I was fortunate to receive an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher and author through Netgalley in exchange for feedback and my honest review. These are my opinions, uninfluenced.

Good Girls Don’t Make History by Elizabeth Kiehner is a non-fiction, historical graphic novel that amplifies the voices of female legends from 1840 to the present day. The graphic novel takes you on a journey with key historical figures through time and the suffrage movement in United States. It is set to release on August 31st 2021.

No one’s ever ready to be ‘the first,’ Susan. But someone always has to be.

Good Girls Don’t Make History, Elizabeth Kiehner

I usually stay away from non-fiction books of any kind. However, the cover and title intrigued me, so I decided to pick it up. I’ve never been more glad to have picked up a book.

The novel switches between different times, from 2020 to 1918 and so on. We see glimpses of young women today voting and the struggle that it took to get there. I can imagine the switches between different periods of time may seem confusing for some. Personally, I had no issues with it. I found it super easy to follow and keep up with. The differences in time and history was clear and trackable.

The graphic novel is a quick read, I flew through it. It doesn’t bore you with too many details and the story keeps moving. It was definitely fast paced and exciting.

The illustrations were so beautiful. I’m not sure if this the correct term for it, but it definitely had a watercolour type of feel to it. And it worked so well with the concept.

I can’t comment on the historical accuracy of the novel. I’m more familiar with the movement in New Zealand. I must say, I was so shocked to see that the right to vote took so long in America. It made me so much prouder of New Zealand for being the first self-governing country to introduce equal rights for voting. Go Kate Sheppard!

My favourite thing about this was that it didn’t just focus on the history of white women, but also considered POC. It frustrated me so much knowing it took so much longer for Black women and Native Americans to gain the same rights.

I don’t think this is a novel for historical experts who are looking for an informed read. This seems ideal for someone like me, who’s interested in an introduction or a skim through the timeline. I felt so empowered after this.

This was a compelling and empowering read that everyone needs to pick up. If I could afford it, I’d buy this for every young female out there to read, so we can be more grateful for the rights we have today. It’s super quick and an easy read, so there’s no excuse not to. Just do it.