The Westons were among the most well-known abolitionists in antebellum Massachusetts, and each of the Weston sisters played an integral role in the family's work. The eldest, Maria Weston Chapman, became one of the antislavery movement's most influential members. In an extensive and original look at the connections among women, domesticity, and progressive political movements, Lee V. Chambers argues that it was the familial cooperation and support between sisters, dubbed "kin-work," that allowed women like the Westons to participate in the political process, marking a major change in women's roles from the domestic to the public sphere. The Weston sisters and abolitionist families like them supported each other in meeting the challenges of sickness, pregnancy, child care, and the myriad household responsibilities that made it difficult for women to engage in and sustain political activities. By repositioning the household and family to a more significant place in the history of American politics, Chambers examines connections between the female critique of slavery and patriarchy, ultimately arguing that it was family ties that drew women into the activism of public life and kept them there.

British and American anti-slavery societies were established in the 1820s and 1830s and from an early date included women campaigners. Typical of female abolitionists, the Weston sisters wrote, collected monies and signatures for petitions but rarely spoke in public or advocated a peculiarly feminist cause. This study uncovers their work in America, Britain and France, their connections and campaigns and their contribution both to the anti-slavery movement and to the forging of an Anglo-American democratic alliance.

A small group of black and white American women who banded together in the 1830s and 1840s to remedy the evils of slavery and racism, the "antislavery females" included many who ultimately struggled for equal rights for women as well. Organizing fundraising fairs, writing pamphlets and giftbooks, circulating petitions, even speaking before "promiscuous" audiences including men and women—the antislavery women energetically created a diverse and dynamic political culture. A lively exploration of this nineteenth-century reform movement, The Abolitionist Sisterhood includes chapters on the principal female antislavery societies, discussions of black women's political culture in the antebellum North, articles on the strategies and tactics the antislavery women devised, a pictorial essay presenting rare graphics from both sides of abolitionist debates, and a final chapter comparing the experiences of the American and British women who attended the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London.

The first installment in the Ava and Pip series, perfect for aspiring writers and anyone that loves palindromes and word play. Ava and Pip is a funny and heartfelt story of Ava, an outgoing girl who wants to help her sister come out of her shell, and become a writer when she grows up. "A love letter to language."—The New York Times Meet outgoing Ava Wren, a fun fifth grader who tries not to lose patience with her shy big sister. She can't understand why Pip is so reserved and never seems to make friends with others, and decides to use her writing talents to help her sister overcome her shyness. She writes a short story based on the girl that ruined her sister's birthday party ... but it doesn't quite go over like she wanted it to. Can Ava and her new friend help Pip come out of her shell? And can Ava get out of the mess she has made, and really be a real writer like she always dreamed? Great for parents, educators and librarians looking for: A heartwarming read that has messages of sisterhood, identity, and friendship Funny books for girls ages 9 to 12 A story that incorporates word play (especially palindromes!) A story with a character wants to be a writer, perfect for aspiring young authors

Four sisters with very special abilities. An evil presence threatening to destroy them. Will their powerful bond be enough to save each other? Sisters of Element is the first book in a series about the Luna sisters, four Mexican American young women living in present-day Percival Falls, Washington. Lina, Val, Zo, and Rory Luna have special abilities based on the elements: water, fire, air, and earth. Having lost their parents at an early age, the sisters have an unbreakable bond. When faced with a dark force that threatens their very existence, they don't hesitate to fiercely protect each other -- even if it means the ultimate sacrifice. Lina has it all -- her soulmate Gabriel, her dream job, and a close-knit relationship with her three younger sisters. But meeting her sister Val's new boyfriend triggers a series of nightmares leaving Lina frightened that something terrible is about to happen to her sister. Little does she know, she and her family are in even more danger than they could have imagined. Readers will go on a magical and mysterious journey with the Luna sisters. The characters will share their inner strength, their sacrifice, their resilience, and the power of sisterhood. At its heart, Sisters of Element is a story about unconditional love and how with it, you can overcome even the greatest obstacles.

Winner of the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction A beautiful and haunting memoir of kinship and culture rediscovered. Jenny Heijun Wills was born in Korea and adopted as an infant into a white family in small-town Canada. In her late twenties, she reconnected with her first family and returned to Seoul where she spent four months getting to know other adoptees, as well as her Korean mother, father, siblings, and extended family. At the guesthouse for transnational adoptees where she lived, alliances were troubled by violence and fraught with the trauma of separation and of cultural illiteracy. Unsurprisingly, heartbreakingly, Wills found that her nascent relationships with her family were similarly fraught. Ten years later, Wills sustains close ties with her Korean family. Her Korean parents and her younger sister attended her wedding in Montreal, and that same sister now lives in Canada. Remarkably, meeting Jenny caused her birth parents to reunite after having been estranged since her adoption. Little by little, Jenny Heijun Wills is learning and relearning her stories and those of her biological kin, piecing together a fragmented life into something resembling a whole. Delving into gender, class, racial, and ethnic complexities, as well as into the complex relationships between Korean women--sisters, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, aunts and nieces--Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related. describes in visceral, lyrical prose the painful ripple effects that follow a child's removal from a family, and the rewards that can flow from both struggle and forgiveness.