Outrageous Women of Colonial America [Paperback]

Mary Rodd Furbee (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Outrageous Women

Delightful and inspiring tales of some of the most fascinating and awesome women of colonial times

American history is rife with stories of our founding fathers, but what of the women who lived and worked alongside these men? This fun and exciting book whisks young readers back to early America, introducing them to a refreshing assortment of brave and unique American women of colonial times. Readers will be amazed by the stories of such remarkable colonial women as Mumbet, a slave who won her freedom in a Massachusetts courtroom in the 1780s; Mercy Warren, whose passionate plays about the Revolution thrust her onto the theater scene as America's first female playwright; and Peggy Arnold, the wife of Benedict Arnold, who was as formidable a spy as her notorious husband. With these enlightening profiles, Mary Rodd Furbee brings these strong and influential women to life to encourage, inspire, and delight young readers.

Mary Rodd Furbee (Morgantown, WV) is a part-time writing and journalism instructor at West Virginia University School of Journalism and has written for many publications. She is the author of five children's books, including Anne Bailey, Frontier Scout; and Mary Ingles, Indian Captive.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. From the Outrageous Women series, this volume presents 14 notable figures from colonial America. The first section on New England includes famous names such as Ann Hutchinson, Deborah Samson, Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, Abigail Adams, and Phillis Wheatley. The sections on the middle colonies and the South focus primarily on lesser-known women in American history. Furbee makes some interesting choices. For instance, Betsy Ross is included not as the maker of the first American flag, a claim that the author notes is debatable, but as a woman who "plotted her own course in life, founded a new religious group, survived three husbands, and built a thriving family business." The decidedly colorful tone of the writing ("Anne really got the Puritans' knickers in a twist") makes the series a bit more lively than most history books. The black-and-white illustrations include maps and simple line drawings as well as reproductions of period paintings and engravings. An interesting addition to history shelves. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047138299X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471382997
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's an good introduction to revolutionary history, April 18, 2001

By 

frank verona (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outrageous Women of Colonial America (Paperback)

The book tells the history of a wide range of women characters that played important roles during the revolutionary period. The style is very readable and holds your attention. The author does a good job of blending the important moments of history with enough of a personal portrait of the women, to make you want to keep turning the pages and learn more. The layout is very nice too with lots of great pictures and diagrams. It gives a good presentation of the multicultural America that was emerging at this time and shows this diversity without making us feel like it's forced. It's obvious that the author knows her subject. I bought it to help my thirteen year old in history and it was a hit with her.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, tough, inspirational women, April 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Outrageous Women of Colonial America (Paperback)

Lively writing enhances the wonderful stories of the women that Mary Furbee features in her book. The women, from all types of backgrounds, inspire young girls to face adversity head on. As we all search for role models in the face of media onslaughts, these women are strong, smart and unique individuals. The writing and the strong descriptive components, combined with interesting historical details, provide a sense of the world and the times in which these women lived. Wonderful stuff!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener for young history students!, October 30, 2007

By 

J. Arena (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Outrageous Women of Colonial America (Paperback)

If you think all the women of the colonies were home by the fire knitting sox, Mary Rodd Furbee has got quite a shock in store for you. With wonderful illustrations and a breezy, tell-all style, Outrageous Women of Colonial America will knock those colonial sox right off your feet!

Eliza Pinckney was a woman of such competence, skill and influence that upon her death, George Washington, himself, helped carry her coffin to rest. Peggy Shippen Arnold was the wife of Benedict Arnold, and quite skilled as a spy, herself. Taking advantage of many men's belief that women had no knowledge of military activities, Anne Bates, a "mere" schoolteacher, posed as a peddler to keep tabs on weapons and troops!
Both Loyalists and Patriots could boast of women whose abilities were most definitely to be reckoned with!

Abigail Smith Adams stated it best: "American men should give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of friend. Remember the ladies!"

For a balanced picture of our history, remember this book!