses clipped, one-word lines to highlight Matilda’s stress about strangers learning she’s a suffragist. Imagined versions of suffragists such as Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell feature alongside Matilda as their paths intertwine. Ages 13–up. Agent: Roseanne Wells, Lucinda Literary.

February 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 Atkins' excellent novel in verse tells the story of the fight by suffragists for women's right to vote, as seen through the eyes of Matilda Young, a real person who is also the protagonist of this novel. Readers meet her when, in 1913, she is 14 and secretly watching the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, DC. She becomes a volunteer sorting mail at National Woman's Party headquarters and, as the years pass, becomes more involved in the movement, becoming, at 19, a full-time worker operating the switchboard at NWP headquarters. She joins picket lines and becomes the youngest suffragist and the youngest to be jailed for her actions. The text brings the 15 days Matilda spends in jail to vivid life, dramatizing the inhumane treatment the suffragists received. Though sometimes exhausted and discouraged, Matilda never gives up, continuing her protests and getting arrested and jailed again and again as the movement slowly makes progress toward eventual victory. Atkins has done a superb job of research, bringing her material to life in an important book ideal for classroom use.

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Starred review from March 1, 2025

Gr 7 Up-Historical fiction based on the real suffragist Matilda Young, who was imprisoned for protesting for the right to vote. Her narrative, in verse, covers the years of the Wilson presidency and the push to get the 19th Amendment through Congress and the states. Matilda, her sisters, and mother are suffragists, but her father and brother are not. These conflicts at home mirror the larger divide in society over suffrage. Two of her sisters' participation in the National Women's Association gives Matilda entrance into the suffrage movement. Her sister Sophia provides moral support with notes of encouragement. The poems have titles, dates, a count of days picketing, or an X as Matilda marks the days until her release from jail. The poetry reflects the events and emotions-a square concrete poem for her jail cell, text side by side as she and Sophia walk and talk, and shrinking text as Matilda feels silenced. Quotes from speeches and documents included are in italics. Women finding and employing their voices is a theme throughout. Matilda tells of her time in the workhouse, "I scream for hours calling out using my voice until it's hoarse." The violence historically dealt the suffragists from the public, police, and jailers is described in detail, bringing home with clarity the brutality they faced. Extensive notes are provided in the back matter. Additional information, a time line, and several bibliographies provide more details and facts. VERDICT This coming-of-age story intertwined with women's fight to vote creates a forceful story while chronicling parts of the suffrage movement often ignored. Strong general purchase.-Tamara Saarinen

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