by Norah O'Donnell with Kate Andersen Brower
First published 2026
Award-winning journalist Norah O'Donnell examines the American women who fought for freedom from 1776 to today. Writing in honor of America's 250th birthday, O'Donnell asks why the unalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence took so long to include women. She profiles patriots like Mary Katherine Goddard, who printed the first signed Declaration of Independence, and the Forten family women, known as the "Black Founders" of Philadelphia for their work in abolition and suffrage. O'Donnell draws on extensive research, interviews, historical documents, and photographs to tell these stories. She includes the first women who served in the armed forces before they could vote. The book presents American history through women's eyes, showing how they demanded the country honor its founding promises of equality and rights for all.
Genres: history, feminism, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, womens-rights, womens-studies, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures, non-fiction
Setting: America, Philadelphia
Period: 1776, 20th-century, 21st-century
416 pages · Kindle Edition · Ballantine Books