Process Talk: Sarah Aronson on Abzuglutely: Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug
You know you’ve heard this quip before: “This Woman’s Place is in the House — The House of Representatives.” But do you know who said it? Bella Abzug (1920-1998) was a lawyer, politician, social activist, and pioneer in women’s rights. For Americans wondering how the next four years are going to pan out, under a president who has proclaimed his intention to go after his critics, Bella Abzug was # 11 on the first of Nixon’s Enemies Lists, in the category of “political opponents.”
Here’s Abzuglutely: Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug, a loving picture book portrait by Sarah Aronson, illustrated by Andrea D’Aquino. I asked Sarah to tell me more about the making of this book.
[Uma] What a character she was! Bella Abzug, irrepressible and fearless. When did you know that you had to write this book?
[Sarah] For a long time, I didn’t feel ready to write it.
Bella was my childhood hero, and in every way I could, I emulated her life lessons. After writing Just Like Rube Goldberg, I wondered if I could do it. I pushed myself to try. It is the honor of my writing life to see this book on the shelf.
Let’s talk about confidence since it is a huge part of Bella’s story as well as my writing process. When we read about what Bella did, we know it must have been scary, but we also know that she believed in her mission. When I choose a story to write, I am the same way. I think about stories for a long time. I journal. I let them simmer. I do the research needed. And of course, I write badly. ALL. THE. TIME. I discover the beating heart of the theme and characters. But with this book, I was extra careful at every turn. I didn’t feel ready to tell my friends about what I was doing until I was sure I could do her justice.
I am grateful to Carolyn Yoder for sharing my vision. She saw my draft and pushed me to give even more. That took confidence, too, especially in a world of mounting antisemitism.
When I was done, I realized that Bella has always showed me a way to be a strong Jewish woman in a diverse world. Throughout my life, she has shown me new ways to be an ally. And a good citizen of the world. And a strong woman who wasn’t afraid to use her own gravelly voice! I hope the book serves to pass that energy to others.
[Uma] Abzuglutely is a study in strength and determination. The epigraph reads, in part, “... I always thought if I could become a lawyer I could set things straight.” We see how the idea of setting things straight came from her Jewish upbringing and became a guiding purpose in her life. In an increasingly complicated world, how do you want young readers to understand her story's relevance to our time?
[Sarah] At this time, it felt really important to emphasize her Jewish upbringing. All families have goals and hopes and dreams for their children. And tenets of our cultures almost always emphasize the same strong values (which is why we should talk to each other more.)
I hope that first, readers will ponder: what does it mean to NOT have a role model? To have to write the playbook all by yourself…from scratch? And then I hope they will pay attention to her family’s commitment to justice and fairness and tikkun olam—repairing the world. During the 80s and the “me generation,” Bella’s activism and leadership inspired me to be a “you” person—to help others every chance I got. (That’s one of the reasons why, after I got my MFA, I so desperately wanted to give back. And teach.) For Bella and her family, they could afford to give charity, but they knew that wasn’t enough. To make the world better, Bella empowered others. She believed in a diverse community. (Right now, this is what I am focused on in my activism. How can I empower others to succeed? What do they need? If I can’t help, can I find the people who can?) Our kids today talk a lot about kindness. Bella inspires them to put that kindness into action.
[Uma] I loved the use of the verb “bellow,” so rich and funny and powerful, alliterating with your subject so thoroughly that it demands to be used and used again. It turns the book into a celebration, a tribute song to loudness in service of ethical belief. Talk to me about the verbs you chose in your text. They feel critical to its power.
[Sarah] My first reaction to this question was: I used strong verbs? How about that!
[Uma] You did, and a few of them—bellow, broadcast, boost…” even begin with “b.” So maybe the question really is, what’s with all the B words?
[Sarah] I loved using all those B words: brazen. Bold. Uma, she was a beautiful person.
I did intentionally try to create a celebration within the language—since she was bigger than life. No muted language would do for Bella Abzug. (When I read it, I read with my hands!) Women like Bella were viewed differently than the men they ran against. (And that double standard does not seem to be going away any time soon.) I wanted to show the reader how she presented herself and how others saw her—it was not completely kind.
Many photographs of her made her look angry, rather than passionate. So all the language needed to feel joyful. Active. Powerful. Like her.
When I first started researching Bella, I was a fan first. That meant: I had to deal with my bias and get to the truth. So, all those strong verbs and nouns came from listening to recordings of her bellowing speeches. I actually scanned her syntax. She was such a dynamic speaker—and that gravelly voice. It pulled me in. I wanted the text to rouse the reader the way she roused me.
[Uma] “Get to work!” you say in the backmatter. "Empathy is not complete without action.” How do you think young readers, whatever their gender, will take this meaning forward in the 21st century?
“We have to take chances. In civics. And in writing.”
[Sarah] Somebody once said, “Hope is a verb,” and I am cosigning that.
Talking about justice is nice. Talking about change makes us feel good. Finding friends who feel exactly the way we do makes us feel smart. And even safe.
But actually getting out of your chair and your comfortable home and doing something is the only way to change the world.
I hope young kids (and teens!!! And parents!!! Because picture books are for everyone) will put down their phones and get together to work together. We all need to stop waiting and participate in our communities. I am afraid we are going to need to stand up for the vulnerable people in our communities—just like Bella did. I think tikkun olam is going to be a necessity very soon. I also hope that they see that Bella NEVER could have achieved what she did without listening—that is how we get to cooperation and compromise.
Today, I think we truly suffer from the need to be “all in.” Look at the election. The double standard that Kamala Harris had to contend with to please Democrats was ridiculous as opposed to the excuses the media and others made for Trump. It infuriates me. (And I know it infuriated Bella, when she had that problem.) I don’t know how we are going to convince people to honor women the same way they honor men, but a good first step might be to focus on local initiatives with our neighbors. To get things done, we have to join hands and engage in civil civic discourse. Let’s find things we can work on together. Then let’s sit down and figure out what is true and what is misinformation.
We have to take chances. In civics. And in writing.
We cannot give up. We will lose too much.
We have to do what Bella said: Speak your truths. On the page. In the streets. In letters. And in meetings.
When we come together with good intentions for all, we can understand each other, and then those compromises will feel like triumphs. That’s why Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic
and I wrote a Tool Kit for Young Activists. (We don’t want to encourage mayhem. We want to help you encourage conversation and action, and in the process, strengthen your voice and your community—without fear.)
Photo courtesy of Sarah Aronson
[Uma] The forces in public discourse these days are often predicated on fear. We are driven by fear and alas, manipulated into being fearful. Yet here was someone who was way ahead of her time, who believed in debate, who refused to be intimidated, who never gave up. How does Bella’s tale keep you going? How should her story keep us all going?
[Sarah] Fear is the foundation of too much of today’s political discourse. When your motivation is to scare people and get clicks, conversation gets lost. Here is one thing I am sure of: None of us do our best work when we are afraid. None of us can create when safety is in doubt. And forget about listening. How can you do that when you are in flight or fight? This is why I banish social media before noon. I want to listen to my heart first. I want to grapple with what my characters want. I want to talk to people. Because people make stories. Because people, when they are not afraid, have a lot to discuss.
That is why Bella brought people together—even people she disagreed with. That is why we have to come together. We have to slow down the rhetoric, find our common ground, and make a plan. I believe it can be done! Too often, we worry about our egos first. We offer snark for clicks. We want likes, not discourse. We attack instead of listen. In honor of Bella, let’s stand with our communities. There is strength in numbers—Bella knew this when she marched on the streets. She knew this when she tried to enact laws. And she knew that when she failed. And got back up again. And again.
That might be what I admire about her most. When she failed, she did not give up. That’s what we must do, too. In writing. And for our readers.
