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Vida

A woman for our time

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Vida

By: Jacqueline Kent
Narrated by: Jacqueline Kent
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Blazing her trail at the dawn of the twentieth century, Vida Goldstein remains Australia's most celebrated suffragette and social reformer. Her life - as a campaigner for women's rights and suffrage in Australia, Britain and America, an advocate for peace, a fighter for social equality for all and a shrewd political commentator - marks her as one of Australia's foremost women of courage and principle. In 1903 she became the first woman in Australia to stand for the Senate, and the the first woman in the Western world to stand for a national Parliament.

Vida grew up mostly in Melbourne. After working as a teacher, she became an indefatigable advocate for social justice on behalf of women and children. She first came to national prominence in her work for woman's suffrage - where she established a pattern of working quietly against men's means of controlling Australian society. Her work for the peace movement and against conscription during the heightened emotions of the First World War marked her as a woman who was willing to defy governments in the name of justice.

Vida came to adulthood when Australia was in the process of inventing itself as a new nation, one in which women might have opportunities equal to those of men. Her work for her own sex, especially her battles for equality in politics, illuminated issues that persist to this day.

Jacqueline Kent has written acclaimed biographies on Julia Gillard, Hepzibah Menuhin and Beatrice Davis. Gender Studies Military Politicians Politics & Activism Social Sciences War Suffrage
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A wonderful story of a now forgotten woman who fought for women’s equal rights at the start of the Australian Federation. If you are interested in the struggle in Australia to secure equality both politically and socially, for women as well as working class Australians, I recommend this audio. It is also a fascinating glimpse into how some women lived during the later nineteen and early twentieth centuries. Thoroughly enjoyable.

An important book

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A well researched biography that enlightened and informed. Goldstein's life and endeavours are an important imprint in the social and political history of Australia. An imprint our current civic leadership would do well to note and learn through.

The narration, too, was impeccable and lively.

Finely written and read

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An interesting book for the information that it provides about suffrage in Australia around federation, however it is very dry content and the narrator (author) is rarely animated.

Informative but quite boring

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Fascinating history of early last century from the lense of a suffrage and fighter for social equality.

Thoroughly enjoyed

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I really tried over and over to get into this book. Its just plain uninteresting to me. Dame old same old feminist spiels.

Boring plus plus

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.