Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way)

Narrative nonfiction is one of my favorite genres to read. I just love reading about real people, real times, and real places. Sue Macy has written a fascinating account of how the introduction of the bicycle helped woman step out of the shadows were they had been kept for centuries (most of them, certainly not all). Like most technological advances, the bicycle had it supporters and its naysayers. I found it really interesting to read about the development of the bicycle along with advertising and marketing strategies. I found it ironic that cigarette companies placed images of woman riding bikes on/in their boxes. I guess they wanted their brand associated with something fun and healthy, just like beer companies today want their product associated with athletics as well. It was fun to read about some of the ladies both celebrity and ordinary who used the bicycle and the freedom it represented to advocate for their cause(s) including the right to vote. It was also somewhat amusing to read about all the good and bad things doctors had to say about bicycles and the medical conditions helped or hurt by riding a bicycle. Sidebars included short newspaper article reprints that provided a glimpse into some of the attitudes of the day. The one that really made me role my eyes was a list of don't for female riders which included things such as: Don't wear a man's cap, don't criticize people's 'legs'", Don't wear clothes that don't fit, etc. Somehow I doubt there was a similar list for the men. The book is illustrated with posters, trade cards, postcards, and photographs of the period which helped me understand the text better. The photo of a young lady in her corset, looking like she couldn't possibly breathe in it made me wince. Macy has created a book that is both fascinating and entertaining. One that I can heartily recommend to those readers who enjoy getting a glimpse into the ways that life has changed over the years. Although a number of bicycle related inventions are still with us today, there are many that have gone away.

While this book came out first, I learned about this book after having initially found and purchased the author's "Motor Girls" book. That book was a perfect companion to "The Motor Girl's" series of books I'd put together to go with that girl. What I hadn't expected in that 2nd book was to find it was a very nice, high quality hardback book with dust cover. I'd expected it to be more in-line with the premium edition specialty books I regularly found in magazine stands. It turned out that the 2nd edition of both books had been that way and I'd lucked out in finding a 1st edition book instead. As you would expect, anything made specifically for use in a library is going to be made of higher quality and more durable components. The type of thing that makes a gift even more special. That's why I say that, while the "premium edition" paper backs would have been perfectly fine had I not known there was an alternative, if given a choice and if you want your copy to really be special, opt for the library-binding hard cover. As far as the book's material ... much like the original "Motor Girls" series had come out in the 1910-1915 period when women were just starting to discover the freedoms personal mobility could afford them, the target audience of both National Geographic editions are adolescents and teenage girls showing how much impact there was ... first with the invention of the bicycle and then with the invention of the automobile. Presenting the information in not only an educational manner but also an entertaining and sometimes amusing one. While the gift was for a mother in her mid-'80s, such historical insight was also very relevant as the subject matter would have applied to the three preceding generations of women in her family and therefore very relatable in a personal way.

The bicycle played a most important part in liberating women beginning with the invention of the safety bicycle in the early 1890s. This book is written for young people but it makes interesting reading for people of all ages. The book is heavily illustrated and the pictures help tell the story. I highly recommend this book for all people including people of all ages and both men and women.

This full-color book is for all ages: adults will enjoy it as much as will middle graders. Every page contains photographs or diagrams or posters of some sort, and they all illustrate the history of women and the bicycle. There's some absolutely wonderful sidebar information on types of bicycles, how they were propelled, where they were raced, who held the records, and so on. The book is very well written and its argument convincing: that the bicycle helped women achieve a certain degree of freedom, and that once that was achieved, there was no going back -- only forward. My only complaint about this book is that it ends suddenly and abruptly: as a reader I would have liked a kind of tapering off into the present day. Or, if not that, some dates on the cover, such as 1850 - 1920 or such, so that I would be prepared for the story stopping.

This is a very interesting and informative book. Who knew that the bicycle was so important for women's progress! And the illustrations are FUN! Would recommend to anyone and especially as a gift for young gals, who need to hear how strong women can be and have been..

I am serious biker who has crossed the U.S. by bike. I bought this book as a reference for me to use in writing a memoir about my trip. The book is written for young adults so I read it in about an hour. That said if young women or girl wants to know about one of the lesser known aspects of the Suffrage Movement this book is for her. In my opinion, the bicycle is one of greatest inventions of the late nineteenth century and had a huge impact on women's lives. The book is beautifully illustrated and would make a great Christmas present for a girl between 10 and 14 as her first "coffee table book."

My daughter enjoyed it

I bought this as a gift for a cyclist friend who really liked it . It’s not some big tome so an easy browsable read.

Compact, well-written book about the history of women and cycling in the USA, accompanied by illustrations.

Imprescindible tanto por la calidad de ejecución del libro como por el contenido. El libro cuenta como la bicicleta fue un instrumento que sirvió para dar autonomía e independencia a las mujeres en una época donde no la tenían en absoluto. Para ello el libro está estructurado e ilustrado acertadisimamente, un deleite su lectura para aquellos (esta es la pega) que sepan inglés.

Great

This book is inexpensive, funny and most informative with interesting anecdotes and photographs throughout. I would thoroughly recommend it. Frances