Into a New Country: Eight Remarkable Women of the West [Hardcover]

Liza Ketchum (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 5 and up

Presents the history of the West through eight biographies of women, including Susan Magoffin, Lotta Crabtree, and Biddy Mason.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-This collection of biographies attempts to tie together the women featured by their connection of having either been born in or traveled to the American West in the 19th century. The subjects, including Omaha Indian sisters Susette and Susan LaFlesche and Katherine Ryan (aka Klondike Kate), are indeed noteworthy for their accomplishments. Former slave Biddy Mason became a prominent real-estate owner in Los Angeles and one of the first African-American women to own land in California. Mary McGladery Tape, a Chinese immigrant, fought school segregation in San Francisco. Others, however, like the actress Lotta Crabtree, grew up in the West but made their mark all over the country. Ketchum strives to show how the still-forming West shaped these people, but sometimes this attempt is strained. The women shine without the connection. The author notes in the prologue that she researched her subjects' diaries and letters, and the effort shows in the depth of characterization. Black-and-white photos add an extra dimension to their stories. A chapter on their legacies is appended. For a more wide-ranging collection, try Judy Alter's Extraordinary Women of the American West (Children's, 1999).
Carol Fazioli, formerly at The Brearley School, New York City
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-12. Not famous leaders or men, but eight pioneer women are the heroes in this collective biography about the historic American West. In fact, readers will wonder why they didn't know about these amazing people before. Ketchum weaves the individual biographies with the general history of the time: the first woman physician in the Pacific Northwest; the Omaha Indian sisters who fought for their people's rights; the slave who demanded her freedom in California and became one of the wealthiest--and most generous--women in Los Angeles; the Chinese orphan who came to California as a child and later fought for her own children's civil rights; the Canadian woman who explored the Klondike; and more. Ketchum chose individuals who left some written records, including diaries, letters, newspaper accounts. Her narrative is clear and direct, not reverential, but certainly admiring of the brave women who went so far. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316495972
• ISBN-13: 978-0316495974
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,436,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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