Wednesday, September 5, 2007

One Thousand White Women

I've got a thing for books written in journal form and books that are historical fiction to boot. While this book does not come close to supplanting my favorite of this style, These is My Words, I did enjoy it quite a bit.

I'm kind of surprised I decided to pick this book up. I read Fergus' Wild Girl last year and wasn't particularly enthralled. It took me months to finish Wild Girl, and I think I only did because I actually purchased the book and felt some sort of obligation to see it through. This book did take me a few days, but I really grew attached to May, the author of the journals.

One Thousand White Women is a story of a group of women the government traded to the Cheyenne in exchange for horses. The goal was to try and more peacefully integrate the cultures, but we all know how that turned out. In truth, the idea of behind One Thousand White Women was actually put forward by the Cheyenne and promptly dismissed by the US government.

I think the concept of this novel is what interested me. I don't actually know why I chose to stomach a lot of this book when I didn't feel like reading Atonement, which is much tamer in comparison. Chalk it up to fickleness and mood I guess. But do know going in that you will find sex, violence, language, and human atrocity as befits a novel of this nature and time period. Still, I thought it was good and enjoyed the journey.

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