The Beecher sisters - Catharine, Harriet and Isabella - were three of the most prominent women in 19th-century America. Daughters of the famous evangelist Lyman Beecher, they could not follow their father and seven brothers into the ministry. Nonetheless, they carved out pathbreaking careers for themselves. Catharine Beecher founded the Hartford Female Seminary and devoted her life to improving women's education. Harriet Beecher Stowe became world famous as the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Isabella Beecher Hooker was an outspoken advocate for women's rights. This is a joint biography of the sisters, whose lives spanned the full course of the 19th century. The life of Isabella Beecher is examined in particular detail here. Drawing on little-used sources, Barbara White explores Isabella's political development and her interactions with her sisters and with prominent people of the time - from Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Mark Twain.

"This monumental book significantly expands our knowledge and understanding of the social history of women, and it does so in an engaging manner that will appeal to both the scholar and the general reader." Josephine Donovan, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin: Evil, Affliction and Redemptive Love