Clarina Nichols (1810-1885) was a newspaper publisher and political speaker at a time when few women dared make their voice heard. A key player in the first women’s rights movement following the historic Seneca Falls Convention, Nichols left the comforts of Vermont and colleagues like Susan B. Anthony behind to settle the frontier of “Bleeding Kansas.” There her presence ensured the new state’ss Constitution gave rights to women that they enjoyed nowhere else. Diane Eickhoff’ss meticulous quest to collect Nichols’s scattered writings and papers has yielded a remarkable story about a fledgling movement with striking parallels to today’ss MeToo movement. Despite ridicule and verbal abuse, Nichols thrived by using humor and pluck to persuade men to grant unprecedented rights for women. Amply illustrated and excitingly written, Revolutionary Heart is a window into an unjustly overlooked period in American history. Named a Kansas Notable Book and ForeWord’ss Book of the Year in Biography.
