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On the march: A novel of the women's march on Washington
If you’re familiar with the power of #metoo and #shepersisted, you’ll understand the power of ON THE A NOVEL OF THE WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON.
A work of Women's Fiction that has crossover appeal in the New Adult and YA market, ON THE MARCH is about three women, all strangers, who meet on the bus journeying from Kansas to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. Henrietta Oldham is an elderly woman who runs a failing antique store; Birdie Jackson is a shy African-American teenager who is marching at the insistence of her feminist aunt; Emily Messer is a recent college graduate who needs more in her life than her job as a barista. All three women have secret, undisclosed reasons for attending the march, and in the course of the novel, as the women begin to know and trust each other, these secrets are revealed.
Although Henrietta, Birdie, and Emily appear to have little in common as they begin their ride, ON THE MARCH confirms that classic women’s issues – sexual harassment, pay inequity, self-sabotage, even bra-stuffing – serve as common intersectional bonds among women across the generations. Even more, sharing their stories on the 34-hour trip together as well as participating in the march itself becomes the catalyst for changing each of their lives for the better.
ON THE MARCH is about the revived feminist spirit of our times, an intellectual, cultural, and often hilarious novel of the zeitgeist. It will appeal to millions of women who are now culturally and politically engaged, whether they marched or not. The idea behind the novel was to watch the way the events of the march helped women of different ages, races, and backgrounds come together to create positive change in the world and in each of their lives.
A work of Women's Fiction that has crossover appeal in the New Adult and YA market, ON THE MARCH is about three women, all strangers, who meet on the bus journeying from Kansas to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. Henrietta Oldham is an elderly woman who runs a failing antique store; Birdie Jackson is a shy African-American teenager who is marching at the insistence of her feminist aunt; Emily Messer is a recent college graduate who needs more in her life than her job as a barista. All three women have secret, undisclosed reasons for attending the march, and in the course of the novel, as the women begin to know and trust each other, these secrets are revealed.
Although Henrietta, Birdie, and Emily appear to have little in common as they begin their ride, ON THE MARCH confirms that classic women’s issues – sexual harassment, pay inequity, self-sabotage, even bra-stuffing – serve as common intersectional bonds among women across the generations. Even more, sharing their stories on the 34-hour trip together as well as participating in the march itself becomes the catalyst for changing each of their lives for the better.
ON THE MARCH is about the revived feminist spirit of our times, an intellectual, cultural, and often hilarious novel of the zeitgeist. It will appeal to millions of women who are now culturally and politically engaged, whether they marched or not. The idea behind the novel was to watch the way the events of the march helped women of different ages, races, and backgrounds come together to create positive change in the world and in each of their lives.
- GenresFiction
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2021
5 people are currently reading
632 people want to read
About the author
Trudy Krisher
13 books42 followersTrudy Krisher has a reputation as a talented writer who does not hesitate to explore sensitive issues. She grew up in the South like her heroines Maggie, in Spite Fences, and Pert, in Kinship. Born in Macon, Georgia in 1946, she was raised in South Florida.
Trudy graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in English and received her Masters degree from The College of New Jersey. She has three grown children: Laura, Kathy, and Mark. Trudy Krisher lives in Dayton, Ohio, where she is a Professor at Sinclair Community College.
Trudy has won many awards for her writing. They include Best Book for Young Adults selections of the American Library Association; International Reading Association Award; The Jefferson Cup Honor Book of the Virginia Library Association; Parents’ Choice Honor Book; Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award; Amelia Bloomer Project Recommendation; Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year; and Capitol Choice Book.
Trudy graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in English and received her Masters degree from The College of New Jersey. She has three grown children: Laura, Kathy, and Mark. Trudy Krisher lives in Dayton, Ohio, where she is a Professor at Sinclair Community College.
Trudy has won many awards for her writing. They include Best Book for Young Adults selections of the American Library Association; International Reading Association Award; The Jefferson Cup Honor Book of the Virginia Library Association; Parents’ Choice Honor Book; Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award; Amelia Bloomer Project Recommendation; Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year; and Capitol Choice Book.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 28, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and The Social Justice Press for an electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion below.
Oh. My. Goodness. This is an amazing book. I was drawn to it because of the cover- it features a woman sitting in a wheelchair so I had a feeling that a disability rights perspective would be included in the book and I was not disappointed. The book touches on all sorts of themes including race, age, and ability.disability. This book explores the experiences of three women as they learn more about themselves as well each others’ life experiences. The book also includes discussion questions at the end which would be perfect for either personal reflection or to help prompt discussion with others. For example, I could see a mother and daughter reading it together. This book is unique in that I think it would appeal to readers of all ages. As the characters grow, so many good questions are posed for readers to reflect on. I enjoyed the fact that there was factual information about different women’s rights leaders in a way that didn’t seem out of place or like a textbook. Including their names as well as the names of different civil rights organizations may encourage readers to learn more and/or become active in their community. All in all, I absolutely reccomend this book.
Oh. My. Goodness. This is an amazing book. I was drawn to it because of the cover- it features a woman sitting in a wheelchair so I had a feeling that a disability rights perspective would be included in the book and I was not disappointed. The book touches on all sorts of themes including race, age, and ability.disability. This book explores the experiences of three women as they learn more about themselves as well each others’ life experiences. The book also includes discussion questions at the end which would be perfect for either personal reflection or to help prompt discussion with others. For example, I could see a mother and daughter reading it together. This book is unique in that I think it would appeal to readers of all ages. As the characters grow, so many good questions are posed for readers to reflect on. I enjoyed the fact that there was factual information about different women’s rights leaders in a way that didn’t seem out of place or like a textbook. Including their names as well as the names of different civil rights organizations may encourage readers to learn more and/or become active in their community. All in all, I absolutely reccomend this book.
February 26, 2022
Trudy Krisher, On the March: A Novel of the Women's March on Washington,
The Social Justice Press, 2022.
Thank you NetGalley, for this uncorrected proof for review.
Reading this poignant, yet uplifting novel, was an absolute joy. More than that, I learnt so much, not just about the Women’s March to Washington after the Inauguration of the former president, Donald Trump, but about the issues raised by the main characters. Henrietta, Birdie, Lou, Emily, Jenny, Katie and inspiring women leaders gather on a bus to travel to Washington from Kansas. The trip is punctuated with practicalities, such as where to sit, stopping for food and rest rooms, tiredness and general discomfort, lack of space, and, more dramatically, the bus lurching into a mud patch. It also involves listening to conversations that offend and enlighten, being enthused by a leader, making friends and learning new skills. Behind all this observable activity is the complexity of several characters’ inner thoughts, their background stories, the events that they cannot bear to think about, and hide from themselves as well as others.
Women on the bus personalise issues such as age, disability, race, attitudes and access to formal education, learning new tasks, dealing with grief and, the overriding influence of discrimination based on gender. Henrietta is elderly and infirm; Birdie is young and insecure. The three young white women, who initially raise Bridie’s ire because of what she sees as their assumptions of superiority based on race (well executed through images of their unthinking behaviour) have some issues in common with her. Also, Henrietta and Birdie, at different stages of their lives have suffered in similar ways from abuse, what appears to be family indifference, and being trapped in a place that they want to escape.
Emily longs for a text from a man she recently met – when it arrives, well into the story, she has learnt so much about herself and women that she is indifferent. Much of her story is one of longing, a familiar feeling amongst the other women. Their longings are for something different and are more substantial but realising their fulfilment is given no more value by the writer. Each woman’s concern is validated by the way in which they are given status because they are women’s concerns, a marked contrast with the way in which women are ignored in their worlds in which men are the important focus.
Birdie and Jenny have in common dealing with a sibling with a disability and the heartless responses from peers. Their experiences are particular well drawn. The writing on disability in general was particularly strong, with its pain made into something new and wonderful through women’s work to achieve a different outcome. Shanice, Birdie’s sister, has amongst her disabilities an obviously infirm hand. What clever, clever writing by Trudy Krisher – what image could be a better reminder of Trump’s heinous attack on a journalist with a similar disability? Trump’s derision stands out as beyond shameful, and Krisher’s fiction provides a powerful challenge to such conduct.
Wonderful images, caught through Birdie’s borrowed phone are an impressive feature of the book, in themselves and the impact they have on her future. The photos move from the range of different shoes adorning the marchers’ feet as they begin their bus journey, an elderly face reflected in glass, a heavy chain that brings women together in uplifting images of strength and power, and the contrasting softness of knitted objects.
Trudy Krisher’s account of the march that brought together so many thousands of women in Washington, and other marchers worldwide, including tiny events with as much heart as this journey of women on the bus from Kansas is inspiring. The questions at the end of the book raise issues that would stimulate book groups, and school and college classes. This is a book to be savoured on first and subsequent readings by such groups, and yes, by individuals too.
The Social Justice Press, 2022.
Thank you NetGalley, for this uncorrected proof for review.
Reading this poignant, yet uplifting novel, was an absolute joy. More than that, I learnt so much, not just about the Women’s March to Washington after the Inauguration of the former president, Donald Trump, but about the issues raised by the main characters. Henrietta, Birdie, Lou, Emily, Jenny, Katie and inspiring women leaders gather on a bus to travel to Washington from Kansas. The trip is punctuated with practicalities, such as where to sit, stopping for food and rest rooms, tiredness and general discomfort, lack of space, and, more dramatically, the bus lurching into a mud patch. It also involves listening to conversations that offend and enlighten, being enthused by a leader, making friends and learning new skills. Behind all this observable activity is the complexity of several characters’ inner thoughts, their background stories, the events that they cannot bear to think about, and hide from themselves as well as others.
Women on the bus personalise issues such as age, disability, race, attitudes and access to formal education, learning new tasks, dealing with grief and, the overriding influence of discrimination based on gender. Henrietta is elderly and infirm; Birdie is young and insecure. The three young white women, who initially raise Bridie’s ire because of what she sees as their assumptions of superiority based on race (well executed through images of their unthinking behaviour) have some issues in common with her. Also, Henrietta and Birdie, at different stages of their lives have suffered in similar ways from abuse, what appears to be family indifference, and being trapped in a place that they want to escape.
Emily longs for a text from a man she recently met – when it arrives, well into the story, she has learnt so much about herself and women that she is indifferent. Much of her story is one of longing, a familiar feeling amongst the other women. Their longings are for something different and are more substantial but realising their fulfilment is given no more value by the writer. Each woman’s concern is validated by the way in which they are given status because they are women’s concerns, a marked contrast with the way in which women are ignored in their worlds in which men are the important focus.
Birdie and Jenny have in common dealing with a sibling with a disability and the heartless responses from peers. Their experiences are particular well drawn. The writing on disability in general was particularly strong, with its pain made into something new and wonderful through women’s work to achieve a different outcome. Shanice, Birdie’s sister, has amongst her disabilities an obviously infirm hand. What clever, clever writing by Trudy Krisher – what image could be a better reminder of Trump’s heinous attack on a journalist with a similar disability? Trump’s derision stands out as beyond shameful, and Krisher’s fiction provides a powerful challenge to such conduct.
Wonderful images, caught through Birdie’s borrowed phone are an impressive feature of the book, in themselves and the impact they have on her future. The photos move from the range of different shoes adorning the marchers’ feet as they begin their bus journey, an elderly face reflected in glass, a heavy chain that brings women together in uplifting images of strength and power, and the contrasting softness of knitted objects.
Trudy Krisher’s account of the march that brought together so many thousands of women in Washington, and other marchers worldwide, including tiny events with as much heart as this journey of women on the bus from Kansas is inspiring. The questions at the end of the book raise issues that would stimulate book groups, and school and college classes. This is a book to be savoured on first and subsequent readings by such groups, and yes, by individuals too.
March 28, 2022
On the March: A Novel of the Women’s March on Washington by Trudy Krisher
9780990870388
350 Pages
Publisher: The Social Justice Press
Release Date: January 21, 2022
Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Political
The book covers the women’s march from several perspectives. Birdie is a Black introverted teenager. She has two older brothers and an older sister who died. Her mother was in the Army. Birdie is traveling with her aunt Lou-Lou, a perpetual protester. She runs or works at several non-profit organizations. Henrietta is an older White woman who has always been at her father’s beck and call. Emily is a White recent college graduate and works as a barista and lives at home with her parents.
Each part covers a separate part of the bus trip and the actual Women’s March in Washington. I was so caught up in the women’s lives. The book is fast paced, and the characters are well developed. It is written in the third person point of view. I loved how each woman changes and grows throughout the story. Anyone in favor of women’s rights and equality would enjoy this book.
9780990870388
350 Pages
Publisher: The Social Justice Press
Release Date: January 21, 2022
Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Political
The book covers the women’s march from several perspectives. Birdie is a Black introverted teenager. She has two older brothers and an older sister who died. Her mother was in the Army. Birdie is traveling with her aunt Lou-Lou, a perpetual protester. She runs or works at several non-profit organizations. Henrietta is an older White woman who has always been at her father’s beck and call. Emily is a White recent college graduate and works as a barista and lives at home with her parents.
Each part covers a separate part of the bus trip and the actual Women’s March in Washington. I was so caught up in the women’s lives. The book is fast paced, and the characters are well developed. It is written in the third person point of view. I loved how each woman changes and grows throughout the story. Anyone in favor of women’s rights and equality would enjoy this book.
April 15, 2022
This novel is based on The Women’s March on Washington in January 2017. This was the largest protest crowd since Viet Nam. A bus from a small town in Kansas makes the 17 hour trip with a diverse group of women. Along the way lasting friendships are made that will change lives forever. The story focuses on three main characters but every woman will find someone to identify with. I felt like I was there with the others on the bus and in Washington DC.
December 13, 2023
Great book about women who are marching on Washington to fight for their and human rights.A book about understanding, friendship and injustice. Heartwarming. One of the participants
described those days as the best days of her life.Days of peace and camaraderie .
Thank you Mrs Trudy Krisher for this book.
described those days as the best days of her life.Days of peace and camaraderie .
Thank you Mrs Trudy Krisher for this book.
Read
January 16, 2022𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓: 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 eARC 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 NETGALLEY 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.
DNF 25%
I was drawn to this book because of it's amazing cover!! However, I won't be able to finish it. The writing style is simple but seems better suited for middle-graders.
I'm a quarter through this book and the characters are still in the bus, far from destination. I'm bored and I've been dragging myself through most of this book already.
The three alternating POVs switch very frequently, which makes it all confusing and doesn't help me connecting with the characters.
I do hope other people will enjoy this book, as it's a goldmine of historical facts.
DNF 25%
I was drawn to this book because of it's amazing cover!! However, I won't be able to finish it. The writing style is simple but seems better suited for middle-graders.
I'm a quarter through this book and the characters are still in the bus, far from destination. I'm bored and I've been dragging myself through most of this book already.
The three alternating POVs switch very frequently, which makes it all confusing and doesn't help me connecting with the characters.
I do hope other people will enjoy this book, as it's a goldmine of historical facts.
January 4, 2026
Really good story about the power of the Women’s March on Washington told from the perspective of three women from the same small town in Kansas. Unexpected friendships are formed and lives are changed. It was a great way to experience the Women’s March from three different generations of women. The story shifts between three different voices, but it’s written chronologically and is easy to follow. This book is definitely geared toward teenagers or young adults.
Read
January 9, 2022#netgalleyarc This was a good and quick read. I enjoyed the characters, their diversity and the generational differences. The Women’s March on Washington is an important piece of our country’s history and this author did a great job creating a story that centers around such a historic time.
April 6, 2022
My feelings about this book definitely relate to my own participation in the Women's March and I highly recommend the book for all who were present that day. It rekindles all the positivity of the event!
This is the story of 3 women who travelled from the Midwest on a bus to attend the first women's march. There is Hennie, an older women who has been disappointed and thwarted by life. She is a knitter ! There is Emily (with her college friends) who is trying to find her place in the world. Emily is an animal lover! There is Birdie a young African American girl who is traveling with her activist Aunt Lou. I loved how in the text each character had their own symbol (a bird, a ball of yarn and a dog) to indicate when we get their point of view. The reader learns about all of their families along with them and I was particularly taken with Birdie's story which including her military veteran mother who served in Afghanistan and her handicapped sister Shanice.
The story itself unfolds in a rather predictable manner but it remains so touching. The writing itself is a little simplistic, primarily this is a book to read when you want to feel good about life and its possibilities.
So many issues affecting women are brought forward in the book - sensitively dealt with and very powerful. This would be a good book for book clubs to discuss because of this.
The cover of this book has to be one of the best I have seen, really reflects the flavor of the book.
This is the story of 3 women who travelled from the Midwest on a bus to attend the first women's march. There is Hennie, an older women who has been disappointed and thwarted by life. She is a knitter ! There is Emily (with her college friends) who is trying to find her place in the world. Emily is an animal lover! There is Birdie a young African American girl who is traveling with her activist Aunt Lou. I loved how in the text each character had their own symbol (a bird, a ball of yarn and a dog) to indicate when we get their point of view. The reader learns about all of their families along with them and I was particularly taken with Birdie's story which including her military veteran mother who served in Afghanistan and her handicapped sister Shanice.
The story itself unfolds in a rather predictable manner but it remains so touching. The writing itself is a little simplistic, primarily this is a book to read when you want to feel good about life and its possibilities.
So many issues affecting women are brought forward in the book - sensitively dealt with and very powerful. This would be a good book for book clubs to discuss because of this.
The cover of this book has to be one of the best I have seen, really reflects the flavor of the book.
December 11, 2021
Full Text:
“And then the most astonishing thing happened: The crowd began to roar. The roaring came in a rolling wave, gathering at the far edges of the crowd and then sweeping to the front. It was a tsunami gathering force deep in the ocean of history and then plunging across the world, its beaches, its cities, its farmlands, its mountains, sweeping the entire globe. Henrietta was awestruck. It felt like church. Like something sacred, transcendent, holy. Her decades of silence had been given a voice.”
Trudy Krisher’s ON THE MARCH follows three women as they make the long cross-country trip to Washington DC to participate in the Women’s March. This contemporary novel remembers this powerful protest in which people marched across the world to call for gender equality and to challenge Trump’s misogyny, with 800,000 marching in DC.
I really enjoyed this novel; its characters shone throughout. Their growth and bonds with one another made something as mundane as a lengthy bus journey really special. It captured the importance of this protest, and the continued importance of the messages at the heart of it. Despite its being a fictionalised retelling, ON THE MARCH highlighted intersectional experiences, and drew attention to the many issues at the heart of the demonstration. As the protagonist Emily remembers, “Equality is a Team Sport.”-Caitlin Davies, Baratheon books
“And then the most astonishing thing happened: The crowd began to roar. The roaring came in a rolling wave, gathering at the far edges of the crowd and then sweeping to the front. It was a tsunami gathering force deep in the ocean of history and then plunging across the world, its beaches, its cities, its farmlands, its mountains, sweeping the entire globe. Henrietta was awestruck. It felt like church. Like something sacred, transcendent, holy. Her decades of silence had been given a voice.”
Trudy Krisher’s ON THE MARCH follows three women as they make the long cross-country trip to Washington DC to participate in the Women’s March. This contemporary novel remembers this powerful protest in which people marched across the world to call for gender equality and to challenge Trump’s misogyny, with 800,000 marching in DC.
I really enjoyed this novel; its characters shone throughout. Their growth and bonds with one another made something as mundane as a lengthy bus journey really special. It captured the importance of this protest, and the continued importance of the messages at the heart of it. Despite its being a fictionalised retelling, ON THE MARCH highlighted intersectional experiences, and drew attention to the many issues at the heart of the demonstration. As the protagonist Emily remembers, “Equality is a Team Sport.”-Caitlin Davies, Baratheon books
February 19, 2022
This is a fictionalized story about the 2017 Women's March on Washington D. C. We are following three very different women: Birdie, a shy young Black girl used to being in the background, brought along by her strong feminist aunt; Henni, an elderly woman wanting to do something for herself after a lifetime focusing on the men in her family; and Emily, an aimless recent university graduate who isn’t sure of her future. These women join many others on a bus travelling to Washington to participate in the march. Each woman has her own cause, and they learn a lot about each other and themselves on the long bus ride.
This was a bit too on-the-nose for me, but would be a really helpful starting point for anyone wanting to start looking into feminist issues and icons (many are introduced through the conversations on the bus). The writing is accessible and generally engaging. I did, however, find it about 20% too long.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a bit too on-the-nose for me, but would be a really helpful starting point for anyone wanting to start looking into feminist issues and icons (many are introduced through the conversations on the bus). The writing is accessible and generally engaging. I did, however, find it about 20% too long.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2023
Several perspectives are provided in this book about the women's march.
The main character is a Black introvert teenager. One of her older sisters died and she has two older brothers. Mom was in the Army. Her aunt Lou-Lou is a perpetual protester, and Birdie is with her. She runs or works for a bunch of non-profits.
Henrietta's an old White woman who's always been at her dad's beck and call.
Emily is a recent college graduate, a barista, and lives at home with her parents.
The bus trip and the Women's March in Washington are covered in each part. I got so caught up in all the women's stories. It's fast-paced, and the characters are well developed. It's written in the third person.
I liked how each woman changes and grows throughout the story.
Anyone who supports women's rights and equality will love this book.
The main character is a Black introvert teenager. One of her older sisters died and she has two older brothers. Mom was in the Army. Her aunt Lou-Lou is a perpetual protester, and Birdie is with her. She runs or works for a bunch of non-profits.
Henrietta's an old White woman who's always been at her dad's beck and call.
Emily is a recent college graduate, a barista, and lives at home with her parents.
The bus trip and the Women's March in Washington are covered in each part. I got so caught up in all the women's stories. It's fast-paced, and the characters are well developed. It's written in the third person.
I liked how each woman changes and grows throughout the story.
Anyone who supports women's rights and equality will love this book.
November 30, 2021
This was a great book. It shows how three strangers who are fighting for the same issues can come together and become friends. The Women's March on Washington was an important part of history in the United States and something that I will always remember. These marches occurred all over the country but the biggest was in Washington, D.C. This was part of a fight women have been fighting for decades and a fight we are still fighting,
February 19, 2026
A bus ride to Washington. Three women. One shared awakening.
On the March beautifully captures the emotional and cultural energy surrounding the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. What begins as a simple bus trip from Kansas to D.C. transforms into a powerful journey of self-discovery, solidarity, and courage. Henrietta, Birdie, and Emily couldn’t be more different on the surface an elderly antique store owner, a shy Black teenager, and a recent college graduate searching for purpose. Yet as their 34-hour ride unfolds, their stories intertwine in ways that feel authentic and deeply human. The generational and intersectional lens is one of the novel’s greatest strengths, showing how women’s issues harassment, inequity, identity, and self-doubt cross age and racial lines. The heart of the story isn’t just the march itself; it’s the vulnerability these women share along the way. Their secrets, fears, and hopes create an emotional bond that makes the climax both inspiring and personal.
Thoughtful, timely, and often surprisingly humorous, this novel speaks to the power of collective voice and the quiet revolutions that begin within.
On the March beautifully captures the emotional and cultural energy surrounding the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. What begins as a simple bus trip from Kansas to D.C. transforms into a powerful journey of self-discovery, solidarity, and courage. Henrietta, Birdie, and Emily couldn’t be more different on the surface an elderly antique store owner, a shy Black teenager, and a recent college graduate searching for purpose. Yet as their 34-hour ride unfolds, their stories intertwine in ways that feel authentic and deeply human. The generational and intersectional lens is one of the novel’s greatest strengths, showing how women’s issues harassment, inequity, identity, and self-doubt cross age and racial lines. The heart of the story isn’t just the march itself; it’s the vulnerability these women share along the way. Their secrets, fears, and hopes create an emotional bond that makes the climax both inspiring and personal.
Thoughtful, timely, and often surprisingly humorous, this novel speaks to the power of collective voice and the quiet revolutions that begin within.
May 6, 2022
A thousand people is impersonal. But three people will reach in and become personal, bringing out a part of you that you've kept hidden.
These three women gathered and protested with a comprehensive group of women at the nation's capital to call for change in how the many were being disrespected and discarded for multiple reasons. The personal growth they experienced as they learned more about the others on that bus for 37 hours is the heart of this fictionalized incursion into this historic happening. The writing style is as basic as the marchers are complex. I loved it and want to buy a copy for the local library.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from The Social Justice Press via NetGalley. Thank you.
These three women gathered and protested with a comprehensive group of women at the nation's capital to call for change in how the many were being disrespected and discarded for multiple reasons. The personal growth they experienced as they learned more about the others on that bus for 37 hours is the heart of this fictionalized incursion into this historic happening. The writing style is as basic as the marchers are complex. I loved it and want to buy a copy for the local library.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from The Social Justice Press via NetGalley. Thank you.
December 12, 2022
Synergy-- the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
The book tells the amazing story of the 2017 Woman's March to Washington DC which brought together women from all walks of life and the world. I was immediately invested in the characters and their well being. The three main characters (Birdie, Henny, and Emily) meet for the first time on the bus from Soros, KS. While each character has a reason for making the trip; all are transformed by it and a sisterhood is formed.
The book brings back alot of memories for me as I took part in the local march and came away with the feeling of being a part of something and that change will come.
The book tells the amazing story of the 2017 Woman's March to Washington DC which brought together women from all walks of life and the world. I was immediately invested in the characters and their well being. The three main characters (Birdie, Henny, and Emily) meet for the first time on the bus from Soros, KS. While each character has a reason for making the trip; all are transformed by it and a sisterhood is formed.
The book brings back alot of memories for me as I took part in the local march and came away with the feeling of being a part of something and that change will come.
May 2, 2022
On the March follows the journey of three generations of women to the March on Washington. Birdie, Henrietta, and Emily all come from extremely different walks of life and find through their journey their power as women individually and the even greater power of women together. This story addresses some of the issues that are encountered daily by women including pay inequity, sexual assault, and constant questioning. This story provided great insight into a different aspect of activism when it comes to feminism and reminded me that there is power in numbers and in individuality.
February 3, 2023
I didn’t expect to like “On the March: A Novel of the Women’s March on Washington” as much as I did, but I was immediately pulled in by the well-developed characters and how they started to bond with each other on their long bus ride to Washington, D.C. Krisher covers so many topics implementing these characters without preaching to the reader. I felt as though I were on that bus with them or maybe I just yearned to be. This is a perfect book for anytime but with Women’s History Month just around the corner, I’d put this one at the top of your reading list!
August 4, 2025
This book is a journey. I'm glad I got to know these women. This goes to show it doesn't take a lot to make an impact. Sometimes, simply standing up for something – just showing up – is enough to make a difference.
June 8, 2022
Awesome! So wonderful to relieve the history of that wonderful day. A must read for anyone who participated in any way.
May 10, 2024
What a great book! Interesting characters. Well written. I learned a lot about some historic figures that I didn't really know very well. I will be reading more from this author!
June 1, 2024
Book Mail
Well written. Enjoyed the stories of the main characters and how they touched the lives of each other. The book is fictional but based on a real event.
Well written. Enjoyed the stories of the main characters and how they touched the lives of each other. The book is fictional but based on a real event.
November 15, 2025
I enjoyed this book in the historical fiction genre that the author wrote after participating in the 2017 Women’s March herself. The lives of three riders from the fictional town of Soros, Kansas are followed during and after their bus trip together to Washington DC. They include a black teenage girl, Birdie, a white septuagenarian woman, Hennie, and a recent white college graduate, Emily. They know nothing about each other prior to the trip, but have bonded by the end, and shed some painful history from their past during the journey. Their stories are skillfully woven together against a rich backdrop of women’s long fight for equal rights and the historic march in DC. The book felt a little drawn out in spots with dream sequences that contributed little to the story. I do wish the author had written a longer note explaining which were factual events in the book and which were not. Depressing to read this 8 years later with the disgusting, misogynist back in the Oval Office.
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