August 1, 2016
Monson reimagines the campfire tall tale by introducing readers to overlooked tales of many forgotten heroines of the American West. She details the lives of 12 women who pushed west in search of land, gold, and freedom, undertaking risky journeys despite sexism, racism, and classism. Each biographical story defines perseverance, and there are inspiring examples of courage on each page as well as new lessons in how to live. Monson succinctly portrays a pioneering suffragette, a Sioux writer, and the most celebrated stagecoach driver in the West, who hid her gender most of her life. Another impressive pioneer is Clara Brown, a former slave who helped others make their ways from bondage to a better life in Colorado. Monson's accounts of these women who defied gender roles, who lived and breathed feminism, will resonate with all interested in the long-hidden chapters in American history. A compact, informative, briskly paced, emotionally rich, and eye-opening set of microbiographies that will change truncated views of the West.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)