Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Macy, S. (2011). Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way).  Washington, DC: National Geographic.  ISBN 9781426307614. 96 p.

SUMMARY

Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy is far more than a story describing the evolution of the bicycle.  It is also a look at the impact the bicycle made on the lives of women.  The bicycle became a new, affordable, nonliving form of transportation, and that was a positive invention for both men and women.  Women, however, reaped a host of new welcomed changes that were triggered by the bicycle.  An American woman’s nineteenth century wardrobe was not conducive to riding a bike, so several impressive modifications took place.  The bicycle also prompted unprecedented freedom for women in terms of mobility, exercise, challenges, voices, and more.  This two wheeled invention also brought about other changes in society.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Sue Macy, author of Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way), successfully crafted an informative book that encompasses the introduction of the bicycle and the surprising gains made for women and the advertising industry.  Her narrative style is easy to understand and is accompanied by well documented dates, locations, and names.  Her use of different styles, colors, and sizes of fonts results in an attractive display of words.  Macy incorporates wonderful images including actual photos, cards, posters, diagrams, labels, advertisements, and medals from the corresponding time period.  The illustrations are accompanied by written captions that are interesting and sometimes humorous.  Splashes of color can be found on almost every page creating a rather beautiful nonfiction book.  Macy concludes her book with an historical timeline relating to the events discussed in the book which will be beneficial to the reader since the events within the book are not entirely in chronological order.  Wheels of Change is a wonderful read particularly to women of all ages.