Travelling to Tomorrow

You might have heard Dr Yves Rees on their excellent podcast, Archive History, or even heard them talk at Readings. Delightfully, they have made the past their livelihood. Travelling to Tomorrow began as a PhD thesis, but it reads (now) more like story time around the fireplace. Grab a hefty glass of red and settle in. Rees has stories to tell you about 10 women that, 100 years ago, made their way from Australia to America to change everything. And the 10 women chosen for this collection were wild, wondrous, and intelligent women.

A century ago, the USA was a place of possibilities, not the messy paradox that it is now. It was a place where women might not be hindered by family or expectation. I was particularly astonished by the story of the economist Persia Campbell. Her most famous work involved ensuring that there was equity around food prices. She understood that food decisions were made by women and worked to ensure that they were represented in decisions that affected households. She wrote a textbook. She met the President of the United States. I had not heard of her before this book.

In fact, I had only heard of one of the women Rees writes about. I am sure I am not alone in my ignorance. Persia Campbell, economist. May Lahey, lawyer. Rose Cumming, decorator. Isabel Letham, swimmer. Mary Cecil Allen, artist. Dorothy Waugh, dentist. Alice Caporn, food and health advocate. Cynthia Reed, nurse. Vera Bradford, pianist. Dorothy Cottrell, writer.

Read this book because you are a feminist. Read it because you believe history tells a story about now. Read it because it is inspiring and thought-provoking. Read it because the women listed in this very readable, engaging book should be known by name – they paved a new path for each of us.