Hometown Heroines [Paperback]

Betty Bolte (Author)

Book Description

Did you know that girls and young women made a difference in Americas history? During the 1800s, many girls helped America grow bigger and better, yet are missing from many history books. Virginia Reed, at 12, survived the trek to California with the Donner Party. Joanna Troutman, at 17, created the first Texas flag. Belle Boyd risked her life to spy for the Rebels during the Civil War. Grace Bedell wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln that changed the way he faced the nation. Kate Shelley, at 15, crawled across a high trestle in a ferocious thunderstorm to stop the next train from falling through a washed-out bridge. A young teacher, Minnie Freeman led her 17 students to safety through the blinding snow of the Blizzard of 1888. These are just a few of the 19 inspiring true stories of 19th century American girls who touched the hearts of their hometowns. You can remember them today by visiting their historical markers, monuments, exhibits, and parks, or by reading their poems, and singing their songs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Betty Bolté runs a freelance writing and editing business. Shes a 1995 graduate of Indiana University. She is a member of the Authors Guild and the Romance Writers of America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse; illustrated edition edition (April 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595167934
• ISBN-13: 978-0595167937
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,113,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very highly recommended for women's studies, October 14, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Hometown Heroines (Paperback)

Betty Bolte's Hometown Heroines is a superbly presented collection of historical biographies of young women who lived in 19th century America. Each of the nineteen young women featured is so extraordinary that she is remembered with at least one memorial ranging from a city park to a mountain peak. For example, Kate Shelley is remembered for crawling across a high railroad trestle to stop the next train during a dangerous storm, while the young teacher Minnie Freeman led her seventeen students to safety through a blizzard. Very highly recommended for women's studies, Hometown Heroines is a rare and exciting glimpse of how women contributed to Americans history in spite of the male-dominated stories found in textbooks.

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrating little known 19th century girls, August 9, 2001

By 

Janet Fogarty (Canton, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hometown Heroines (Paperback)

Engaging and easy to read, this piece combines historical fiction and the real facts. Ms. Bolte has written about 20 girls, aged 7 through 20, who are little known, but who had an impact on those around them. The book begins with a timeline of inventions of the 19th century. This helps put the heroines' lives into perspective, and is very useful for the young reader. Then, each section has an historical fiction story, a recording of the plain facts, additional resources, and descriptions of ways the figure has been recognized. This book will be enjoyed by even those who don't especially care for historical pieces--the stories are that well-written and exciting. I'd recommend it for readers from the fourth grade on through adulthood.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hometown Heroines, July 18, 2001

By 

Pamela Hayes (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hometown Heroines (Paperback)

Reading this book was like being backstage at a play or the making of a movie. The young heroines, in this book, took part in many important historical events in our country and hardly anyone knows they existed. They were the links behind the scenes of our nation's most important times in history and now everyone can read about how these young girls made our country stronger by their devotion to the land and people they loved so dearly.

When learning history in school, we heard more about the male influence in our country and very little about how women (especially young girls) helped to create our country's trail into the future. All of us need to hear more about the women and girls in our country's history and I applaud Mrs. Bolte' for her research and curiosity behind each young woman mentioned in the book. Not only does Mrs. Bolte' give us the story behind each young heroine, she also provides information for the reader to do further research on each girl represented in her book.

Today we are so set on the future of our country, that I found it very uplifting to go back in time and read about some unknown but very important links in our past that helped to create this country and time we live in at this very moment.