Ordinary Equality

December 20, 2021
Lawyer and podcaster Kelly focuses this breezy and inspiring history of the fight against gender and sex discrimination on 12 women who pushed for “constitutional equality” for women and other marginalized groups. These historical figures include Molly Brant, or Dagonwadonti (1736–1796), a Haudenosaunee leader whose example of a “strong woman who yielded great political power and authority” was ignored by the framers of the U.S. Constitution, according to Kelly, and first lady Abigail Adams (1744–1818), who famously appealed to her husband, John Adams, to “Remember the Ladies” at the Continental Congress in 1776. Other profile subjects include Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927–2002), the first woman of color elected to Congress and a major contributor to Title IX legislation, and Pat Spearman, a Black state senator from Nevada who spearheaded the state’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in 2017, the first such legislative victory since the 1970s. Throughout, Kelly details her own activism on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment and enlivens the proceedings with a dash of irreverence (on Abigail Adams: “She immediately rage-texted her BFF Mercy Otis Warren (via letter)”) that complements the book’s bold graphic design. This spirited introduction to the battle for gender equality will appeal especially to young adults.

February 1, 2022
Ninety-eight years of relentless effort finally saw the Equal Rights Amendment ratified in 2020, setting it up for the Senate's vote. The lives of 12 women and queer people are presented in this collection, all of whom had tremendous impact on the forming of the Constitution, the fight for women's suffrage, and the long struggle to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. The lives of these diverse individuals--Dagonwadonti, Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Crystal Eastman, Mary Church Terrell, Alice Paul, Pauli Murray, Martha Wright Griffiths, Patsy Takemoto Mink, Barbara Jordan, and Pat Spearman--span from the American Revolution to today, representing all manner of backgrounds, social classes, religions, and races. Kelly, human-rights lawyer and host of the podcast Ordinary Equality, brings this fantastic introduction to the women and queer people who pioneered the ERA to life. The language is colloquial and showcases her storytelling talents, not at all the fare of academic biographies. Nicole LaRue's graphics and illustrations combined with Kelly's storytelling techniques and accessible language make this something teens will also find a fun, engaging read.

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February 15, 2022
Twelve profiles of courageous American women, pre-Revolution to the present. "We often say that America was founded on July 4, 1776--but, really, 1776 was just the year a bunch of rich white guys wrote a breakup letter to King George, saying his American colonies were tired of being England's side hustle (the Declaration of Independence)," writes Kelly near the beginning of this book, based on her podcast of the same name. The author collaborates with graphic designer and illustrator LaRue to recount the stories of little-known figures like Molly Brant, a Mohawk leader in British New York; playwright Mercy Otis Warren; and Belinda Sutton, an enslaved woman who successfully petitioned for her own emancipation; as well as more familiar names like Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Kelly has an eye for interesting details and a gift for phrasemaking. Who knew that the Fugitive Slave Act has the distinction of being "the first and only time the Founders used the pronoun 'she' in the Constitution"? Or that the contribution to women's suffrage of Matilda Joslyn Gage, who began as a teenage abolitionist, was erased by "Mean Girl" Susan B. Anthony? Kelly also introduces us to Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray, likely the first trans activist, referred to here with they/them pronouns, "an attempt to avoid misgendering a person who contributed so much to the cause of gender equality." Sidebars cover key concepts and historical figures, including Gandhi, Title IX, and that ignominious "foot soldier of the patriarchy" Phyllis Schlafly. "Even after all her extensive groundwork building a political network of conservative women and helping to shape the new religious right as a political force," writes Kelly, "Phyllis was still denied the Cabinet position she expected in the Ronald Reagan Administration." What a shame. A fun, vibrant work perfectly suited to its intended audience: a potential new generation of ERA activists.

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