Nellie McClung

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray is an assistant professor of English at
the University of Western Ontario.

This new title in Fitzhenry & Whiteside’s The Canadians series
continues that series’ excellent work in introducing important figures
from Canada’s history to young readers. Mary Lile Benham’s engaging
text is both entertaining and educational, bringing to vivid life the
story of a woman who has contributed so much to the improvement of
women’s lives in Canada. Combining a lively and highly readable
narrative with a wealth of visual material, Nellie McClung presents not
dry history, but an engrossing story of one woman’s fight for
women’s rights.

Despite the slimness of the volume, Benham has packed in an
extraordinary amount of information into the text. The problem inherent
in any history text for children is how to present, to an audience for
whom the early 20th-century is ancient history, not only the specific
events under examination but also the historical and social context
within which those events took place. Benham, however, does an excellent
job of portraying both the life of McClung as a well as the world in
which she worked; for a generation that accepts women’s rights as part
of the natural order, Benham illuminates the underlying causes of, and
motivations for, McClung’s lifelong crusade. Throughout the text
McClung’s courage, conviction, and determination are clearly conveyed,
frequently in her own words.

This volume is a worthy homage to a woman who has inspired so many
already, and hopefully will encourage a new generation of social and
political activists to fight for the rights of the disadvantaged and
oppressed. Highly recommended.