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Over de Auteur

Sara L. Latta writes about science and medicine from her home in Illinois. She has a BA in Microbiology from the University of Kansas, an MS in Immunology from the University of Chicago, and recently earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University.

Bevat de namen: Sara Latta, Sara Lynn Latta

Fotografie: Tony M. Liss

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Werken van Sara L. Latta

What Happens in Spring? (2006) 15 exemplaren
Exploring Constellations (2017) 12 exemplaren
What Happens in Fall? (2006) 9 exemplaren
What Happens in Winter? (2006) 8 exemplaren
What Happens in Summer? (2006) 8 exemplaren
Allergies (Diseases and People) (1998) 7 exemplaren
Keep Out!: Invasive Species (2013) 1 exemplaar
Why is it Winter? 1 exemplaar

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Living in central New York, Dr. Mary Walker was well known to me. Or so I thought. Just reading the first few well-written chapters I learned so much more about her that I can't wait to finish the book.
½
 
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book58lover | 3 andere besprekingen | Mar 16, 2023 |
I Could Not Do Otherwise by Sara Latta is a biography of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who was born in 1832 and fought against societal and political conventions all her life. While the book is about Mary Walker, it contains a wealth of information about not only the national events happening during her life, but about many public figures of the time, particularly other forward-thinking women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Susan B. Anthony. Mary Walker personally knew many famous personages of the time. The book is liberally sprinkled with photographs which add to its attractiveness.

Mary Walker was among the first females to graduate from medical school. When the Civil War broke out, she volunteered to be an army surgeon but was refused, despite the desperate need for doctors, because the Army did not have any women. She chose to volunteer as a civilian. She worked near the front lines during major battles, sometimes crossing over into Confederate territory, and eventually spied for the Union. She was captured by the Confederate army, serving four months in one of the most notorious civil war prisons. While there she treated other inmates in the best manner possible under the circumstances. She is the only woman to have received the Medal of Honor and one of only eight civilians to have done so.

Dr. Walker campaigned ceaselessly for a change in conventional women’s clothing. She considered corsets to be bad for women’s health, as they impaired breathing and digestion. She believed the floor-length dresses of the time to be gatherers of dirt and filth. She never wore a corset, and from an early age working on her parent’s farm, she wore a type of pant under a shorter dress. As an adult, she wore pants under shortened dresses, and eventually her manner of dress was nearer to that of men’s dress. She was arrested numerous times for this but was always released from custody.

Dr. Walker was an abolitionist, prohibitionist, and early suffragist. The initial stance of the women’s suffragist movement, following her lead, was to claim that women already had the right to vote, and Congress needed only to enact enabling legislation. Following the war, she became a lecturer and writer. She fell out of favor with the suffragist movement and unfortunately, she has become all but unknown to the world. It is deplorable, as Mary Walker was a multitalented and accomplished woman that everyone should be aware of.

The book is promoted as a young adult book, specifically for ages 13 – 18. At 208 densely filled pages, I am not sure that many young people near the lower end of this age suggestion would finish the book. It is interesting, yes, but so packed with detail that I think many younger readers would lose interest far before the end. At times, the book reads a bit like an encyclopedia entry or history textbook. Some parents might object to a brief section on Dr. Walker’s book, Unmasked, or the Science of Immorality: To Gentlemen. The description of the book contains talk of sex, masturbation, and intersex individuals.

Sara Latta researched her subject very thoroughly which shows in the exhaustive details she includes about Mary Edwards and the 19th century. The book features in-depth Source Notes, Selected Bibliography, and Photo Acknowledgments. Ms. Latta has a smooth writing style which is easy to read. She is clearly a talented writer of non-fiction.
… (meer)
 
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Shookie | 3 andere besprekingen | Nov 12, 2022 |
YA-only-means-no-gratuitous-erotica, photographs, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, nonfiction, nonviolent-protest, biography, rights, politics, military, physician, eccentric, committed-to-a-cause, abolitionist*****

In spite of being a history geek, I had never heard of this woman, and I am older than dirt. Much is directly from documents in her own words or those of contemporaries. The presentation is clear and with some explanatory asides which are appropriate for many people and especially for those with ESL issues who are learning basics of 19th and early 20th century idiosyncrasies. Dr. Walker really put herself out there for the causes she believed in and were definitely in the public good, like the rational dress reform movement, what we today would call basic hygiene, abolition, honorable treatment of prisoners, and women's suffrage. But it all started with the fight to get a medical degree and the right to practice medicine. Note that she is the only woman to have received the U.S.’s highest civilian award: The Medal of Honor.
This book needs to be gifted to school libraries and local public libraries. But put it in the adult section for those of us who were never taught the facts.
I requested and received an e-book copy from Lerner Publishing Group, Zest Books ™ via NetGalley. Thank you!
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jetangen4571 | 3 andere besprekingen | Oct 28, 2022 |
Synergy: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker

DR. MARY EDWARDS WALKER was an American surgeon, abolitionist, suffragette, and Civil War era spy. Known for her unconventional wardrobe and efforts to promote human rights, Walker received the Medal of Honor.

Read the recently published young adult biography, then learn more at the websites:

I COULD NOT DO OTHERWISE by Sara Latta tells the story of a Civil War surgeon and spy who broke gender norms and fought for social justice. Disregarding social conventions and championing human rights, Dr. Mary Edwards is still the only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Weaving primary sources documents and photographs into an engaging narrative, Latta successfully immerses readers in the life of this lesser-known historical figure. ARC courtesy of Zest Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group.

CHANGING THE FACE OF MEDICINE is an online exhibition celebrating America’s women physicians. The website includes a database, resources, and activities. Dr. Walker is included in the database.

To visit the website, go to https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/.

MEDAL OF HONOR: MARY WALKER is an online graphic biography from the Association of the United States Army.

To read the ebook, go to https://online.flowpaper.com/77a9072e/MedalofHonorMaryWalker/#page=1
… (meer)
 
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eduscapes | 3 andere besprekingen | Oct 18, 2022 |

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Werken
43
Leden
569
Populariteit
#43,981
Waardering
4.0
Besprekingen
13
ISBNs
141

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