An historically rich novel that brings to life the fascinating story of America’s first female state senator, Martha Hughes Cannon, who was also a doctor, suffragist, and champion of public health in the frontier territory of Utah in the late 19th century. As a young girl traveling to Utah by wagon in 1861, Martha, or Mattie as she was called, was deeply influenced by the early struggles her … struggles her family endured as frontier pioneers, including the premature deaths of her baby sister and father. From those early experiences, she found her calling. Alleviating physical suffering and healing became her goals, and Mattie worked with astounding dedication and resolve to achieve those goals. She began teaching school at age fourteen and worked as a typesetter for the influential Women’s Exponent newspaper to pay for college where she graduated with a degree in chemistry.
In 1880, Mattie stepped into the lecture hall of the University of Michigan medical school, the only woman in the class and one of a handful of women to attend the school in its history. The room erupted at her entrance–laughter, scoffing, voices calling out, and more than one person muttering about the “hen medic.” Many male professors, thinking it indelicate, refused to discuss anatomy if women students were in the room, and they were often forced to observe from an annex area outside the regular classroom.
Resolved and single-minded, Mattie graduated from medical school at the age twenty-three, the only female in her class. As a doctor, she returned to frontier Utah, set up a medical practice, and established classes for midwives where she lectured on obstetrics. As a suffragette, she was outspoken at the Columbia Exposition of Chicago, where she delivered a rousing speech on behalf of women’s rights. She married in secrecy at age twenty-seen, and later lived in exile for two years because her husband practiced plural marriage, which was illegal, and she didn’t want to testify against him.
She returned to Utah in 1888 and took an active part in politics and women’s suffrage. She ran for office as a Democrat against the Republican candidate, who was her husband and won, becoming the first woman ever elected as a state senator in the US.
This is the first historical fiction novel based on the real life of Martha Hughes Cannon, a woman whose extraordinary life as a pioneer woman paralleled the life of the nation, struggling to grow and expand westward, wrestling with the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all its citizens, including women, and overcoming tremendous odds and roadblocks by forging the uniquely American spirit of the west: independence, innovation, dedication, and stick-to-itiveness which defined her generation and this chapter in American history.
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Wow! What a great book. This was different from most of the books I’ve read. It made me so grateful for all the amazing women who broke through all the poop barriers so that I have the opportunity to pursue any career I want. I had no idea that Utah was so involved in women’s rights. The author made this book so enjoyable to read and at the same time gave me a history lesson. Well done- I would for sure recommend this book!
Martha Hughes Cannon lived a fascinating life. I’m surprise that I don’t recall having learned about her before as there is so much that stands out-one of the first female doctors in Utah, a player in women’s suffrage, exiled as a polygamous wife, and the first female State Senator to name a few things.
The chapter notes at the end of the book said that Mattie requested that her journals be burned at her death. I am so curious about how she felt about her very unusual situation in a polygamous marriage. The secrecy and legal issues that caused her to flee the country with her baby seemed like ample cause to move on. I would have loved to have more information about why she stuck with Angus (although the book only mentioned rare occasions that they were together-for awhile I thought he’d abandoned her and their daughter, but then there was mention of her still being his wife and more children).
There were gaps and some of the transitions between events was choppy. I felt a little lost at times. Parts of the story seemed to drag on while other parts left off without closure. That said, it really was eye opening to learn about this amazing woman. She really went against the norm of her time in getting an education and becoming a doctor. She continued her education in oration, and made a big difference in women’s suffrage and in public health.
*I received an advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
An incredibly interesting book about a fascinating woman! A Quiet Revolution is about Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female state senator, a doctor, and influential voice in women’s suffrage, public health and medical education for women. Dr. Cannon was also a Mormon, involved in a plural marriage, and the book tells her story about the prejudice she had to deal with because of it. I was very surprised at how much the Mormon church supported Martha, not only in her desire to become a doctor, but also in becoming a state senator. There were many obstacles to overcome her family’s objection to medical school among them. Author Marianne Monson has deeply researched Dr. Cannon and creates a fascinating story that educates as well as entertains. I highly recommend this book!
“Let us not waste our talents in the cauldron of modern nothingness…but strive to become women of intellect and endeavor to do some little good while we live in this protracted gleam called life.”
When Martha, known as Mattie, wrote those words to a friend, she could not know that future generations would look at her life as an example of exactly that.
This book is well-written, fast paced, and riveting. The author does a wonderful job showing both the experiences and people that inspired Mattie’s determination and journey to affect real change and the challenges she faced that led to setbacks and heartache.
After losing a baby sister to sickness on the pioneer trail, Martha became determined to be a doctor at a time when women were all but banned from studying medicine. She was accepted to the only medical school who admitted women at the time and spent her life studying medicine, teaching others, and forging the way for the women who would follow in her path. She was forced into exile in Europe for a time to escape the consequences of her polygamous marriage but later returned to Utah and became the head of a nursing school and fought for women’s suffrage. She was eventually elected as the first female senator where she championed causes such as clean drinking water, better sanitation, and laws that protected the working class and increased public health and safety.
This book does great justice to Mattie’s influential life and work and will hopefully inspire others, as it did for me, to take the advice she received from a friend: “Go change things, for you, for me, and for our daughters.”