Book Reviews and Endorsements

Modern Salon August 2002
"Martha Matilda Harper was one of the most successful and innovative female business leaders in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She pioneered the Harper Method, ... a franchise model that altered her own destiny and the destinies of thousands of working class women. In a time when entrepreneurship was considered a man's domain, she encouraged women to own their own business. ... If you want to know more about this fascinating lady who left a legacy when she died, ... read her biography by Jane R. Plitt, ... 'Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream.'"

Business Library Review International magazine 
Vol. 24, No. 3, 2001 
"Plitt establishes Harper as the founder of American retail franchising; yet in the world of retail marketing, where 'franchising has become an updated version of the American Dream,' the Harper story, like the Harper Method, has been misplaced. Jane Plitt's biography of ... Harper ... fills the breach ... for objective evaluation of the roles of women ... in American history."

The Tribune, Institute of Trichology
"Reading this short book can be both an emotional release and an inspiration."

Amazon.com
"'Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream: How One Woman Changed the Face of Modern Business' is the fascinating, meticulously researched, superbly presented biography of the woman who invented the business franchise. Yet her inventive contribution was lost to American business history until Jane Plitt (business owner, labor arbitrator, social justice advocate, and visiting scholar at the University of Rochester) discovered through original research what a remarkable contribution Martha Matilda Harper had made to the contemporary face of American-style free enterprise. 'Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream' is enthusiastically recommended reading and an essential addition to women's studies and American business history reading lists and library collections." ( Midwest Book Review  from Oregon, WI USA)

Booklist
"Martha Matilda Harper was one of the most successful and innovative female entrepreneurs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ... Rather than simply enriching herself, Harper offered other working women the opportunity to own their own business and control their own destiny.  An inspirational biography of an overlooked entrepreneurial pioneer."

Lois Banner, author, "American Beauty" and "In Full Flower"
"Well-written and intriguing, this books shows the importance of beauty in women's lives and how a woman can achieve the American Dream through talent, ambition and hard work.  A good read--and an important document in uncovering the forgotten history of women."

Thomas Golisano, founder and CEO, Paychex Inc.
'This is a 'Yes' book for all those daring to dream and work hard. Harper applied such vision and leadership when she launched modern franchising worldwide to change the destinies of thousands of poor women like herself.  Makes me want to cheer for Harper and the extraordinary community, Rochester, N.Y., that supported her and so many innovative businesses and leaders."

Joanne Shaw, chairman, International Franchise Association
"As a female entrepreneur, one who also know persistence prevails, I found this story particularly motivating."

Peter Prichard, president, Freedom Forum and Newseum, and former editor, USA Today
"Readers owe Jane Plitt a great debt for bringing Martha Harper's story to light: How one woman beat the odds, created a thriving business, invented franchising and proved that women are men's equals in the business world."

Gene Boyer, a founder, National Organization for Women
"A fascinating true story ... about Martha Matilda Harper and her pioneering accomplishments, extraordinary vision and principled way of doing business."

Christine Whitman, president and COO, VEECO
"This story is a great reminder that the entrepreneurial spirit is not gender, culture or generation specific, and is born from a burning desire to provide the customer with a better way."