Burning of the Marriage Hat [Paperback]

Margaret Benshoof-Holler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2002

An accident? Or murder? A modern-day woman journeys to her Wyoming roots to find out the truth!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A powerful book that uses the medium of fiction to explore serious social issues." -- Cynthia Parkhill, Lake County Record-Bee

"Denial of existence of a problem of a pregnant teen, a theme in book, a theme in life--extremely interesting." -- Susan Franzblau, PhD

"Mixture of past and present very well done--Many characters portrayed in truly enlightening manner. Apealing descriptions of Wyoming scenery." -- BookExpo 2002 reader review

"Narrator Katherine comes to terms with a society which oppressed and dehumanized women by freeing the ghosts of her past." -- Jane Edwards, Book Review Editor, CUB Communicator, (Concerned United Birth Parents)

"Roe v. Wade is being threatened and we could be back in the times Margaret writes about in her book." -- Denny Smithson

"Stigma placed on unwed mothers in the 60s spiraled into a lot of secrecy that followed women throughout their lives." -- Emily Elfenbein, WBEB 101-FM, Philadelphia, PA

"What starts as a novel about the author's journey back to her roots in Wyoming, turns into a catharsis. . ." -- Barrie-Louise Switzen

A generational tale deftly written with penetrating insight, personality and feeling. Very highly recommended reading. -- The Midwest Book Review, Small Press Bookwatch, 2002

A powerful book that uses the medium of fiction to explore serious social issues. -- Cynthia Parkhill, Lake County Record-Bee, 2002

Spell-binding & most poignant tale of a woman's search for daughter lost to adoption & secrets uncovered along the way. -- Joe Soll, CSW, author of Adoption Healing... a path to recovery, co-author of Adoption Healing... a path to recovery for mothers who lost children to adoption

From the Publisher

Burning of the Marriage Hat: A Novel of High Plains Women (Copyright 2002, ISBN 0971447322) by Margaret Benshoof-Holler is based, in part, on the author's own coming of age in 1960s Wyoming, whose motto is the "Equality State" because that's where women first gained the right to vote and sit on juries in the U.S. The book chronicles the author's own experience of giving a child up for adoption in the 1960's and her search to come to terms with denial and loss.

The setting is Wyoming because that's were the author came of age. The conditions of unwed pregnant women during the 1960s were not, though, unique to Wyoming. They affected women throughout the U.S. Since leaving Wyoming over 30 years ago, the author has lived throughout the world and now lives in San Francisco. She has a broad perspective honed not just from one geographical area but from many different places. The author's Wyoming roots, where she grew up and came of age, are what give the story validity, flavor and a different perspective.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 381 pages
• Publisher: Wind Women Pr; 1 edition (March 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971447322
• ISBN-13: 978-0971447325
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,010,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not so hot, but intriguing, February 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Burning of the Marriage Hat (Paperback)

I just don't buy the theory that Wyoming or Montana are truly as "narrow" as the author portrays. That is simply an excuse to hide behind. Montana and Wyoming have birthed a great number of strong women who managed to live through the perceived slights and do great things -- Jeannette Rankin for one.

As an adoptive mother, I appreciate the insight into the feelings of a birthmother, but I also did not appreciate the foreword which talked of the abuse of process in adoption. In MOntana, most adoptions remain performed through legitimate agencies with little cost to adoptive parents and very little in terms of attorneys fees. Additionally, the new wave for at least the past ten years has been open adoption which certainly should be promoted rather than continuing and berating the blight caused by the secrecy of old adoption practices. No wonder so many ill-equiped women continue to parent when the old practices are still advertised in this manner without any discussion of the realities of today's adoptions.

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting portrayal of adoption, July 21, 2003

By 

Joy Kennelly (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning of the Marriage Hat (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading this story for the mystery and found the birthmother's story almost incidental to the plot. As a birthmother I appreciated the author's experience, but find that in my open adoption, I haven't experienced the same feelings.

However, everyone is entitled to their life experience. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it if people read with an understanding that adoption has drastically changed over the years for the positive.

5.0 out of 5 stars A generational tale deftly written with penetrating insight, July 6, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning of the Marriage Hat (Paperback)

Set in the Wyoming of the late 1990s, and laced with memories of an earlier era, Burning Of The Marriage Hat: A Novel Of High Plains Women by Margaret Benshoof-Holler is the attention engaging story of a young woman who travels to lay her grandmother's ghost to rest, and to understand the genesis of her own ambivalence toward men. She learns of how women who became pregnant out of wedlock were once treated, and what it meant to come of age in Wyoming in the 1960s. A generational tale deftly written with penetrating insight, personality, and feeling, Burning Of The Marriage Hat is very highly recommended reading and would make an exceptional selection choice for women's reading groups.