Short Synopsis
From Elaine Showalter comes the first full biography of Julia Ward Howe, a groundbreaking figure in the abolitionist and suffrage movements.

Full Synopsis
Julia Ward (1819–1910) was an heiress and aspiring poet when she married Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, an internationally acclaimed pioneer in the education of the blind. Together the Howes knew many of the key figures of their era, from Charles Dickens to John Brown. But Samuel also wasted Julia's inheritance, isolated and discouraged her, and opposed her literary ambitions. Julia persisted, and continued to publish poems and plays while raising six children.

Authorship of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" made her celebrated and revered. But Julia was also continuing to fight a civil war at home; she became a pacifist, suffragist, and world traveler. She came into her own as a tireless campaigner for women's rights and social reform. Esteemed author Elaine Showalter tells the story of Howe's determined self-creation and brings to life the society she inhabited and the obstacles she overcame.

"Howe's resilience and success in light of her family's efforts to thwart her ambition make her worthy of Showalter’s admiring biography." ---Publishers Weekly

"A rich life well deserving of reconsideration. Showalter provides a solid launching point." ---Kirkus

"Showalter's appealing analysis of Howe's writings, and her arguments about the tasks of literary historians create a biography that is highly recommended to literary scholars; history students; and general readers interested in women's biography, literature, and history." ---Library Journal

"A robust and enlightening feminist portrait of a national icon." ---Booklist Starred Review

"This is an excellent biography of Julia Ward Howe. . . . It is a must read for all you lovers of women's history!" ---Book Bargains & Previews

"Huber's voice takes on appropriate emotion, almost making listeners believe she's the poet herself, rather than someone reading a third-person biography." ---AudioFile

Booklist Review