4Real Forums: Thoughts about Jean Fritz books

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Topic: Thoughts about Jean Fritz books

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SeaStar
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Posted: June 17 2015 at 2:19pm \| IP Logged

I have always been a Jean Fritz fan, but this fall I picked up " You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?" to preview for my kids. I was shocked over the negative way the author portrayed the role of wife and mother. Lizzie hated being stuck home with her kids, she hated her household duties, she felt left out, abandoned, etc. It was very noticeable.

I decided this would not be a good book to read aloud or to assign just because of this bad light shed on the traditional roles of wife/mother.
I wound up giving the book away.

Now I am wondering if that was too hasty of me. Was Jean Fritz just describing Lizze Stanton as she really was? Or was she letting her own thoughts and opinions come through? I have not noticed any of her other books having such a bitter twist. Thoughts?

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MarilynW
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Posted: June 17 2015 at 7:21pm \| IP Logged

That would have bothered me too Melinda. I have not noticed stuff in her other books - but we use her books mainly for US History - and our 4 year rotation is coming up next school year - so I will have to keep my eyes open.

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MaryM
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Posted: June 18 2015 at 11:34pm \| IP Logged

Jean Fritz has been writing for a...long...time. She will be 100 years old this November. So her earliest book was published in 1954 and many have been written in the past 3 decades. I tend to like her older ones much better (pre-1980s). I do think the more recent books are influenced by the thoughts of the times. So it may be her personal perspective or just more of what the culture says now - how it spins revisionist history - can make figures like Elizabeth Stanton into the feminists they want.

Found this article on Feminists for Life site - Elizabeth Cady Stanton which makes it sound like she had very progressive ideas about the importance of children and being a mother. Chose to make sure she was at home when they were young. Different perspective.

Here is another picture book I read a while back. Need to reread as I seem to remember it having a generally positive feeling about motherhood - though still some of the "women couldn't do anything" themes.
Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

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SeaStar
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Posted: June 19 2015 at 5:03am \| IP Logged

Thanks for your thoughts, Marilyn and Mary. Wow- I did not realize she is so old! Prior to the Stanton book, I was a big fan... or maybe I should say I am a big fan except for the Stanton book.

That article certainly does have a different perspective. In addition to the anti-mothering theme, the Fritz book opens with the author making a point of how disappointed Stanton's father was that she was not a boy. He longed for a boy, all his sons died in childhood except one, then he died as a young adult, and Elizaebth was only a girl... I almost stopped right there. It was very dark.

This book is so wildly different in tone from the rest. I will have to go back and look at its publication date!

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MaryM
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Posted: Oct 14 2015 at 2:49pm \| IP Logged

MaryM wrote:

Here is another picture book I read a while back. Need to reread as I seem to remember it having a generally positive feeling about motherhood - though still some of the "women couldn't do anything" themes.
Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

Just reread: yes, positive about her feelings toward her children, but not about housework.
"She loved her babies, but she did not love cooking and dishes and mending and laundry." But that is the extent - doesn't come off as these duties are horrible or demeaning.

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