Ah, summer reading. A quiet house in the evening lends itself to me devouring as many books in eight weeks as possible. It also helps that I have a library card to the local Cutchogue Library giving me access to loads of new fiction that is NEVER available in Trumbull! I've read several books already this summer that I've enjoyed, but I am glad I finally picked up Ten Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus, which as been sitting on my summer nightstand for almost two summers. I actually wrote myself a note to read this book LAST summer and I took my ghost's advice and finally dove in.
TTWW tells the story of May Dodd, a woman in the late 1800s who comes from a wealthy Chicago family. She's shunned by her family, sent to an insane asylum, and then sets herself free by joining a government run program to give become a Cheyenne Indian bride. An author's note tells the reader that this was a program actually thought up by the Grant Administration but never carried out, however the book is based on a story that might have occurred if it had actually took place. I learned a lot about the Cheyenne and the American/Indian conflict of the time, and really enjoyed the voice of May Dodd, a woman I certainly could have been friends with either then or now.
This is a quick read that blends strong women, historical fiction and a bit of humor, written as May's journal though her experience in the American West. Pick it up!
TTWW tells the story of May Dodd, a woman in the late 1800s who comes from a wealthy Chicago family. She's shunned by her family, sent to an insane asylum, and then sets herself free by joining a government run program to give become a Cheyenne Indian bride. An author's note tells the reader that this was a program actually thought up by the Grant Administration but never carried out, however the book is based on a story that might have occurred if it had actually took place. I learned a lot about the Cheyenne and the American/Indian conflict of the time, and really enjoyed the voice of May Dodd, a woman I certainly could have been friends with either then or now.
This is a quick read that blends strong women, historical fiction and a bit of humor, written as May's journal though her experience in the American West. Pick it up!
