Customer Reviews

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd

5 star:		(215)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(33)
1 star:		(58)

 

 

This book is so well written you will believe it is true. I have never read anything quite like it. The premise is based on an honest request made at a peace conference by a Cheyenne Indian Chief in the year 1854 to trade white women for horses. The women would become brides and the children of these unions would make assimilation into the white mans society easier for the Indians who astutely saw the future at hand, and were looking for a peaceful solution. The author assures us that in real life this never took place, but in this book it does, and the story that follows is nothing but magnificent.

May Dodd has been locked away in an insane asylum for her so called indecent behavior, a bright and cultured woman who has taken up with a common factory worker her parents will not accept, followed by two children born out of wed lock. It is May, who through an act of desperation, manipulates her way into the "Brides for Horses" campaign. The journals that she keeps throughout her adventure are the making of this story. Articulate and interesting in her views of life on the plains among the so-called savages, she starts to realize just how warm and accepting a people they are. There is so much more to this book but I will let the author tell the story. I am re-reading it for a second time and I know it won't be the last. This is an incredible work of fiction, to be enjoyed for many years to come. Kelsana 4/18/01

I came close to tossing this book fairly early on. By page 64, May Dodd,
the main character, had begun to annoy me. She is just the perfect human
being: intelligent, practical, fearless, a born leader, irresistible to
men, ingenious, passionate, blah, blah, blah. In contrast, her companions
are for the most part a flawed, inferior group: a racist, drunken
southern belle, a nervous, sheltered old maid, the thieving, amoral,
joined-at-the hip Irish twins, a pinch faced, mean-spirited religious
fanatic, and the pathetically ugly amazon with the heart of gold. The
only two that can even vaguely approach our heroine in nobility are the
regal, courageous Black woman and the mannish, freespirited English
artist. Why it's no wonder that the handsome, sensitive Captain and the
brave Cheyenne leader both sucumb to her charms, and lo and behold they both
become her love interests! Her inferior companions of course merit inferior or
inconsequential partners. So much for character development.
There are a variety of personalities that could have provided much in the way of
emotional interaction and growth, but this is not examined. Characters go through intense
experiences, but there is little hint given
as to their mental state, perhaps because the story is written in the form
of one woman's journal. There is, however, no self reflection on May's
part either. She mostly reports what she sees and what is around her.

Another main peeve is the far-fetched attitude of the Cheyenne braves to
their outspoken, free-thinking, culture-bending "wives". I find it hard
to believe that a rambunctious pair of white women could push
their way irreverently into a native sweat lodge and proceed to intimidate the men
and make themselves at home without any consequences. Would they also be the ones to
suddenly take over the bargaining and
bartering negotiations on a trading expedition as the Cheyenne men
passively sit and watch? Would the irrepresible Irish twins become the
sudden masters of a gambling empire? Would our hulking Swiss amazon
be permitted to humiliate her Indian husband to the extent of actually
kicking him across the Cheyenne settlement in public? Maybe in the 21st
century, but I think not even then.

Okay, you might ask, so why'd I give it three stars? Although it did
annoy the hell out of me at times, the story itself (when I could get
past the contrived love affair between May and Capt. Bourke) did engage
me. I found that I generally enjoyed the writing style. Granted the
repetition of "Perhaps I am truly insane" etc. did wear a little thin,
along with the conveniently produced towels, May never running out of pencils
and notebooks (how many can you always carry on your back??),
and the character of Daisy having actually brought with her a 19th
century wedding gown although the women are told at the beginning of their journey (a three hour tour????)
that they cannot bring very much with them. These little nagging details I was willing to overlook, though.
I also enjoyed
the recounting of the travel and the details of native life. The
story moved along at a satisfactory pace and was readable and entertaining.
It didn't require much effort to just let the story carry
me along. There were enough characters to provide a variety of mini, if
scany storylines. Again, there was potential for further development here that unfortunately wasn't explored.

I'll admit that part of the reason that I continued to read was out of
sheer curiosity. Would the author predictably reunite May and the Captain, the long-suffering,
star-crossed lovers?
Would May remain with her Indian husband, Little Wolf? When May becomes pregnant, it didn't
take much imagination to figure out that the baby would belong to Bourke
(Oh,spare me...) Bourke one, Little Wolf zero. By now I felt sure that
May and the Captain would live happily ever after, but I doggedly read on.

One of the stars I therefore award because the author had the
courage not to tie all the stories into a neat package at the end. Life
is not a neat package, and that may have been the most realistic part of
the book.

In conclusion, One Thousand White Women was predictable at times, and tends to put a 21st century spin
on 19th century people, but on the whole it was an entertaining, and readable yarn, and even though I thought
I'd toss it a couple of times, it did keep me reading. Take it to the beach, turn off your critical brain, and enjoy.

As many of the reviews will attest, this book is a popular choice for women's book clubs, including mine. I'm unimpressed. The characters are strictly cardboard, the pages are loaded with anachronisms, and the behavior and attitudes of the protagonist, May Dodd, ring false to the era and her social background. The ethnic stereotypes made me cringe. As I read, I had the nagging feeling that the writing style was a pale imitation of a much-better original and I finally hit on it---Elizabeth Peters' delightful books featuring the intrepid 19th century archaeologist Amelia Peabody, also told mostly in the first person from the heroine's point of view. To quote the late Senator Lloyd Bentsen: "I've read Amelia Peabody. May Dodd, you're no Amelia Peabody."

I feel compelled to sound off on one of my pet peeves: the entire genre of books written solely to be read by women's book clubs. I have read that this book landed with a well-deserved thud when first published, but has since sold a bazillion copies because book clubs latched onto it. A message to my fellow females: so many wonderful, rich books have been written over the last several hundred years, including many challenging and rewarding modern novels. Why are we content with vapid drivel like One Thousand White Women? It's disheartening to read so many breathlessly enthusiastic reviews of this book written by women. Let's ask a little more of ourselves and dare to stretch our intellects.

If I could rate this below one star I would. This book covered every stereotype possible: the boozy, trashy, red-headed Irish twins; the big, homely, muscular, Swede; the racist, phony, southern belle; the filthy, rotted-tooth little Frenchman, etc. Of course, the heroine is "chosen" by the most well-respected and good looking brave. The author made sure there was a mate for every one of his characters, there even "happened" to be one Black brave to be paired with the regal, non-conformist, former slave woman.

The premise to this novel is original but everything else was so cliche' it was embarrassing.

The only part of the book the author seemed to put any effort into were the elaborate, porn-like, sex encounters. I'm no prude but these scenes were thrown in helter-skelter and added nothing to the story line what-so-ever.

Don't waste your money or your time on this book.

I simply cannot fathom how this book has gotten so much positive press. The writer(male) is woefully ignorant of the landscape of a woman's heart. The idea that the men of the Cheyenne tribe would tolerate some of the behaviors of the women is ridiculous. Like others have mentioned, the idea of the journal was a good one, but the way she wrote it was far beyond the reach of credibility. The characters were undeveloped- cartoonish. I really hate being so negative, but in this case, I can only give the author 1 star for a creative idea.

The idea of basing a novel around an interesting but little-known fact - that Cheyenne Chief Little Wolf traveled East to Washington, D.C. to ask President Grant for "one thousand white women" to intermarry with members of his tribe - was a stroke of genius on the part of author, Jim Fergus. It is historical fact that the offer was made and whether the women's trip West actually happened does not detract from the novel. Jim Fergus is quite clear, from the outset, that the story is fictionalized. What does detract, however, is the fact that Mr. Fergus has not done his homework on Women's Issues. May Dodd is a contemporary, 1990's, woman plunked down in the 1880's. Even the language of her journal entries does not ring true as the language of the times. Scholars and historians have been looking to journals and letters of women in order to understand their place in a particular time period, rather than viewing their thoughts and feelings through the lens of an author or historian who may have been biased. Therefore,it seems ironic that Mr. Fergus would chose this format for his novel - the format of what is true - and then bend it to his will. If I were to use thisbook for a class reading, I would dub it "fantasy", and not historical fiction, the genre Mr. Fergus probably intended. There is a Paul Bunyan-esque quality to May. She is not only larger than life but so one-dimensional there is no space for the reader to develop his/her impressions about the character. We are constantly being pushed to embrace the author's point of view, that point of view being: "Isn't she wonderful?!". Coincidences occur which defy belief, frequently coincidences meant to bolster May's credibility and strength in the readers' eyes. Before the story even begins, we learn the extremely wealthy and well-positioned Chicago family, which dared to disown May, goes bankrupt. However,the young male family member, clearly smitten with her(what man isn't?)and wanting to learn about her life, is a highly successful magazine editor...and May Dodd's journals are considered "sacred tribal treasures" among the Cheyenne. These events continue(such as twins marrying twins, and both giving birth to twins)throughout the novel, and rather than giving credibility to the character or events, wear the reader down to the point of numbness. Most of the characters are, in fact, stereotyped and "cartoonish", which seems a shame when the relationships unfolding on the early train journey could have broadened as the novel unfolds. Mr. Fergus' depiction of the Cheyenne way of life seems accurate, and indeed, the passages relating the way they lived are among the most pleasing and vivid. Mr. Fergus' characterization of Little Wolf was one of his best. Unfortunately, he loses some of our respect as he develops too much patience for May - her lectures on war, how his tribe should not go to war. War was the way of life for the Plains Indians. Among the reviews listed on the book jacket and inside, none appears to be written by a Cheyenne. Their input is important.It is certainly possible to take some historic events, built a framework, and make up (or fictionalize) a story within those limits. Mr. Fergus, though, has really tried our patience.

In 1854, a Cheyenne chief proposed that 1000 white women be given as brides to his warriors so that his people could be more easily assimilated into the white culture. In this novel, the first by sportswriter Jim Fergus, this event takes place in 1874 and, more importantly, the offer is accepted. Now there's an interesting premise for you!

Our protagonist and narrator is May Dodd, a woman who has been institutionalized by her influential family, and who uses the 'Brides for Indians' program as a way to escape the asylum. May's journal entries begin in the train station as she and other volunteers depart for their western adventure. Fergus has developed a wonderful narrative voice here -- an intelligent, observant woman caught up in an enthralling, if tragic, course of events. We are immediately interested in her, her companions and their experiences, and there is not a boring passage in the book.

Of course, as much as one roots for a happy ending, history demands that it will not be that simple. It was not a time to be proud of, and the novel believably captures the sentiments and ideas of the times through interesting (though not necessarily complex) characters.

The book gets off to a bit of a clunky start, with an author's note stating that yes, indeed, this is a work of fiction, and then an introduction by the fictitious descendant of the narrator (which does ultimately work as a framing device), and then a prologue relating the factually-based fictional incident in which the 'Brides for Indians' program is proposed; but as soon as May Dodd's journals begin, you will be loathe to put the book down. Meticulous research and a real talent for writing from a woman's point of view ensure that you will learn even as you lose yourself in this entertaining and thought-provoking story.

Highly recommended.

May Dodd is unconvincing, both in her attitude and in her language. Since Fergus has her the narrator for the bulk of the novel means that we have to be reminded of her anachronistic nature on every page. The novel has all the soft-hearted liberal elements: a gender-bending lesbian mule-skinner, the free-spirited and strong-willed heroine whose true nobility is immediately recognized by the Chief and all the women in her group (even those who initially dislike her single her out as the important one to hate); a noble and free-spirited freed-slave who overpowers all; a heart-wrenching but ill-fated love affair with, again the leader of the military regiment. The novel should have had a boddice-ripping cover to indicate the kind of novel we are entering. I admire the attempt to reveal the oppressive history of our culture, I admire the novel's refusal to romanticize the Cheyenne--while showing the dignity of their culture, but the novel is horribly written. Horribly.

After reading many reviews and hearing nothing but positive things about this novel, I was extremely disappointed when I finally read it and realized that it was boring, ridiculous, and poorly written.
The proposition is an interesting one, and in the hands of a better writer it might have made an excellent story. Fergus turns the fictional tale of a white woman living with Cheyenne Indians into a series of sexual escapades. All the characters in the book are stereotypes: red-headed, green-eyes Irish twins; the strong and noble ex-slave; the adventerous naturalist, living life to the fullest; the earthy, boisterous German...the list goes on. Not only are these characters dull as all get out, but the reader never sees many of them fully or artfully developed past their initial introduction.
The format of the novel is also a wonderful idea, that of a series of letters and journal entries written by one of the women. Fergus manages to take this aspect of the book and make it as tedious as the rest. As I read the book I realized that no one, not even a "civilized" woman of the 1860s and 1870s, would write in their journal in such a stilted, formal, disconnected manner.
This reader was never able to "get into" the novel or connect with any of the characters. Once again, this novel could have been much better written, perhaps by a different and more talented author.

A male writer for sports and outdoor magazines has written a piece of historical fiction from a woman's point of view.... However, the writing is amateur, the point of view 21st century p.c., and the characters [typical]. When heroine & protagonist May Dodd, daughter of a wealthy, socially prominent Chicago family, is forced to go to work in a chicken factory, she claims it was "oddly liberating to be out in the real world."... Definitely a 19th century expression... The characters she meets on the train west include a black well-spoken ex-slave, a manly Englishwoman who has a feeling that they will be "spiffy good friends," a pair of Irish sisters who are, what else, "redheaded, freckle-faced identical twin [girls]," and a "large, boisterous, buxom rosy-cheeked [woman]" who likes to sing folksongs in a robust voice... This pseudo-historic pulp fiction western romance seems to have been written to cash in on the voracious reading appetites of women's book clubs.