I Could Not Do Otherwise: The Remarkable Life of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker by Sara Latta

 

I Could Not Do Otherwise: The Remarkable Life of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker by Sara Latta. Minneapolis: Zest Books , an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, 2022. Adult nonfiction, biography.

    Best known as a surgeon and a spy for the Union in the American Civil War, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, lived her life on her own terms. She became a doctor when their was little acceptance for women to study medicine. She never wore the corsets and  voluminous skirts of her contemporaries, but wore trousers under short skirts or coats. Dr. Walker broke gender norms and often spoke out about women's and civil rights. She received a Congressional Medal of Honor only to have it stripped away, but she never stopped wearing her medal until her death in 1919. She knew she deserved the honor and she was right.  In 1977, her Congressional Medal of Honor was reinstated. 

    This book not only tells Walker's story, but includes information about other feminists and activists such as Amelia Bloomer, Elizabeth Walker, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Belva Lockwood, and Carrie Nation. It is a primer really about feminism and would make a good introduction for young adults to the times and people covered.