Barbara Egger Lennon: Teacher, Mother, Activist

Facets of Barbara Egger Lennon’s life depict an ordinary white Midwestern woman of her time: teacher, wife, mother. Her work as a union organizer and political activist, however, complicate that picture. The way in which Egger Lennon balanced these roles illustrates how many women of her time shaped their lives in the face of three significant forces: work, family, and politics. Enriched by years of her detailed diary entries, Barbara Egger Lennon: Teacher, Mother, Activist deepens our understanding of the ways in which work and political activism existed alongside the traditional role of women in the early 20th century.About the Lives of American Women series: Selected and edited by renowned women’s historian Carol Berkin, these brief biographies are designed for use in undergraduate courses. Rather than a comprehensive approach, each biography focuses instead on a particular aspect of a woman’s life that is emblematic of her time, or which made her a pivotal figure in the era. The emphasis is on a ’good read’, featuring accessible writing and compelling narratives, without sacrificing sound scholarship and academic integrity. Primary sources at the end of each biography reveal the subject’s perspective in her own words. Study questions and an annotated bibliography support the student reader.

Tina Stewart Brakebill is an award winning author and teacher. As an instructor at Illinois State University, Brakebill’s classes focus on the experiences of women and minorities. She recently won the highest honor bestowed on teachers: the Outstanding University Teaching Award. Similar to her pedagogical goals, her research and writing also aims to give voice to the previously unheard. Her first book ＂Circumstances are destiny＂: An Antebellum Woman’s Struggle to Define Sphere explores the way in which the life of one ＂ordinary＂ woman can broaden and deepen our understanding of historical themes and trends. It tells the story of an Ohio wife, mother, and rural dairy farmer as she attempted to incorporate the roles of writer, abolitionist, and women’s rights advocate into her life. It received the William and Henry Harrison Award for the best book for an Ohio related family history.

Series Editor Carol Berkin is a well-known women’s historian and the author of many popular and scholarly books, including Civil War Wives. She is Professor of History Emerita at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and she is a member of the Society of American Historians.