The Coming Woman: A Novel Based on the Life of the Infamous Feminist, Victoria Woodhull

by Karen J. Hicks

"If you have a heart, if you have a soul, Karen Hicks' The Coming Woman will make you fall in love with Victoria Woodhull."-Kinky Friedman, author and Governor of the Heart of Texas "What kind of confidence would it take for a woman to buck the old boy's club of politics in 1872? More than 140 years pre-Hillary, there was Victoria Woodhull. This book takes you back with a breathtaking, present-tense bird's eye view into a time when women's liberation was primarily confined to one woman's very capable, independent mind. I couldn't put it down."---Ruth Buzzi, Golden Globe Award winner and Television Hall of Fame inductee

"Sadly, too many Americans have never heard of Victoria Woodhull, let alone learned of her story: her revolutionary campaign for the presidency at a time when women weren't even allowed to vote, her support for worker's rights, or her feminist commitment to equality, a century before the official battle over the Equal Rights Amendment. But in The Coming Woman, Karen Hicks brings Woodhull's efforts to life, and reminds us that some of our nation's greatest figures aren't always featured in the history books. It is a riveting account of an amazing woman and her struggle for justice and human dignity, told in an engaging and eminently readable style."-Tim Wise, author, "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son"

"The Coming Woman" is a novel based on the life of feminist Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for U.S. President, 50 years before women could even vote!

Running for President wasn't Victoria's only first as a woman. She was also the first to own a successful Wall Street firm, the first to publish a successful national newspaper, and the first to head the two-million-member Spiritualist Association. She was the first woman to enter the Senate Judiciary Committee chambers to petition for woman's suffrage, her argument changing the entire focus of the suffragist movement by pointing out that the 14th and 15th Amendments already gave women the vote.

In her campaign for the Presidency, Victoria Woodhull boldly addressed many of the issues we still face today: equal pay for equal work; freedom in love; corporate greed and political corruption fueled by powerful lobbyists; and the increasing disparity between the rich and the poor, to name only a few. Her outspoken and common-sense ideas may shed a new perspective on the parallel conundrums of today's world.

This bold, beautiful, and sexually progressive woman dared to take on society and religion. To make an example of the hypocrisy in what Mark Twain dubbed The Gilded Age, she exposed the extramarital affairs of the most popular religious figure of the day (Henry Ward Beecher). This led to her persecution and imprisonment and the longest, most infamous trial of the 19th century. But it did not stop her fight for equality.

Victoria's epic story, set in the late 1800s, comes to life in a modern, fictional style, while staying true to the actual words and views of the many well-known characters.

Paperback

First published August 13, 2014

About the author

Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm, Karen began her storytelling career spinning fantasies for her dog and creating plots while she mowed the huge country lawn. In her high school English class, the students were tasked with writing a novella, and when her teacher read portions of Karen’s work aloud and praised her talent, her passion for writing began to burn.

She served for several years as in-house editor/manuscript coordinator for author Steve Allen (ghostwriting portions of some books), wrote screenplays for various production companies and ghost-wrote a travel book for the Auto Association of Great Britain. She worked with Dove Audio, Inc., abridging books for recording and was an instructor for the American Film Institute’s scriptwriters’ program. She also wrote the official bio of Richard Pryor, which appears on his website.

Now retired, Karen lives in Green Valley, AZ

Reviews

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.As far as I'm concerned, everyone should know about Victoria Woodhull and this book is a great place to start. I'll admit, I had never heard of her before winning this book, but I am so glad that I was able to read her story and learn about the overlooked contributions she made for American citizens. The story was very interesting and Woodhull seems like a fascinating person. It is sad that her work is often missing from taught history. It's also sad that the issues that she struggles against in the 1870's are still issues today (corrupt government, hypocritical church members, anti-free love, comprehensive sex education). While the book is often dark and heartbreaking, there is enough sarcasm and humor to balance it out, especially in Tennie's character. It was also cool to see well-known historical figures pop up in the text and see their roles in certain events. For me, what pushed this down to three-stars instead of four-stars was the focus on dialogue and the omission of description. The narration felt very slim in comparison to the amount of dialogue in the book. While this works at some points, the novel often feels like a lot of talking and not a lot of action. While things are definitely going on, the action kind of gets lost in all of the dialogue. Overall, a good book, especially for those interested in women's suffrage and historical feminism. A very interesting story and a great way to learn about an underappreciated feminist and her struggle for justice.