This epic saga chronicles the journeys of a thousand white women sent west in 1873 to marry Cheyenne warriors as part of a government program aimed at securing peace. Many of these women, often from society's fringes, are prisoners, prostitutes, or outcasts seeking a new start. Thrust into an unfamiliar world, they face immense challenges but also discover unexpected opportunities for survival and self-discovery. The narrative explores themes of cultural collision, resilience, and the profound bonds that can form across divides, as these women navigate a path toward love and a new identity.
Based on a true story, "One Thousand White Women" follows May Dodd, who, in 1875, escapes an asylum by marrying a Cheyenne chief. Her journey includes a romance with an army captain and navigating her feelings for two men while adapting to a new life. The novel explores women's emotions with depth and sensitivity.
"The vengeance of mothers" explores the bonds among family and community, the search for identity and belonging, during a time of tumultous change in our nation's history. What is a "native" American? Are all men and their wives created equal? How far wil Margaret and her countrywomen go to fight for what's theirs, and what's already gone?
"Strongheart is the final installment to the One Thousand White Women trilogy, a novel about fierce women who are full of heart and the power to survive. In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant the opportunity to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women, in order to marry them with his warriors and create a lasting peace. These women, "recruited" by force in the penitentiaries and asylums of the country, gradually integrate the way of life of the Cheyenne, at the time when the great massacres of the tribes begin. After the battle of Little Big Horn, some female survivors decide to take up arms against the United States, which has stolen from the Native Americans their lands, their way of life, their culture and their history. This ghost tribe of rebellious women will soon go underground to wage an implacable battle, which will continue from generation to generation. In this final volume of the One Thousand White Women trilogy, Jim Fergus mixes with rare mastery the struggle of women and Native Americans in the face of oppression, from the end of the 19th century until today. With a vivid sense of the 19th century American West, Fergus paints portraits of women as strong as they are unforgettable"-- Provided by publisher