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One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
by
Jim Fergus
One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial "Brides for Indians" program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the...more
Paperback
Published
February 15th 1999
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published March 15th 1998)
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Dear May Dodd,
I received your letter of 20 January 1876, accompanied by portions of your journal, and, in short, I'm not falling for it. They sound like they were written sometime in the 1990s, and probably by a man. While I found many reasons to come to this conclusion, the biggest giveaways were your obsession with penis size and the fact that your signature was followed by an AOL e-mail address.
Sincerely,
Disgruntled Reader
OK, that was a bit harsh and ...more
I received your letter of 20 January 1876, accompanied by portions of your journal, and, in short, I'm not falling for it. They sound like they were written sometime in the 1990s, and probably by a man. While I found many reasons to come to this conclusion, the biggest giveaways were your obsession with penis size and the fact that your signature was followed by an AOL e-mail address.
Sincerely,
Disgruntled Reader
OK, that was a bit harsh and ...more
This is somewhat erroneously in my "read" shelf. I did not finish reading it, so keep that in mind as far as this review goes. I applaud the author's project - historical fiction disguised as history proper (I tend to love things like that), it is a well-researched story told via the faux journals of a 19th-century white woman who went to live among the Cherokee. My problem with this book is essentially that I did not ever buy the voice in which it is told - this problem has two tie...more
I like historical fiction. I appreciate writers who take the time to research their stories well. I like to think that I'm catching up on some of the history I missed as the same time as enjoying a good read. I like journals and memoirs. And I jump at the chance to see history from the perspective of those who are usually written out of the history books. So I was quite enthusiastic when I heard about this novel which is written in the form of the journal of a nineteenth-century Yankee woman liv...more
Quite a good read.
From Booklist, by Grace Fill
An American western with a most unusual twist, this is an imaginative fictional account of the participation of May Dodd and others in the controversial "Brides for Indians" program, a clandestine U.S. government^-sponsored program intended to instruct "savages" in the ways of civilization and to assimilate the Indians into white culture through the offspring of these unions. May's personal journals, load...more
From Booklist, by Grace Fill
An American western with a most unusual twist, this is an imaginative fictional account of the participation of May Dodd and others in the controversial "Brides for Indians" program, a clandestine U.S. government^-sponsored program intended to instruct "savages" in the ways of civilization and to assimilate the Indians into white culture through the offspring of these unions. May's personal journals, load...more
This book was really disappointing.
The premise begins with a re-telling of the proposed "Brides for Indians" pact that went on in 1854, when a whole host of Cheyenne Native Americans came into DC and asked for 1000 white women to take back to the prairie. Their idea was that by impregnating the women, they'd put the Native American seed into Caucasian culture and thus assimilate it.
Ok, so that never happened. But for Jim Fergus, he lets his imagination roll ...more
The premise begins with a re-telling of the proposed "Brides for Indians" pact that went on in 1854, when a whole host of Cheyenne Native Americans came into DC and asked for 1000 white women to take back to the prairie. Their idea was that by impregnating the women, they'd put the Native American seed into Caucasian culture and thus assimilate it.
Ok, so that never happened. But for Jim Fergus, he lets his imagination roll ...more
A well written and lively "alter-verse" (if you will) Historical Fiction re-telling of the proposed "Brides for Indians" pact of September 1874, when the heads of the Cheyenne tribes, including Chief Little Wolf (the Sweet Medicine Chief) and others, journeyed to Washington D.C. with a proposal for President Ulysses S. Grant. They presented their plan to give the government one thousand horses in exchange for one thousand white women. Hoping to end the fighting between the wh...more
The friend who loaned me this book raved about it, and I really trust her opinion. However, I just couldn't love this book. It is an interesting topic-it's based on a true bit of history, when the Native Americans and the U.S. were trying to integrate, and the Native Americans requested 1000 of American white women to help the process and have their children. Of course, Grant turned it down, but this book is a fictional account of what might have been. It was an extremely interesting idea, and I...more
A fascinating look at life among the Cheyenne Indians in 1874 from the perspective of a white woman who is part of a US govt. program to assimilate the natives. The landscape is perfectly described and family and communal life is portrayed in great detail in a supposed journal with accompanying letters and bibliography. It appears to be well researched, but my problem with this kind of historical fiction is always wondering just how much IS true (were the Indians really THAT brutal?) The too...more
First let me say, it seems among GR readers that this book stinks. And I get the criticism, I do. However, I have to say that I found this an enjoyable read.
Yes, the voice of Ms. Dodd, our heroine, protagonist, would be feminist (well sort of pseudo feminist) - does sound more 20th Century and less like a believable 19th Century even 'modern' woman but honestly, it kind of made the book more readable to me. I have no interest in hearing a modern writer trying to trifle through old E...more
Yes, the voice of Ms. Dodd, our heroine, protagonist, would be feminist (well sort of pseudo feminist) - does sound more 20th Century and less like a believable 19th Century even 'modern' woman but honestly, it kind of made the book more readable to me. I have no interest in hearing a modern writer trying to trifle through old E...more
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Why did I read this book? Two words: book club.
Yes, after a lifetime of avoiding book clubs, perhaps its fitting that in my latest job one of my tasks is to lead a book club. And guess what the first title is?
On the plus side, it was a quick read. An amalgamation of cliches and trite characters (Noble Native Americans, uptight white people, a former slave who not only sings and dances good but is also the fastest runner in the tribe!), this is a basic tale of 1875, as the...more
Yes, after a lifetime of avoiding book clubs, perhaps its fitting that in my latest job one of my tasks is to lead a book club. And guess what the first title is?
On the plus side, it was a quick read. An amalgamation of cliches and trite characters (Noble Native Americans, uptight white people, a former slave who not only sings and dances good but is also the fastest runner in the tribe!), this is a basic tale of 1875, as the...more
I have to agree with several of the previous reviewers... GREAT premise (exchange of 1,000 white women for peace - an offer actually made, but declined by Grant) and interesting insight into Native American culture. However, I had some of the same gripes as previous reviewers. For one, I thought the writing was very mediocre, it was abound with cliches. If the narrator referred to one more person being "rough around the edges" I was going to scream. Not to mention "he made my skin...more
This book started with an interesting premise: what if 1,000 white women became brides of Cheyenne Indians still living the nomadic life in the 1860s, just before they were forced to live on the reservation.
Strengths: interesting exploration of how people adapt to a completely different culture and way of life.
Weaknesses: 1) Some of the characters come off as stereotypes, the racist southern belle jilted at the altar, the Irish girls who are big drinkers and gamblers, the...more
Strengths: interesting exploration of how people adapt to a completely different culture and way of life.
Weaknesses: 1) Some of the characters come off as stereotypes, the racist southern belle jilted at the altar, the Irish girls who are big drinkers and gamblers, the...more
I fear I'm going to be overly harsh on this book. First, this book took me 3 months to read, which is nearly unheard of, especially for ~300 pages. I kept wanting to just stop reading, but I wanted to finish it so I could say I finished it.
The basic story of the book I think is intriguing and could be the basis for a really good book if done correctly. I just think the author missed terribly here. The book is bogged down by dialogue, and crappy dialogue at that. He felt it necessary t...more
The basic story of the book I think is intriguing and could be the basis for a really good book if done correctly. I just think the author missed terribly here. The book is bogged down by dialogue, and crappy dialogue at that. He felt it necessary t...more
If this book was not assigned to me for my book club, I wouldn't have wasted my time to read it. Not only is Fergus' novel, overly sentimental, historically inaccurate, misogynistic, it is racist towards Native Americans. AND it's all told in my least favorite method of narration: the journal entry. Chapters will often begin with, "So much has happened since my last entry, I don't know where to begin...." This is an easy tool to push time forward, and overdone in poorly written novels....more
It's a bodice-ripper! It took me to page 80 to figure that out and then I laughed aloud. Tana recommended it to me, and I usually value her recommendations, but I forgot that this is a genre she finds fun. I was just so disappointed. This book would appeal to those who like the "Outlander" series. There is the heroine who has no faults or failings but who is consistently misunderstood. There are evil characters lurking on the edges, but she feels safe in the arms of a series of fantast...more
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd is a very interesting and original book. In 1854 a Cheyenne chief proposed a plan to exchange 1000 horses for 1000 white brides for his warriors. The plan was rejected, but Fergus basis his fictional novel on a similar situation set in 1875. In the novel, the Cheyenne are promised 1000 white brides, and May Dodd, resident of an insane asylum, is one of the women selected. The character May Dodd was a strong woman and her story was compelling...more
A fun romp through the west just after the civil war. The characters were really strong women and that was my favorite part; all colorful and independent in spirit. Though written by a man, Jim Fergus has a good perspective on the female psyche. It may have been a little misogynistic in some parts, maybe a brutal attack/rape too many imo, but I enjoyed the book a lot. Parts are true, the Cheyenne did ask President Grant for 1000 white women to help them assimilate into the "American"...more
What a remarkable story to read with such a great heroine in May Dodd. This is one fantastic story in journal format that relates the story of a woman who fell in love with the foreman of her father's mill and had two children with the man. For this her family banishes her to an insane asylum on the grounds of mental illness and promiscuity. She was neither mad nor promiscous just fell in love with the guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The US government made the inmates a great offer fo...more
What an odd title for a book. It sounds racist at the same time as it's a very dull description of what the book is about (which is to say, the book is far more interesting than its title).
When book club first selected this book, I was somewhat skeptical about it, since I hadn't heard of the author before, and usually don't read 'historical' fiction of this sort. It's pseudo-autobiographical nature usually would turn me off, but I found myself very immersed in the book, to the point wh...more
When book club first selected this book, I was somewhat skeptical about it, since I hadn't heard of the author before, and usually don't read 'historical' fiction of this sort. It's pseudo-autobiographical nature usually would turn me off, but I found myself very immersed in the book, to the point wh...more
I keep forgetting to review this book. I think because I'm not quite sure what to make of it. The next time you're browsing in a bookstore pick it up just to read the kick-ass premise in the prologue. You probably don't need to bother with the rest. I didn't find it as trite or cliche as other readers. It's just that you can tell the experiment is doomed from the beginning and the storytelling isn't so revelatory that it's worth investing yourself in the poor characters.
Other thought...more
Other thought...more
The concept of this book is quite intriguing. After the Civil War, the Cheyenne approached President Grant about exchanging 1000 white women for 1000 horses in an attempt to help integrate the two nations, Native Americans and the United States. In reality, the suggestion was turned down. The premise of this novel is that Grant accepted. However, despite an interesting concept, the book just doesn't seem to work. Two aspects bothered me the most: while the narrator May Dodd is described as ...more
Although a fiction book, this tale reads as if it were true which is what makes it all the more interesting. It begins after the Civil War at a time when western expansion of the plains was occuring. The government decides to institut an experimental program to help "assimilate" the "Red Menace" into White culture.
The story follows the life of May Dodd through her diaries.
Mary, an unconventional woman, lives "in sin" with a man she loves and has...more
The story follows the life of May Dodd through her diaries.
Mary, an unconventional woman, lives "in sin" with a man she loves and has...more
This is the October Mothers' League book to be discussed October 29th.
Finished last night - entertaining but depressing too.
This is about a group of white women who go to live with the Cheyenne Indians in the late 1800s.
It starts with a fictionalized account of an actual historical event - Chief Little Wolf meeting with President Grant for peace talks asks for 1,000 white woman to help integrate the Indian People and the white man. In real life Grant said n...more
Finished last night - entertaining but depressing too.
This is about a group of white women who go to live with the Cheyenne Indians in the late 1800s.
It starts with a fictionalized account of an actual historical event - Chief Little Wolf meeting with President Grant for peace talks asks for 1,000 white woman to help integrate the Indian People and the white man. In real life Grant said n...more
The premise of this book is great. A Native American nation suggests to the government that they trade 1000 horses for 1000 white women so that whites and Native Americans might become as one. That part of the story is true, there was a request made of the government for this to happen. The author supposes that it does and writes from the angle of one of the white women that is given over to the Native American tribe.
What I liked was that the author took this historical fact and ra...more
What I liked was that the author took this historical fact and ra...more
I honestly enjoyed this interesting take on history and think the main point of the book was missed by many of the reviewers. Yes the main character, May Dodd, is a strong woman ahead of her times in certain cultural areas. But the book is a wonderful account of and tribute to the Cheyenne people before they were forced to live on a reservation. It is a captivating read of their daily life, connection to their surroundings, and in many case, higher moral standards than their white "civilize...more
Debbie
rated it
Recommended to Debbie by:
Emily Robidart
Shelves:
read-historical-fiction,
jaycee-book-club
One of my favorite books of all time. Its basically a fictional account if the true story of an offer from the indians to the US government had actually occurred. The deal was to trade 1,000 white women for horses. Getting these women of course meant going to prisons, brothels, insane asylums and more, so the characters are varied, and quite interesting. It is told through the main character May and takes you through the experiences of these women living with the Indians, who of course canno...more
I could never buy into this story whole-heartedly. The premise is that in a trade-off with Native Americans an attempt is made to blend the First Nations Tribes with the White man's Tribe, when the government promises to hand over 1000 white women to bear children of mixed heritage. While it is intriguing, the author doesn't live up to the story. There are too many holes in the personal story of the main female character. There are some very lovely sections of prose and the depiction of tribal l...more
Yep, I hated this one, too. The story line was interesting: what would happen if the goverment (in 1800s) called for 1000 volunteer white women to become wives to Indians as a way to "civilize" the Indians and incorporate the next generation into white society? Who would answer the call? What kind of women?
Well, I found the writing terrible and the plot melodramatic and soap opera-ish. It was sexually explicit and full of swearing. The main character narrates in conte...more
Well, I found the writing terrible and the plot melodramatic and soap opera-ish. It was sexually explicit and full of swearing. The main character narrates in conte...more
3.5 Stars. A book from a woman's perspective written by a man. Hummm. That's all I could think about the whole time I was reading this and that somewhat jaded my opinon of the book. The main character -Ms. Dodd seemed very progressive for 1854 and I questioned the "language" used by several of the female characters. It seemed to be of character/place for 1854. The fictional account of the actual "Brides for Indians" program was an interesting topic and the whole theme of the...more
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| History we never knew about... | 16 | 102 | Jan 03, 2012 04:49am |
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Jim Fergus was born in Chicago on March 23, 1950. He attended high school in Massachusetts and graduated as an English major from Colorado College in 1971. He has traveled extensively and lived over the years in Colorado, Florida, the French West Indies, Idaho, France, and Arizona. For ten years he worked as a teaching tennis professional in Colorado and Florida, and in 1980 moved to the tiny town...more
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