Book Giveaway: WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW by J. Albert Mann

Author J. Albert Mann has a new YA novel titled, WHAT EVER GIRL SHOULD KNOW. It hits book shelves in bookstores Next week on February 12th. J. Albert Mann has agreed to share a book with one lucky winner. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you do to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. Thanks for helping Jennifer!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW is the story of Margaret Sanger’s childhood (1879-1966). Born a cheeky little girl in a factory town, she grew up to become a bold woman who led an extraordinary fight for women’s reproductive health and birth control against the most powerful opponents in the world: Men, the United States government, and the Catholic Church. She succeeded not only in beginning discussions about women’s sexuality, sexual health education, reproduction, family planning, and contraception, but also in influencing and affecting the laws to change and improve these basic human rights. The structures she built – the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the International Planned Parenthood Federation—are still providing sexual and reproductive health care and education to almost five million women worldwide. One hundred and forty years after her birth, Margaret’s ideas are still considered controversial. The societal debate over a woman’s right to her own body continues to rage today.

This compelling historical novel spans the early and very formative years of feminist and women’s health activist Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, as she struggles to find her way amidst the harsh realities of poverty.

Margaret was determined to get out. She didn’t want to clean the dirty dishes and soiled diapers that piled up day in and day out in her large family’s small home. She didn’t want to disappoint her ailing mother, who cared tirelessly for an ever-growing number of children despite her incessant cough. And Margaret certainly didn’t want to be labeled a girl of “promise,” destined to become either a teacher or a mother—which seemed to be a woman’s only options.

As a feisty and opinionated young woman, Margaret Higgins Sanger witnessed and experienced incredible hardships, which led to her groundbreaking work as an advocate for women’s rights and the founder of Planned Parenthood. This fiery novel of Margaret’s early life paints the portrait of a young woman with the passion and courage to change the world.

BOOK JOURNEY:

When I mention to people that I’ve written a novel about Margaret Sanger’s childhood, I’m often asked, “Who is Margaret Sanger?” I’m not surprised by the question and fully admit that more than a few years ago, I’d asked the same exact question…and in circumstances I will never forget. [Check out the description of my book if you don’t know who she is. Once you’ve found out, you may wish to stop reading here.] As a sophomore in college, I was invited home to dinner by my (then) significant other. Arriving at his very posh parents’ brownstone in lower Manhattan I remember noticing a historic plaque on the outside of his home—but the combination of feeling very shy about my middle-class Jersey roots, general nervousness regarding the meeting of his parents, and the naivete of figuring all rich people probably had these kinds of things attached to the front of their houses—I did not stop to read it. Following dinner, his stepmother suggested he take me on a tour of the house, specifically mentioning the basement. Winking slyly for only me to see, he grabbed my hand and headed for the basement door. We descended. And began to “tour” the basement…on a strange table…with gynecological stirrups? Stopping mid-tour, I sat up and asked where the heck we were. His breathless answer: Margaret Sanger’s first Manhattan clinic. My sad response: Who is Margaret Sanger? Oh, the irony: Half-naked in her old office using the very privilege she handed me, I had no idea who the woman was. I’ve since corrected this oversight and been a fan of hers ever since. This novel is my tribute to Sanger and her lifelong social activism, which in turn gave me a lifetime of choice.

JENNIFER ALBERT MANN’S BIO:

J. Albert Mann is an award-winning poet and the author of five novels. Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum Books for Young Readers is set to publish her next work of historical fiction about the early life of Margaret Sanger in February of 2019. She has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults and is the Director of the WNDB Internship Grant Committee. jalbertmann.com @jenannmann

Jennifer, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I am sure this important book will be well received.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy