Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel

Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel

On the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the definitive biography of suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst-political rebel, human rights champion, and radical feminist ahead of her time.



Sylvia Pankhurst fought militantly for a woman's right to vote, inspiring movements around the globe. But the vote was just the beginning. A talented artist, a free-spirit, a visionary, Sylvia was seen as "wild," even by the standards of her activist mother and sister. She became a radical feminist, committing herself to the fight for reproductive rights, equal pay, access to welfare and education, and freedom of sexual expression. She converted her experiences of torture, imprisonment, and violence into a lifelong quest to champion human rights.

Encompassing both World Wars and lasting through the Anti-Apartheid Movement, Pankhurst's political life was international in scope; it included Irish independence, pacifism, the rights of refugees, and the fight against racism in Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and colonial Africa. Her United States lecture tours made headlines and connected her with both American feminists and the NAACP. She spent her life in dialogue, dispute, and resolution with Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Jomo Kenyatta, Haile Selassie, Harriot Stanton Blatch, and W.E.B. DuBois. And she wrote about it all, prolifically.

In this enthralling biography, acclaimed author Rachel Holmes interweaves Pankhurst's rebellious political and private lives to show how her astonishing achievements continue to resonate today.

Title : Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel
ISBN : 9781408880418
Format Type :

    Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel Reviews

  • Roman Clodia

    What an inspirational and iconic woman Sylvia was, and how telling that she is generally known only within the context of the Pankhurst family and her work for the suffragette cause. This wonderfully ...

  • Steve Donoghue

    The great human rights agitator Sylvia Pankhurst gets a wonderful, incredibly involving new biography. Rachel Holmes perfectly balances the human elements of this fierce fighter with at-times-inhuman ...

  • J Earl

    Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel by Rachel Holmes sweeps the reader along as we revisit much of 20th century history. This is so much more than just a biography of a remarkable woman, this is a hi...

  • Laura

    ‘If you don’t work for other people you will not have been worth the upbringing’ (Sylvia’s father Richard Pankhurst).Sylvia Pankhurst. Ever since I heard this name in Ethiopia I have wanted to...

  • Viola

    https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...The sorrows and passions of the visionary suffragette and socialist who ‘roused’ London Sally Alexander. Fri 13 Nov 2020 The memorial mural of Sylvia Pankhu...

  • Laura

    An incredible, in depth account of one of the most remarkable women in British history. Packed with anecdotes both fascinating and amusing, every page is filled with quotes from Sylvia and the people ...