Wayland Books ISBN 9780750297707 £11.99
Emily Davison brings to life the world of the suffragettes and the fight of some women to get the vote. It is, in effect, a brief biography of Emily, presented in an engaging way. Language is accessible, there are big pictures on each page, and often questions that need researching in order to find the answers as well as ‘Fact Cat’ facts. From a history point of view the whole book is disappointing – the whole story is far too simplistic. Accessible does not have to mean over simplified. There is, for instance, no mention of the suffragists who were perhaps more responsible for women getting the vote, or of how men felt about the issue. [They were as divided as women.] The ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act and force-feeding in prison are ignored, and of course not all poor women worked as maids. In fact, in my opinion, a lot of the excitement and turmoil of the topic are missing, making it a simple and simplistic story. Young people deserve better than this.
Alf Wilkinson, The Historical Association