The Superwoman and Other Writings by Miriam Michelson

"Thanks to Harrison-Kahan for bringing to light in this extraordinary book a body of work that honors the one-hundredth anniversary of women getting the vote, and introduces all of us today to a journalist whose writing helped make suffrage possible. A marquee byline in her time, this collection of Miriam Michelson's work includes her newspaper coverage of a Women's Congress in 1895 and her 1912 novella, Superwoman, which served as source material for 'Wonder Woman.' As an independent, single, professional woman, Michelson was ahead of her time in imagining what women can do."—Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast columnist

"This collection provides important insight into Michelson's work and to a crucial period in American history. It contributes substantially to the literature documenting social change, women's history, and media history."—Vanessa Murphree, American Journalism

"Despite her activism, reporting, and fiction, Michelson's influence was always more than just her words. It was also her life: The unmarried and independent Michelson provided a role model for others of how a 'new woman' could make her way in a world of men by using her wits and her voice as 'the only woman reporter working in a world of men.'"—Maya Mirsky, J. The Jewish News of Northern California

"This is a strong reminder that women worked hard for the right to tell the stories of our nation in their own voice. I am humbled by the women who came before me as I read about their struggles and perseverance. Especially today, as so many women fight for recognition and respect, it is important to look back at the long road we have already traveled and gain strength."—Soledad O'Brien, journalist

"author wrote piece for Jewish Book Council

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/the-jewish-roots-of-wonder-womans-pop-feminism"—Lori Harrison-Kahan, Jewish Book Council

"I'm grateful to Harrison-Kahan for bringing Miriam Michelson's writings back to life. Michelson's unusual perspective as a Jewish woman writer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century gives us new and timely insight into work, politics, and culture in that era."—Judith Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Archive

"A new collection, The Superwoman and Other Writings by Miriam Michelson (edited and introduced by scholar Lori Harrison-Kahan), exemplifies these forgotten superwomen of the suffrage movement."—Ben Railton, The Saturday Evening Post

"Harrison-Kahan's erudite and engaging edition offers an invaluable resource for scholars of early twentieth-century print culture and women writers. It was a delight to meet Miriam Michelson, and I look forward to her company in my classroom."—Catherine Keyser, American Periodicals: A Journal of History & Criticism

"Harrison-Kahan introduces us not only to Michelson's strikingly modern life and career but also to the social and political issues of the day, many of which remain timely."—Lauren B. Strauss, Moment Magazine

"Harrison-Kahan's careful curation and use of archival sources to recover Michelson's life and work provides readers with new material for building a conversation about women writers' roles in activist movements."—Candi S. Carter Olson, Legacy

"Miriam Michelson's voice comes roaring back from the Progressive Era, full of rollicking stories about Amazons, girl thieves, and feminist radicals. Whether she was covering news or writing fiction, Michelson modeled the kind of public engagement our own era desperately needs. Lori Harrison-Kahan has reintroduced a fierce, funny writer we should never have forgotten."—Jean M. Lutes, Author of Front-Page Girls: Women Journalists in American Literature and Culture, 1880–1930

"One of the most striking and colorful leaders who fought so long and so hard to secure voting rights for women, Miriam Michelson jumps out of the pages of this new and valuable work by Harrison-Kahan. Thanks at long last to the indefatigable effort by Harrison-Kahan and Miriam's great-great niece, Joan Michelson, the story of Miriam and the roles she played in advancing the suffragette movement—constantly keeping it in the headlines— surges back to life, showing what can be done through courage and commitment."—David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst and Professor of Public Service at Harvard Kennedy School

"Miriam Michelson's journalism about women, ethnic minorities, and the West and her prescient speculative fiction make for fascinating reading for anyone interested in American studies, print cultural studies, journalism, or gender studies. Harrison-Kahan has performed a monumental service to these fields by recovering—with such attentiveness and care—the works of this popular, now forgotten Progressive Era frontier feminist author."—Mary Chapman, Professor of English, University of British Columbia, and Author of Becoming Sui Sin Far and Making Noise, Making News: Suffrage Print Culture and Us Modernism