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| One Thousand White Women By Jim Fergus |
I
love reading historical fiction. You
know why? Because I learn so much real history through the events of the story. Historical fiction is the kind
of story that uses real incidents to help tell a make believe story. Oftentimes, characters in the story are
famous or infamous people from history. However, the characters are more than
likely doing and saying things created in the author’s imagination.
Right
now I’m reading One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus. This is a fiction, or or
make-believe, story that was created based on a true event. In this story Little
Wolf (a real person), Chief of Northern Cheyenne Nation, goes to Washington DC
in the latter-part 1800’s to talk with President Grant about various treaty proposals
(also true). During conversations/negotiations,
it is rumored that the chief suggested the US Army supply the Cheyenne Nation with
1,000 white women to be the brides of 1,000 warriors. The chief thought that by
mixing the races, the whites and natives would gain wisdom of each other’s culture
and that by doing so, cultivate peace between the People and white men. (Again,
this has NOT been verified, but rather is a rumor or wives’ tale. However, it
was all that was needed to spark a story idea for the author.) Of course if it
really was suggested, it was denied by the U.S. government.
The
novel is rich in history of daily life on the plains for both natives and
pioneers. But, despite the historical events (if you’re not into history), an
entertaining story has been created about an eclectic group of women who volunteer
to live with the Cheyenne people and the problems they encounter being from two
distinctly different cultures and having no common language.
One
Thousand White Women was written from the point of view of a woman named Mary
Dodd. It was written as if she were keeping a journal and writing letters to
her relatives back home. It sounded so convincingly real that I had to google
Mary Dodd to find out!
If
you like “racy” and irreverent/funny stories, you’ll like this one.
Share with me what you’re reading. Also, tell me why you’re
reading it. I love talking about books!
Until next time,
Be Good to Yourself!
~Nadine
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