A Founding Mother, Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie (Review by Kristin Kurek)

A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie is a historical fiction novel that details the life of Abigail Adams, the former first lady of the United States. Abigail faces the horrors of the Revolutionary War. As a politician’s wife, she faces long periods of solitude as her husband travels. And, she opines on freedom, justice, and gender inequality throughout.

While based in truth, this novel reads like an exciting fictional tale of a colonial woman’s strife in a changing world. The authors deftly touch on topics of marriage, love, parenting, death, abuse, slavery, infidelity, alcoholism, illness, financial security, and politics. Abigail

I particularly enjoyed Abigail Adams’s emergent feminist views. She is often remembered for asking her husband to “…remember the ladies…” However, her revolutionary women’s views extend beyond that instance. She handles her family’s finances and begins generating funds through her own enterprises. While she cannot own land, she becomes the decision maker on her family’s property acquisition. And, she bequeaths funds to women such that inheritance is not limited by gender. This book was an excellent reminder that women’s rights have come a long way in 250 years but the fight is not over.

This novel particularly excels in reminding the reader of the humanity of the American founding fathers. They differed in priorities and displayed drastically varying levels of virtuosity. They often disagreed. And, the resultant governing system is, in many ways, a compilation of compromises. The United States was developing a foreign policy presence. The office of the presidency was in its infancy and lacked much of the structure that it has today. It is an important reminder as the United States reaches its 250^th year that the system of government must be continually monitored and improved.

Overall, this novel is for you, historical fiction folks! This is a thought-provoking but thoroughly enjoyable novel that will have leave you thinking twice of the American founding fathers and (indeed) founding mothers.