04/08/2026
I am so proud of this book and am thrilled with this review from Publisher's Weekly.
Publisher’s Weekly Review of “The Justice Bell: Tracing the Journey of a Forgotten Symbol” by Amanda Owen
"Owen (author of The Power of Receiving) revives a slice of history with this meticulously researched account of the Justice Bell, a duplicate of the Liberty Bell, commissioned in 1913 to act as a symbol for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. … Written with painstaking attention to detail and carefully reconstructed accounts, The Justice Bell serves as both chronicle and tribute, featuring inspiring personal stories of suffragists and advocates, reproduced black and white photographs of notable events, and excerpts from historical records. Owen recounts the bell’s journey from town to town—displayed on a car renovated specifically for that trek—alongside fascinating details that anchor the narrative: Pennsylvania’s brutal summer heat and torrential downpours that left roads muddy and flooded; mechanical issues that threatened progress; and the use of bright yellow as a suffrage color in ribbons, banners, and flowers punctuating the landscape.
Though Owen leans toward reportorial discourse rather than emotional narration, The Justice Bell still offers plenty of stirring moments, whether describing how the bell was designed with its clapper tied off so it could not be rung until the day all women in America were granted the right to vote or analyzing how important symbols can be buried with time—and why they should be resurrected and honored. This is a vital collection of primary sources, celebrated activists, and a movement that “believed justice was worth the fight.”
https://www.justicebell.org/justicebellbook
