A review by cassies_books_reviews
Death in Ten Minutes: The Forgotten Life of Radical Suffragette Kitty Marion by Fern Riddell

4.0

What an amazing book with so much history that dives into the life of Kitty Marion! Fern Riddells biography of Kitty Marion who grew up in Germany her father was abusive so she moved to England to live with her aunt. Kitty became not only a music performer but also a suffragette and even a birth control campaigner! The author did an astounding job of presenting a historical book during that time along with showing how important to this day with what Kitty was fighting for. She uses archive materials that are in Kitty’s own words that’s where never published before. While working she suffered horrible sexual harassment the theatre agents and other powerful men expected sexual favors from her and other musical performers, which while I was reading this part immediately made me think of how this is continuing and all the news that has come out which made me extremely angry! All Kitty wanted to show is that woman deserve to be treated as an equal and they shouldn’t have to fight for something that should just be given were people and human too! When Kitty becomes a member of the Woman’s Social and Political Union , there were times before she actual thought they were crazy. This is when the book takes a change! The WSPU carried out acts considered acts of terrorism , attacks even aimed at certain people theses acts were bombs and arson attacks. One attack Kitty was part of was an arson attack in Hurst Park. This attack she barely made it out alive when reading this my heart was pounding. This book really showed you the lengths not only that Kitty but the other woman in her group took to be taken seriously! Some of these were building being damaged, houses even churches, government building railroads and even mail bombs these are just a few examples. That’s why I used the word terrorism because that’s what they would be considered today. This biography honestly blew me away and I am kicking myself that I took so long to read. Kitty Marion’s life fascinated me the author really did an amazing job showing us Kitty’s life I give this book four stars!