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Writer's pictureRobyn Shelbourne

Lady Riot: A Debut Novel

Updated: Jun 2, 2023


Lady Riot

A Debut Novel
By Robyn Shelbourne

Lady Riot, is a debut historical fiction novel by Robyn Shelbourne, and is set in 1960s Paducah, Kentucky.

After nine-year-old Norah Crabtree's mother died, she was forced into a world that belonged to grown women. Her father hired a live-in nanny, Mrs. Johnson, with strict instructions to turn Norah into the finest lady and most eligible housewife on Birch Street. Norah swore she would never conform.

For eight years straight, she rioted against all things "lady."

As Norah's eighteenth birthday neared, she knew she had to escape the Birch Street clutches before she succumbed to an irreversible matrimonial death. Her mom's Plymouth Fury was her ticket out. With one finger in the air, the only one that mattered, Norah rioted one last time. Destination: California.

The road to California was dangerous for a solo woman traveler, and men's unsafe and unwanted advancements kept Norah on alert. She was full of fight and knew just enough about being a lady to keep her on the good side of a bad situation.

From Kentucky to California, women seemed to find Norah when they needed each other the most. With similar stories, some more tragic than others, Norah knew she had to do something. Women deserved better.

Together they created "Lady Riot," a women's social movement that picked up attention and momentum as they traveled across the country. The "Riot Squad" found safety and power in numbers. By the time they stepped foot on California soil, they were a bunch of "Bra Burners."

Norah's rage and resistance to conformity and "ladydom" inspired her to create the "Lady Riot," a movement that swept the nation. She and her "Riot Squad" were front and center in the wave that brought social change and rights to women worldwide.


Lady Riot is for fans who love these books:



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