THE ICON AND THE IDEALIST Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America

Janina Edwards's warm voice and calm delivery welcome listeners into this history of the rivalry and struggle that brought about legal birth control in America. Beginning in the 1910s, Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett waged individual battles for women's reproductive autonomy. Over the years, Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, and Dennett, author of the educational pamphlet THE SEX SIDE OF LIFE, addressed race, class, and gender in confrontational, different, and effective ways. Journalist Stephanie Gorton's dual biography of the women is deeply researched and provocative. It is also often long-winded. Edwards pauses frequently during the unspooling sentences, which can be confusing. Once one adapts to her approach, this is a listenable examination of the lives of two infamous, important women. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2025]