Book Review: Girl with a Gun

Author Kari Bovee has fictionalized true characters in her lively mystery, Girl with a Gun. The story begins in St. Louis, Missouri, 1885.

Fifteen year-old Annie Oakley is the sole supporter of her mother and two younger siblings. Annie is an excellent marksman and sells game to the local markets to make ends meet. While in town one day, she competes in a shooting contest and is invited to become a part of the renowned Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show.

Annie meets her assistant, Kimi, a fictionalized teenage Indian girl whose murder begins the story. Thus begins a string of events which could not only endanger Annie, but could also ruin the Wild West Show. True characters, which the author portrays with their known characteristics, include Frank Butler, Buffalo Bill, and Sitting Bull.

As the mystery thickens, Anne’s shooting and riding skills catapult her to fame. When a scandal erupts that could bring her career to a crashing end, she enlists the assistance of a newspaper reporter who has the resources to help unravel the mystery.

I enjoyed Girl with a Gun and learning more about Annie Oakley and her strong Quaker background. I appreciated author Bovee’s attention to detail and her obviously solid research, particularly of period clothing, guns used in that era, and horse behavior. The mystery novel also touches on Annie’s later interest in women’s suffrage and in teaching women how to use guns for self-defense.

Book Review: The Moment of Lift

Melinda Gates, philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls, shares her heart and beliefs in the The Moment of Lift. The title refers to the moment of liftoff of a rocket or airplane, or even an emotional moment of awe. This is a book about the moment of lift for women, that they may be a full partner in their own lives.

Bill and Melinda Gates met at a Microsoft dinner, married and have three children. They founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and as co-chair, Melinda sets the direction and priorities of the world’s largest philanthropy. It would be easy to say, “Well, sure, Melinda is married to one of the most well-known billionaires and philanthropists in the world, she can afford to do all that traveling.” But Melinda does more than just travel, she seeks ways to make changes for a better life in places of abject poverty and inequality. She visits villages, sits with women to exchange ideas, and strives to learn how their lives could be improved.

The Moment of Lift delves into some of the reasons that poverty exists, and explains how it could be eradicated, or at least reduced. She cites that if a plane crashes and 300 people die, it makes headlines around the world. Yet on the same day 30,000 children die from malnutrition, or lack of proper medical care, just because they are poor. Those facts never seem to make the headlines.

One of the reasons for poverty is that many women in developing countries have babies too early, too late, or too often for their bodies to handle. If contraceptives were readily available to them, they could space births, each baby would be more likely to survive his first year, and live to see his fifth birthday. Family planning is a smart, sensible, and vital component of global health and development. It paves the way for empowerment, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights, and to be recognized as equal, not subservient.

Gates explains that poverty means not being able to protect your family. She suggests ways in which life standards could be raised by offering tools and information to make life-changing decisions. Educating girls leads to empowerment by giving them an awareness of choices available to them, putting them on the path to equality.

Every page in this amazing book offers information, ideas and possible solutions to eliminate extreme world poverty through equality and awareness. I could give many worthwhile quotes from this inspirational book, but I’ll settle for one: “…equality can empower women, empowered women will change the world.”

I heartily recommend The Moment of Lift for its enlightenment on fighting world poverty, and the power women have to achieve this goal.

On a personal note: Having served for two years in West Africa with the Peace Corps (The Gambia, 1979-1981) I saw first-hand the many truths Melinda Gates refers to regarding the treatment of women. I also witnessed how powerful a group of women can be when sharing information to make changes. In my memoir, Tubob: Two Years in West Africa with the Peace Corps, I’ve written about this experience.

Further reading: Several years ago, in 2015, I wrote about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after I had toured their Visitor Center in Seattle. If you’re interested in reading that blog, please visit: http://www.marytrimblebooks.com/arrive-curious-leave-inspired-the-bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-visitor-center/

Book Review: So Wild the Wind

Historical fiction novel So Wild the Wind by Bonnie Hobbs takes place on the Texas Gulf coast, 1866.

A ship crashes on the rocks of the rugged Texas coast and widow Alida Garrison is washed ashore. Lost at sea is her son, along with other family members. Rafe Bishop, a crippled Union soldier, rescues her during the raging storm and carries her to a healer for care.

Alida slowly recovers, both from her near-drowning and also from the loss and guilt of losing her son. She meets William, a little boy starving for love and attention. William’s father, hardhearted former Confederate officer Martin Cooper, cannot let go of the South’s surrender.

As Alida gains strength she befriends little William, and becomes acquainted with the man who saved her. In the meantime, Rafe is trying to piece together the circumstances leading to that shipwreck, plus others that have foundered on the rocks. Had the ships been misled by guiding, or misguiding, lights?

Alida becomes Williams’s governess, but is soon entangled in the mysterious and dangerous undercurrents in Cooper’s castle-like house.

So Wild the Wind is the story of loss, greed and love. The author’s knowledge and research of the area and era is apparent. I enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it.

 

Book Review: Empire of the Summer Moon

Quanah Parker has been a fascinating historical figure to me for many years. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History, has finally sated my curiosity. S. C. Gwynne has written a scholarly, unbiased chronicle of the Plains Indians, particularly the Comanches.

Gwynne traces the rise of the Comanche people, their fierceness in battle and their mastery of the horse. In fact, the Comanches were the first plainsmen to use horses in battle. When they encountered other tribes, or the U.S. Army, they did so on horseback, while their opponents rode to battle, then dismounted for the fight. Those afoot with the early single-shot rifles were no match for mounted Indians skilled with arrows and lances. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the Comanches were often referred to as “Lords of the Plains.”

In 1836, a fierce band of Comanches, the Quahadis, raided Fort Parker, capturing nine-year old Cynthia Ann Parker together with four of her relatives. Cynthia Ann eventually became a full member of the tribe and married a war chief. In 1860, when her oldest child, Quanah, was twelve, the Texas Rangers attacked the Indian encampment, killing Cynthia Ann’s husband, and “rescuing” Cynthia Ann and her baby daughter. Her two oldest children, Quanah and his brother, escaped. Afterward, Cynthia Ann was miserable with her white relatives and begged to return to the tribe and her other children.

Quanah Parker grew to became a brilliant, feared war chief. When it was obvious that the nomadic free life of the Indian was no longer a reality, Quanah guided his people in adapting to their inevitable new way of life. He became a spokesman and even traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for his people.

I found Empire of the Summer Moon an enlightening source of history of both the Plains Indians and the early frontier settlers. I highly recommend this book for an honest appraisal of clashing cultures. The book is written by a master story-teller, an author who fairly presents both sides of our often violent history.

 

Book Review–Widow 1881: Flats Junction Series




Sara Dahmen’s novel, Widow 1881, captures the time and period of a woman beset with heartache and loss, yet brave enough to find a new life on her own terms.

Recently widowed Jane Weber answers a help-wanted ad for a housekeeping position in Flats Junction, Dakota Territories. She leaves Massachusetts and all that is familiar, despite her family’s misgivings.

Jane carries a secret and with it, feelings of desperation. She keeps house for the town’s doctor, yet as a single woman must live elsewhere. The doctor arranges for her to room with a Blackfoot Sioux, a woman, barely tolerated in town.

In the course of daily living, Jane finds her way in a harsh and sometimes unforgiving land. She meets the townspeople, some of whom don’t hold the doctor’s profession in high esteem, nor are many people friendly toward her. But she manages to find friendship and loyalty in surprising places, and the doctor shows satisfaction in her housekeeping and light nursing skills. Jane works hard, learning as she goes along. She finds inspiration and pleasure in acquiring new skills, yet feels apprehension about her future.

Author Sara Dahmen skillfully shows us the time period and the heart of a woman intent on making her way despite the odds against her. I thoroughly enjoyed this engrossing novel.

 

A Unique Adventure:Deception Pass Tours

View of Deception Pass Bridge from the tour boat

Our family recently experienced a unique tour of Deception Pass, a strait separating north Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island in northwest Washington. The Pass, which connects Skagit Bay, part of Puget Sound, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, has an extremely strong tidal current. The bridge that spans the area is actually two bridges known collectively as Deception Pass Bridge, completed in 1935 and declared a National Historic Landmark in1982.

Ten members of our family boarded the Island Whaler, a jet-drive catamaran, operated by Deception Pass Tours. The boat holds thirty-three passengers, each one getting a comfortable seat on an open deck with a 360°unobstructed view.

As we sailed, the captain and his assistant pointed out interesting sights and the history behind them, such as the prison rock quarry that operated from 1910 through 1914. The quarry, located on a steep cliff, was worked by members of an honors program out of Walla Walla State Prison.

Before the Deception Pass Bridge was built, travelers had to cross on an unscheduled ferry, summoned by a mallet against a metal lumberjack saw which sounded a “boing.” The operator, Washington’s first woman ferry boat captain, would pick them up.

At times our captain brought the boat to a stop so that we could view and take pictures of the bridge, seals, porpoises and the many species of birds that reside in the area. Whales are sometimes seen in these waters, too.

If you’re in northwest Washington, the one-hour Deception Pass Tour is a delightful way to experience a unique, picturesque view of the shores, waters, rugged cliffs and evergreen forests of the area.

For more information and to book a tour:
1-888-909-8676
www.DeceptionPassTours.com

 

Book Review–The Removes: A Novel


Tatjana Soli has written a vivid historical novel, The Removes. The main storyline centers around the life and career of George Armstrong Custer, a Union Civil War hero who, by age twenty-five attained the rank of brigadier general. Often called the Boy General, Custer was happiest when soldiering, so after the war re-enlisted in the Army to go West to fight the Indian Wars. The novel takes us up to Custer’s Last Stand, the battle of the Little Big Horn, 1881.

The story rotates to Libbie Bacon, a pampered young woman who is encouraged to find a husband and continue the social life to which she is accustomed. She shows no real interest in any of the eligible suitors. Years before she met a local boy, George Custer, but although he seemed nice, he was, after all, only the son of a farmer. Then, years later at a party, Libbie is re-acquainted with the famous General George Custer and they immediately fall in love. Libbie takes her responsibilities as a dedicated Army wife seriously. She becomes a camp follower and learns to endure the frontier hardships. Libbie is loved and pampered by George and she maintains her loyalty to him, despite his frequent infidelities.

During the period of Custer’s Indian campaigns, Anne Cummins, fifteen, is abducted by the Cheyenne after her entire family is slain during a raid on their homestead. Her captivity is defined by near starvation, endless traveling, and sexual assaults. During the many years held captive, she continues to be treated roughly, a slave to the chief and his wives. She dreams of being rescued, but once she has children of her own, she is uncertain as to which destiny she belongs. The question is answered for her, and is not what she imagined.

The Removes is a thoroughly engrossing novel of depth. The Indian Wars are portrayed through the lives of the three main characters as the story toggles among them. The novel shows a realistic view of the unimaginable hardships of the western frontier from the immigrants point of view. Also realistically shown is the plight of the indigenous people of North America whose land was forcibly confiscated by those who broke promises and treaties time and again. I highly recommend The Removes.

Book Review: Boy in the Darkness

Anne Schroeder’s novella, Boy in the Darkness, is a highly suspenseful, three-part story of a young Chinese boy, an indentured servant, traveling west on the Oregon Trail. The boy, Man-Gee, becomes separated from his master while looking for a missing cow. Man-Gee falls into a narrow, deep pit and is severely injured with little or no hope of rescue.

The second section of the book overlaps the first. Indians hear the wailing and soft moaning that seems to come from a narrow hole in the ground. They call the apparition “Spirit Who Lives in Darkness.” A young slave girl is entranced by the sounds coming from the hole and, when she can get away, drops small gifts to the mysterious spirit below.

The third section of the book takes us to a modern-day road construction crew. They come upon a hole and are immediately concerned with what they see below. Is this going to mean a delay in meeting their deadline? This is Lakota homeland and there are strict laws about finding bones.

Boy in the Darkness is a well-written, well-researched tale with a mystical charm. I very much enjoyed this little jewel.

Book Review: Denver City Justice

J.v.L. Bell, a Colorado native, has written a fun, riveting frontier mystery that takes place in her home state when it was called Territory of Colorado, 1864. Denver City Justice takes off where its prequel, The Lucky Hat Mine ends, though each book stands alone.

Millie and Dom’s wedding isn’t the calm, refined event Millie had hoped for, but nevertheless she and Dom are man and wife and they settle into what she hopes will be marital bliss.

Their first morning, however, turns into turmoil when their neighbor, the Widow Ferris, is found stabbed to death, an icicle piercing her heart. Although Widow Ferris and her deceased husband were not popular, the murderer must be brought to justice. Many suspects surface—both Mr. and Mrs. Ferris had been blackmailing many of the citizens of Idaho Springs. Much to Millie’s horror, Dom becomes the main suspect and is hauled off to jail in Denver.

As Millie and several of the town’s matrons attempt to solve the mystery before Dom is lynched, the situation becomes complicated…and dangerous.

Bell’s keen sense of history makes this book a joy to read. As the mystery evolves, frontier lore is revealed in the clothes, habits, and customs of the period. Denver City Justice is full of heart with a good dollop of what life was like in the rugged frontier.

Book Review: The Captured

Scott Zesch has written an ambitious, well researched and thoroughly documented account of nine children captured by Southern Plains Indians in the 1870s. I found The Captured fascinating in its detailed account of the mind-set of German settlers on the Texas frontier and the children’s reactions to being captured.

As author Zesch researched the story of his great-great-great-uncle Adolph Korn’s capture, he uncovered eight other incidents of captured children.

The children ranged in age from eight to fourteen when they were captured during Indian raids on their homesteads. Adolph Korn was herding sheep with his twin brother when they were accosted by an Apache raiding party. His brother managed to escape, but Adolph was taken. After several days of non-stop riding, he and his captors reached an Apache village. He was soon traded to the Comanches.

Other children had similar stories, many with grim details of their witnessing gruesome deaths of family members. In these particular accounts, all of the girls taken still happened to be very young, while most of the boys were older.

Most of the children were recovered with the help of U.S. Army soldiers or Indian agents, some within months, others after a few years. Surprisingly, most of the captured children spoke highly of their Indian “families” after the initial settling-in period. None of the girls spoke of sexual mistreatment.

Many of the captured boys thrived in their new environment and many resisted returning home once they were discovered. The nomadic life seemed more attractive than the endless, thankless toil of ranching and farming. With the Indians they were given the freedom to ride horses, hunt, and practice fighting skills. Many were involved in raids; some witnessed horrific sights, both from Indians slaughtering the whites in retaliation for taking their land, and from Army soldiers destroying Indian villages, killing men, women and children.

The Captured was an eye opener in many respects. Zesch’s thorough research follows each child’s capture, return to family, and how they managed life after returning home. Some made good adjustments; some longed for the carefree nomadic life they once had. Many of the captured lost their German or English native language and could speak only an Indian dialect when they returned home.

The last third of the book is detailed documentation of the nine children and the author’s many research references, both in written records and in discussions with elder Indians and descendants of those captured. The Captured is a engrossing book that I highly recommend.