SOMETHING WORTH DOING

A Novel of an Early Suffragist

by

Jane Kirkpatrick

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Number of Pages: 336

 Scroll down for the giveaway!

Some things are worth doing—even when the cost is great

In 1853, Abigail Scott was a nineteen-year-old schoolteacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family, what she sees as a working woman appalls her—and prompts her to devote her life to fighting for the rights of women, including the right to vote.

Based on a true story, Something Worth Doing will resonate with modern women who still grapple with the pull between career and family, finding their place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices when competing in male-dominated spaces.

Amazon ┃ Barnes and Noble ┃ Bookshop.org

Christianbook.com ┃ IndieBound ┃ Revell

PRAISE

“I have long admired Jane Kirkpatrick’s rich historical fiction, and Something Worth Doing is well worth reading! Oregonian Abigail Duniway is a vibrant, fiercely passionate, and determined activist who fought for women’s suffrage. Women of today have cause to respect and admire her—as well as the loving, patient, and supportive husband who encouraged her to continue ‘the silent hunt.'” —Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love

“On the trail to Oregon, young Jenny Scott lost her beloved mother and little brother and learned that no matter what, she must persist until she reaches her goal. Remembering her mother’s words—’a woman’s life is so hard’—the young woman who became Abigail Scott Duniway came to understand through observation and experience that law and custom favored men. The author brings alive Abigail’s struggles as frontier wife and mother turned newspaper publisher, prolific writer, and activist in her lifelong battle to win the vote and other rights for women in Oregon and beyond. Jane Kirkpatrick’s story of this persistent, passionate, and bold Oregon icon is indeed Something Worth Doing!” —Susan G. Butruille, author of Women’s Voices from the Oregon Trail, now in a 25th anniversary edition

Interview with Abigail Scott Duniway,

of Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick

Abigail, what about you made the author decide to devote a whole book to you?

I’m quite the character, actually. I traveled the Oregon Trail in 1852 as a teenager. I became a wife, a mom, a sister; I had several siblings, including one brother with whom I had a terrible rivalry. But I think it was my struggle between career and family that made my story so compelling. There have been several books written about me, and a documentary film made about me, but Something Worth Doing is the first novel. In a novel, the author can explore not just what I did and when I did it, but why and how I might have felt.

What was your career?

For seventeen years I owned and edited a newspaper that supported women’s rights, especially getting women the right to vote. I also traveled around the country, without a chaperon, giving speeches to support suffrage. People threw eggs at me, but sometimes they listened. I also taught school, ran a millinery, was a caregiver, and wrote twenty novels—all in the 1800s. I guess I’d say “writer” was my real career.

I’ve read about suffrage women marching through the streets with banners. What makes your story different?

I never urged unladylike actions, like taking over a saloon. Holy cow chips, that was not a good strategy. I promoted the “still hunt,” winning over the hearts of men who would ultimately grant women the right to vote. I visited legislatures and listened to their worries about women becoming full citizens and gave them sensible arguments.

How did your husband feel about you doing this suffragette work?

First, I must correct you. We were suffragists, not suffragettes; that little “ette” extension minimizes the enormous risks we took during more than forty years of effort. And my dear Ben supported me 100 percent. Otherwise, no one would have taken me seriously.

I must ask about your brother-sister rivalry. What was that about?

I can’t give the story away, now can I? Let’s just say that our sibling rivalry is still talked about two centuries later!

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, including One More River to Cross, Everything She Didn’t Say, All Together in One Place, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center.

Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Caesar.

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS!

1st: Copy of Something Worth Doing + Oregon Map Bag

+ $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card;

2nd and 3rd:

Copy of Something Worth Doing + $10 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. 

SEPTEMBER 15-25, 2020 

(US ONLY)

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