I am just finished the book, One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
The premise of the story is that 1000 white women were gathered by their own free will and were taken and that traded with the Indians for 1000 ponies. The women were to live with the Indians for 2 years with the expectation that they would have a child. The women were to teach the Indians of white ways and eventually the two warring parties, the whites and Indians, would better know each other and come to a form of peace. The babies were suppose to unite the Native Americans and whites.
The women who volunteer come from all walks of life, former southern girls whose father’s lost their plantations, girls who were jailed or in insane asylums, freed slaves, and women who were considered too ugly or manly to catch a husband.
Although this is a work of fiction and something I would have never done, the author makes it believable and I found myself very interested it what was happening next.
If you check the reviews on Amazon, they are very mixed. Several people didn’t like the book as it was written by a male and that many of the women were stereotypical. I didn’t have a problem with any of that. At this time period, people would not have been so open with their feelings especially feelings that would have been written in a journal. Being the other characters were all supporting characters and a book can only be so long, giving them a stereotypical character made it easy and uncomplicated. I didn’t like them any more or less.
I do have to say that I have had this book for over a year. Kelli gave it to me yet I didn’t read it. The premise bothered me so I was hesitant to read it…but after reading it I got drawn in. I like it and would consider it a good read. Kelli liked it too.
If you are looking for the book you can find it here on Amazon in hard copy One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
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I read this a few years ago and loved it, I passed it on to my parents and a few other family members all of us enjoyed it a great deal.
I really liked this one too.
I read this quite a while ago and thought it was sooooo interesting and believable. Several weeks after I read it, someone brought a Peace Medal for assessment on the Antique Roadshow. It was neat since I knew what that was because of the book.
Darn, that does sound good and the library has no copies in the entire city system. =P
I’ve seen this book and wondered if it was good. You’ve convinced me to give it a try.
I listened to this book and I thought it was really good.
I loved this book! Jim Fergus is a favorite of mine.