Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Books & a Beat.
Today’s feature is a book I am just starting to read: Terrible Virtue, by Ellen Feldman, a provocative and compelling story of one of the most fascinating and influential figures of the twentieth century: Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood—an indomitable woman who, more than any other, and at great personal cost, shaped the sexual landscape we inhabit today.
Intro: (Chapter One)
Once, on a train going God knows where, to give still another speech, I awakened in the middle of the night nauseated. Oh, no, I thought, pregnant again. It didn’t seem fair. I’d been so careful. Then I calculated the timing. I couldn’t be pregnant. To calm myself, I raised the shade of the window above my berth and looked out. I was just in time to see the sign marking the station fly by. CORNING. Even after all those years, merely passing through the town could make me sick to my stomach.
I can’t remember a time that I didn’t dream of escape. When the neighborhood brats made fun of me, I told myself I’d show them someday. When Miss Graves drove me out of school, I swore I’d never return. How old was I then? Fifteen? Sixteen?
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Teaser: As the lights began to go on in the windows across the way and shadows struggled toward another day, I made up my mind. I’d had enough of treating the symptoms of the disease. I was determined to find the cure. (p. 62).
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Synopsis: The daughter of a hard-drinking, smooth-tongued free thinker and a mother worn down by thirteen children, Margaret Sanger vowed her life would be different. Trained as a nurse, she fought for social justice beside labor organizers, anarchists, socialists, and other progressives, eventually channeling her energy to one singular cause: legalizing contraception. It was a battle that would pit her against puritanical, patriarchal lawmakers, send her to prison again and again, force her to flee to England, and ultimately change the lives of women across the country and around the world.
This complex enigmatic revolutionary was at once vain and charismatic, generous and ruthless, sexually impulsive and coolly calculating—a competitive, self-centered woman who championed all women, a conflicted mother who suffered the worst tragedy a parent can experience. From opening the first illegal birth control clinic in America in 1916 through the founding of Planned Parenthood to the arrival of the Pill in the 1960s, Margaret Sanger sacrificed two husbands, three children, and scores of lovers in her fight for sexual equality and freedom.
With cameos by such legendary figures as Emma Goldman, John Reed, Big Bill Haywood, H. G. Wells, and the love of Margaret’s life, Havelock Ellis, this richly imagined portrait of a larger-than-life woman is at once sympathetic to her suffering and unsparing of her faults. Deeply insightful, Terrible Virtue is Margaret Sanger’s story as she herself might have told it.
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What do you think? Do the excerpts draw you in? Would you keep reading? I know that I’m enjoying it thoroughly.
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Yes I’m even more keen to read this now I’ve read those excerpts – she sounds like a courageous woman! Loving your new comments box too!
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Thanks, Cleo, I am so eager to dive into this one some more today. And…I’m glad you like the new look here. I thought it was fun….
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I saw this first paragraph last week on someone else’s blog and added it to my to-read list. It’s coming from the library. I hope you enjoy it too.
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Oh, yes, I am sure I will, Margot, and I hope you do too. Thanks for stopping by.
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Love the opening paragraphs and the description! I’ll be waiting to hear what you think, but have a feeling it belongs on my list.
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Yes, I thought it sounded like one you’d enjoy, JoAnn…thanks for stopping by!
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Not my usual genre, but it sounds like an intriguing read.
Here is my teaser.
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Thanks for stopping by, Majanka, and I am excited about it…for the subject matter, and for the author.
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I remember a segment on Margaret Sanger in my Women in Politics class. Really, it was a class about women equality and feminism, the road to rights and who paved the way. I was surprised that there were guys in that class. We had the best discussions! I loved going to that class.
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Good to know that your class featured Margaret Sanger, among others. Thanks for stopping by, Charlie.
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Enjoy! Margaret Sanger is one of my heroes. I requested this one from the library.
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Thanks for stopping by, Catherine, and she is one of mine, too. Where would women be without her accomplishments?
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Fascinating person and story. Definitely a must read.
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Thanks, Harvee, glad you could stop by!
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Wow, those excerpts sure sound intriguing, and yes, drew me in. I’d love to read the book real soon.
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Thanks for stopping by, Claire, and I love how this event always adds more books to my list!
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True, being able to join bookish events like this makes my heart flutter especially when meeting new friends and learning new books. Thanks for the recent visit, too 🙂
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I have to be honest; this book is not my cup of tea at all. Although I do agree that contraception is important for women, I am saddened by Planned Parenthood’s involvement in abortion. I firmly believe in the rights of women — including the rights of those yet to be born.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting on my own Tuesday Intros post!! 🙂
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I respect the right of every woman to follow her own beliefs. Thanks for stopping by, Maria.
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This sounds like a fascinating read! Yes, I would definitely continue reading – it’s an important slice of social history. And the writing style is accomplished and readable. My TT this week is a military sci fi adventure: https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/teaser-tuesday-19th-april-2016/
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Thanks, Sarah, and I am engrossed in this book. It is written in the first person voice of Margaret Sanger, so it feels as though we’re there with her.
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Having studied Women’s History at that time, I can imagine it is both enthralling and shocking…
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An ineresting read for sure.
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It is, Mary Ann…thanks for visiting.
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This is very high on my list. Sounds so good.
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I am enjoying it, Candace…thanks for stopping by.
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thanks for sharing. Though I would not read it.
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Thanks for stopping by anyway, Emma…enjoy your pick.
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I really like that teaser and first paragraph. This one is new to me, and I definitely think you should keep reading!
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I haven’t been able to put it down for very long today, Kathy. Thanks for stopping by.
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I watched an autobiography about her. I bet this book would be hard to stop reading once you started it.
My TT from Station 331 by Darcy Coates
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Oh, it is hard to put down, Laura…thanks for stopping by.
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That’s a great intro – I’d keep reading.
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Thanks, Diane, I am loving it. Thanks for stopping by.
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I am glad you are enjoying this one so far, Laurel-Rain! As you know, I liked it. 🙂 I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.
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Thanks, Wendy…I am almost finished…review should be up later today. As I ponder what I’ve read…and what still lies ahead, I am both sad and inspired. What she gave up (and lost) along the way makes what she accomplished so poignant.
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Sounds like an interesting book, although I don’t think I could read it. I know Margaret Sanger achieved some good, but I cannot admire her at all. Thanks for visiting my TT this week!
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No worries, Kym….to each her own. Thanks for stopping by.
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The cover got my attention before I learned what the book was about. I would keep reading.
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Thanks, Nise, I loved it! Hope you do too.
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This one sounds like an interesting historical! I hope that it is one that you enjoyed. ❤
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Oh, it was! Thanks for stopping by, Candid Cover….
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