Women of the Dawn (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A very engaging four-part tale written in a delightful narrative style and representing careful scholarship." -- Smoke and Fire News

"A welcome, informative, and valued contribution to Native American studies, women's studies, and American history reading lists." -- The Midwest Book Review, Jan. 2000

"Bunny McBride's acclaimed 1995 biography, 'Molly Spotted Elk: A Penobscot in Paris,' placed a talented Maine Indian's life in national context. In her new book, McBride focuses on four Wabanaki women from the mid-1600s to the current century. 'Women of the dawn is a bold, successful effort that defies classification. . . . a prose poem of beauty and honesty." -- Portland Press Herald, Nov. 14, 1999

"Groundbreaking in its efforts to make American Indian women's life stories accessible to both academic and lay audiences." -- American Indian Culture and Research Journal

"McBride's book about four Abenaki women is as artfully constructed as an Indian basket. Each woman is unique and fascinating." -- The Courier

"McBride's reconstructions . . . humanize the women and make their stories more interesting." -- Choice, April 2000

"The structure of the book is fascinating." -- Penobscot Times, 3 Feb. 2000

"This is a mournful book, something I had not expected. I had enthusiastically jumped into the stories of these women, hoping to know them, to understand their courage, their renown. But as soon as the dawn of these women included Europeans, the trajectory couldn't be anything but tragic. What I did come to understand, somewhere in the first chapter, was my naivete in assuming their lives would be otherwise. . . . While McBride acknowledges the tragedy of the women, she looks beyond the darkness of night into the dawn." -- Maine Times, Nov. 4, 1999 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A bold, successful effort that defies classification. A prose poem of beauty and honesty."-Portland Press Herald (Portland Press Herald )

"The narrative begins with Molly Mathilde, a mother, peacemaker, and daughter of a famous chief. Born in the mid-1600s, when Wabanakis first experienced the full effects of colonial warfare, disease, and displacement, she provided a vital link for her people through her marriage to the French baron of St. Castin. The saga continues with the shrewd and legendary healer Molly Ockett and the reputed witchwoman Molly Molasses. The final chapter focuses on Molly Dellis Nelson (known as Spotted Elk), a celebrated performer on European stages who lived to see the dawn of Wabanaki cultural renewal in the modern era. Women of the Dawn is a welcome, informative, and valued contribution."-Midwest Book Review (Midwest Book Review )

"I recommend Women of the Dawn, a short but rich exploration of the lives of four Wabanaki women, all named ''Molly.'' . . . It is lyrical and poetic but based on many years of fieldwork and scholarship."-Harvard University Gazette (Harvard University Gazette )

"Penobscot women, like all Wabanaki women, have long been the guardians of their people. The four women profiled by McBride possessed energy and power that strengthened and sustained them. They changed the lives of those with whom they came in contact. A rare glimpse of these women can be seen within the pages of this book."-Donna M. Loring, Penobscot Nation Tribal Representative (Donna M. Loring )

"Rich in historic and visual detail, Women of the Dawn gives a poignant and compelling voice to long silent Native American women. . . . The book evokes powerful and haunting emotions."-Jill E. Shibles, President, National American Indian Court Judges Association (Jill E. Shibles )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080328277X
• ISBN-13: 978-0803282773
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #363,726 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Insight into native American Culture, June 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Women of the Dawn (Hardcover)

Bunny McBride has written a rare and special book - a book that takes you in a heretofore unexamined aspect of Native American culture - the lives of Indian women. "Women of the Dawn" tells the story of four women whose lives span the entire history of contact with European. Yet, it is far more than a well-documented anthroplogical tome. By taking a bit of literary license and mixing it with imagination and historical fact, Ms. McBride has painted a vivid poirtrait of these women's lives that in a way is perhaps a far more true and accurate retelling of their lives than a dry litany of facts. This is a book that will take you to four different times and let you look out at the world through the eyes of four remarkable native American women. A real triumph.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women of the Dawn- book, March 30, 2009

By	Kim M. Smith - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed this book written by an anthropologist who studied the lives of four Wabanaki/ indian women who came into contact with Europeans at different times in history. The book is very descriptive, and easy to read /follow the life stories of these four Wabanaki women, and how their lives were effected by European contact. One woman is a direct line ancestor of mine, this is why I purchased more than one copy of the book, since last fall, to give as gifts to my family members.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WIMEN IF THE DAWN, April 4, 2008

By	Jean A. Moore (MAINE) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I BOUGHT THIS AS A PRESENT FOR A FRIEND HAVE READ IT AS IT IS ABOUT MY MOTHER. ENJOYED AS HAS ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ IT.