About this episode

Denise Kiernan discusses the crucial role of women in the American Revolution and her book 'Obstinate Daughters'.

The American Revolution touched the lives of everyone living in the American colonies, and though the focus is often on the battlefields and political debates, those who were excluded from those places nevertheless played a crucial role in gaining independence. In this episode, Denise Kiernan joins us to discuss her new book, Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers and Renegade Women Who Ignited the Revolution and how looking at the revolution through women's lives gives us a more perfect understanding of the events that founded the United States of America. Denise Kiernan is the author of multiple New York Times Bestsellers including The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (Atria, 2014). She is also a journalist, producer and former head writer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire . Obstinate Daughters is available June 23, 2026 from Dutton. You can find out more about the book and order your copy at DeniseKiernan.com This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.

People in this episode

Host: RTN Productions

Guest: Denise Kiernan

Topics covered

• American Revolution
• women's history
• independence
• historical analysis
• cultural impact

Keywords

• American Revolution
• women in history
• Denise Kiernan
• Obstinate Daughters
• independence
• historical figures
• cultural impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dutton, DeniseKiernan.com

Books & works: Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers and Renegade Women Who Ignited the Revolution, The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

More episodes of The Road to Now

• The Civilian Conservation Corps w/ Neil Maher · July 20, 2026 · 52 min
• Mitch McConnell: The Price of Power w/ Michael Tackett · July 13, 2026 · 53 min
• Citizen Coke: The History of Coca-Cola w/ Bartow Elmore · July 6, 2026 · 59 min
• The Declaration of Independence · July 2, 2026 · 10 min
• Benjamin Franklin w/ Dayton Duncan and David Schmidt · June 29, 2026 · 51 min
• #371 Been There, Done That w/ Greg Jackson · June 15, 2026 · 1h 2m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Road to Now podcast page.