About the book: Discover the stories of twelve women who "heard the call" to settle the west and who came from all points of the globe to begin their journey.
As a slave, Clara watched as her husband and children were sold, only to be reunited with her youngest daughter, as a free woman, six decades later.
As a young girl, Charlotte hid her gender to escape a life of poverty and became the greatest stagecoach driver that ever lived.
As a Native American, Gertrude fought to give her people a voice and to educate leaders about the ways and importance of her culture.
These are gripping miniature dramas of good-hearted women, selfless providers, courageous immigrants and migrants, and women with skills too innumerable to list. Many were crusaders for social justice and women's rights. All endured hardships, overcame obstacles, broke barriers, and changed the world.
The author ties the stories of these pioneer women to the experiences of women today with the hope that they will be inspired to live boldly and bravely and to fill their own lives with vision, faith, and fortitude. To live with grit.
My review: I was amazed by just how much I loved this book! I loved the way the author wrote about 12 amazing women from all walks of life and from all kinds of different places. I also loved the way she talks, at the end, about each individual woman writing her own chapter and living with vision, faith and fortitude the way that each of these women did.
I loved that this book took me from Scotland, to Hawaii, to Utah to San Francisco and almost everywhere in between. It taught me about women in slavery, women working tirelessly to stop slavery and women who just wanted to live their life without the government decreeing that their marriage wasn't valid.
I loved that I had only heard of maybe one of these women before, so their stories were all new to me. This is an amazing book that I didn't want to put down before I'd read the last story about these amazing women!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the author: Marianne Monson holds a BA in English Literature, and MA in English Pedagogy, and an MFA in Creative Writing. The author of two historical novels, she has a strong interest in the relationship between literature and history. Marianne has taught English and Creative Writing at Portland Community College and BYU-Hawaii, and regularly speaks at writing conferences. She is the author of eight books for children and adults.Labels: Marianne Monson, nonfiction, Shadow Mountain Publishing
