Campaigning for Life (A Biography of Dorothy Frances Buxton)

The first biography of the early twentieth-century social reformer who was instrumental in founding the charity Save the Children.

Dorothy Buxton led a remarkable life. In an era when women struggled to make their voices heard in the public arena, she spoke out effectively for the refugee, the destitute and particularly for children. An advocate of honest reporting during the First World War, in the aftermath she refused to accept the widespread famine that followed. In the face of scepticism and hostility, she campaigned to provide food for starving children in post-1918 Europe and pioneered the charity Save the Children. Her efforts saved thousands of lives. In later years, she was one of the first to raise awareness of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, courageously confronting Herman Göring himself in Berlin in early 1935. She was tireless in her fight for those suffering from prejudice and discrimination. Her story is unusual, from her unconventional upbringing in rural Shropshire, to studying at Cambridge to emerging as an indefatigable campaigner. Dorothy was a complex and compelling character, somewhat of an enigma even to her family. Campaigning for Life is the first biography of this remarkable woman, which examines both her public and private life in detail, and crucially acknowledges her considerable achievements in one of the most turbulent periods of European history.