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Rebel Englishwoman

The Remarkable Life of Emily Hobhouse
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( 100 ratings, 18 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Rebel Englishwoman by Elsabé Brits, you'll discover the fascinating life of an audacious woman who defied societal norms to pursue her passions. The biography delves into her unique journey, shedding light on her contributions and challenges during a transformative period. Through riveting narratives, the book offers an inspiring glimpse of resilience and defiance.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy uncovering untold stories of remarkable women who challenged societal norms. It offers a fascinating insight into a fearless trailblazer who left a lasting impact on her world, combining elements of history, feminism, and courage that will inspire and captivate biography enthusiasts.

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A new biography of a remarkable Englishwoman, Emily Hobhouse, that draws on significant and previously unknown sources, including her diaries and a draft autobiography.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Winner of the Mbokodo Award for Women in the Arts for Literature, the ATKV (Afrikaans Language and Culture Association) Award for non-fiction and the kykNet/Rapport Award for non-fiction.

'Here was Emily . . . in these diaries and scrapbooks. An unprecedented, intimate angle on the real Emily'

Elsabé Brits has drawn on a treasure trove of previously private sources, including Emily Hobhouse's diaries, scrapbooks, and numerous letters that she discovered in Canada, to write a revealing new biography of this remarkable Englishwoman.

Hobhouse has been little celebrated in her own country, but she is still revered in South Africa, where she worked so courageously, selflessly, and tirelessly to save lives and ameliorate the suffering of thousands of women and children interned in camps set up by British forces during the Anglo-Boer War. In these camps, it is estimated that over 27,000 Boer women and children died; her ashes are enshrined in the National Women's Monument in Bloemfontein.

During the First World War, Hobhouse was an ardent pacifist. She organised the writing, signing, and publishing in January 1915 of the 'Open Christmas Letter' addressed 'To the Women of Germany and Austria'. In an attempt to initiate a peace process, she also secretly met with the German foreign minister Gottlieb von Jagow in Berlin, for which some branded her a traitor. In the war's immediate aftermath, she worked for the Save the Children Fund in Leipzig and Vienna, feeding thousands of children daily for over a year, who would otherwise have starved. She later started her own feeding scheme to alleviate ongoing famine.

Despite having been instrumental in saving thousands of lives during two wars, Hobhouse died alone - spurned by her country, her friends, and even some of her relatives. Brits brings Emily's inspirational and often astonishing story, spanning three continents, back into the light.

Rebel Englishwoman is a compelling biography that rediscoveries the life and legacy of a woman who truly defied the norms of her time.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Rebel Englishwoman by Elsabé Brits is praised as an engaging and thoroughly researched biography. The book utilises fresh materials such as diaries, letters, and photographs to provide a comprehensive account of the subject's life. It is lauded for beautifully restoring her place as a significant feminist heroine of the 20th century.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472140920

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 July 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Robinson

Illustration: 16pp b/w plate section

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 36.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 359g

Pages: 464

About the Author

Elsabe Brits is an award-winning journalist. Since 1999, she has worked at the daily Afrikaans-language newspaper Die Burger in Cape Town, South Africa, and for its online portal Netwerk24.com, following a six-year stint at a community newspaper in Polokwane, in the north of the country.

Currently she is a freelance science and health journalist. In 2011, her first book, on bipolar disorder, was published by Tafelberg.

While Elsabe specialises in science journalism, it was her passion for forgotten stories, along with her love of facts, that propelled her on the voyage of discovery that resulted in her writing this book. Emily Hobhouse has since become an essential part of her life.

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