A thoughtful and attractive presentation of a complex and intriguing topic.
A collection of fascinating tales of women's trials and triumphs during the years of settlement in the West.
Miller has divided the book into broad topics that gather stories of women's roles in settlement of the American West. “Many a Weary Mile" describes the trip west by wagon; "Oh Give Me a Home" explores early pioneering experiences. "A Woman Can Work," "And Now the Fun Begins" and "Great Expectations for the Future" all examine the careers of women who stepped out of typical female roles of the era. "A Clash of Cultures" tells of the experiences of two young white females captured by Native Americans and two Native American women's experiences dealing with white culture. The stories strike a nice balance, profiling many different types of experiences. Each chapter begins with a broad overview of the topic and then narrows down with compelling tales of individuals. Inclusion of first-person narrative through the use of letters and diaries brings the women to life in their own voices, augmented by revealing black-and-white period photographs with very brief captions. Part of this enlightening effort is a reworking of the 1995 Buffalo Gals of the Old West, which was aimed at a somewhat younger audience. While presented as an offering for teens, this work would be equally appropriate for adults.
A thoughtful and attractive presentation of a complex and intriguing topic. (extensive bibliography and endnotes) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-883052-97-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Uneven but sometimes highly interesting, it serves as a window onto the foster-care system. (Memoir. 12 & up)
This memoir serves as a sequel to the author’s Three Little Words (2008), which chronicled her experiences as a foster child in Florida. Now, she writes of her experiences as a foster parent.
Rhodes-Courter survived horrendous experiences as a foster child, finally finding refuge with new adoptive parents. College high jinks give way to marriage to Erick, who sticks with her for years as she finally learns she can accept the love and stability he offers her. After her marriage, she struggles with weight problems common to ex-foster children, completes a college degree, and becomes a motivational speaker on child-welfare issues. She and Erick decide to become foster parents themselves, and she describes a series of children they take into their home. These children are in serious need of the love and attention the author and her husband give them. Nevertheless, they must deal with the Florida foster-care system, which the author declares may be even worse than when she was trapped in it as a child. The book bogs down a bit in the earlier segments, when the author writes about her own struggles, but picks up speed with her vivid descriptions of her experiences with her foster children.
Uneven but sometimes highly interesting, it serves as a window onto the foster-care system. (Memoir. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 30, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-1557-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers who persevere will discover an affirmation of human courage.
Burakowski’s debut novel, based on her mother’s Holocaust experiences, describes a prominent Polish family’s desperate struggle to endure.
As the Nazi threat looms, patriarch Leib Gold attempts to secure a safe hiding place for his family. Leib leaves his wife, Hanna, and the children, Shoshana, Esther, and David, promising to meet the next day. Hanna never sees him again. Money and Shoshana’s fair complexion and fluent Polish help Hanna keep the rest of the family intact and alive, albeit just barely, until the Russian Army liberates Poland. Too much history is ponderously presented at the book’s outset, impeding the story and preventing development of the characters. Indeed, it takes a good third of the book to get to the gripping story of the desperate 26 months, beginning in November 1942, that the four Golds spend hiding in the annex of a barn where they are unable to stand erect. Dependent on the avariciousness of unethical Poles, crawling through sewers, living in filth, infested with lice, toileting with no privacy, fearsomely hungry, fearing death: both risks and the boredom are well-conveyed. The book concludes with a short chapter describing their post-liberation lives. Appended is a glossary of German, Polish, and Yiddish words, as well as photos of the family and the barn, which should help stir empathy.
Readers who persevere will discover an affirmation of human courage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-927583-74-6
Page Count: 348
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
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