Women of the Frontier
Women of the Frontier Honors

  • 2014 YALSA Nonfiction Award Nominee (Young Adult Library Services Association, American Library Association)
  • 2014 National Council for the Social Studies Notable Book
  • A Choose To Read Ohio Title, 2015-2016.

Reviews for Women of the Frontier

December 1, 2012 Booklist:  "....the strong, engaging narrative does anything but soften the grueling experiences of the women who fought for
well-being against monumental challenges. Unsettling and gripping...."

January 1, 2013 Kirkus Reviews: “A collection of fascinating tales of women’s trials and triumphs during the years of settlement in the West.
The stories strike a nice balance, profiling many different types of experiences. Inclusion of first-person narrative through the use of letters and
diaries brings the women to life in their own voices….While presented as an offering for teens, this work would be equally appropriate for adults.
A thoughtful and attractive presentation of a complex and intriguing topic.”

January 7, 2013 PublishersWeekly.com:  “A comprehensive look at the lives of pioneer women, both in general and specifically, who bravely
ventured to the American west in the mid-19th century. Fascinating, mini-biographies of 16 women round out each chapter, incorporating excerpts
from letters and journals…all impress and inspire as they survive, sometimes thrive, and carve out new lives for themselves.”

School Library Journal, February 2013: “The details are fascinating and the perspective is well-rounded….Well-chosen photographs and
primary-source quotes are plentiful and riveting. Those interested in Western and women’s history will enjoy these detailed accounts of exploration,
entrepreneurship, hardship, heartache, sacrifice, and survival.”
Women of the Frontier  [Ages 12 and up. 272 pages, 40 photographs. Bibliography, source notes,
index. Chicago Review Press. ISBN: 978-1-883052-97-3]

Using journal entries and letters home, Miller lets the women speak for themselves in tales of courage,
enduring spirit and adventure.
Women of the Frontier also recounts the impact pioneers had on those
who already lived in the west. As white settlers gobbled up the lands of Native Americans and people of
Spanish descent, the clash of cultures brought pain to many. The heart-rending stories of cousins Rachel
Plummer and Cynthia Ann Parker, captured by the Comanche, ended in very different ways.  Susette La
Flesche and Sarah Winnemucca, two Native Americans, fought for their people's rights against broken
treaties and corrupt government agents. Meet missionary Narcissa Whitman, political rabble-rouser
Mary Lease, saloon-smasher Carrie Nation, naturalist Martha Maxwell and army wife Frances
Grummond.Meet Luzena Wilson, who traveled to California during the 1849 gold rush where she'd
rise from flood and fire. Former slave Clara Brown made a fortune in Colorado and used her
hard-earned savings to help others. Margret Reed and her four children survived blizzards and
starvation with the ill-fated Donner Party. Lotta Crabtree, superstar entertainer, conquered the mining
camps and later New York and Europe. These women, and others, both "tamed" and forever
changed the west.
All rights reserved by Brandon Marie Miller