Entertaining and fun this book looks at how bicycles changed the way women related to society. Lots of pictures and sidebars. ( )

A riveting, well-researched look at the role the bicycle played in eman - cipating women—from the strict codes of dress to their rights as free citizens.

It's helpful and comforting at times to read about the bizarre ideas people not long ago had about women and the chaos that would ensue if women did reckless things like exercise or wear clothing that didn't restrict breathing or the ability to pass through doorways. It puts progress in perspective. I should have gotten the physical copy of this book because I suspect the illustrations are amusing. ( )

A great non-fiction with an interesting story and great pictures. The wheels in question belong on a bicycle and this iconic invention and far reaching social implications for women in the United States. Along with the freedom it also provided the fuel to finally get women's out of corsets started them down the road of healthy excercise and sporting competitions. I really liked how well this book covered the wider historical picture without taking away from the fun that bycicling provided. A great quick historical read. ( )

Do you remember the freedom you felt once you were old enough to get a two-wheeled bike and allowed to zoom around your neighborhood? Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy recalls when women first got their own set of wheels and set off unescorted into the world.

And that whole unescorted thing really ticked off conservatives at the time. As Macy notes in chapter 2, The Devil's Advance Agent, in the late 1800s women and men dated while being chaperoned by adults, usually in the home of the young woman. With the advent of the bicycle and society's approval for women to jump on board with this new fad, the reach of chaperones was cut. Thus begins the spiral to fogged up car windows on a Friday night. One has to remember that this was at the same time most physical activity, especially sporting activities, was seen as bad for women's bodies and especially their reproductive systems.

One also must remember that in the late 1800s women were wearing HUGE dresses. How is a lady supposed to ride a bicycle? Macy shows photos of bicycles that were designed for side-saddle as well as with contraptions so that dresses wouldn't get caught in the wheels or gears. Then the young women of the late 1800s rediscovered Amelia Bloomers invention - Lady Pants! - or bloomers.

This is a fun trip through the joint history of the bicycle and women's rights. From wheels to bloomers to votes for women, it's all interconnected. You'll be amazed at how similar the conversations we are having today about women's rights sound a lot like the ones in the late 1800s about women riding bicycles.

This a National Geographic book for kids. But don't let that stop those without kids from not buying this book.

Disclaimers: A publicist offered me a copy for review for women's history month. Obviously, I'm late writing this baby up.