Stitch of Courage: A Woman's Fight for Freedom

Trail of Thread #3

by Linda K. Hubalek

Sititch of Courage, the third book in the Trail of Thread series, tells the story of the orphaned Maggie Kennedy, who followed her brothers to Kansas in the late 1850s. In letters to her sister in Ohio, Maggie describes how the women of Kansas faced the demons of the Civil War, fighting bravely to protect their homes and families while never knowing from one day to the next whether their men were alive or dead on the faraway battlefield. Twelves quilt patterns are stitched into this story.

Genres: Historical

126 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 1996

About the author

Linda Hubalek had written over fifty books about strong women and honorable men, with a touch of humor, despair, and drama woven into the stories. The setting for all the series is the Kansas prairie which Linda enjoys daily, be it being outside or looking out her office window.
Her historical romance series include Brides with Grit, Grooms with Honor, Mismatched Mail-order Brides, Rancher's Word, and the Clear Creek Legacy. Linda's historical fiction series, based on her ancestors' pioneer lives include, Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread, and Planting Dreams.
When not writing, Linda is reading (usually with dark chocolate within reach), gardening (channeling her degree in Horticulture), or traveling with her husband to explore the world.
Linda loves to hear from her readers and loves to know what they'd like to see her write next. Visit her website at www.LindaHubalek.com to contact her or read about all her books.

www.Facebook.com/lindahubalekbooks

Reviews

[Arlene]

This book is based on the story of Maggie Kennedy who followed her brothers to Kansas in the 1850's. She was the great-great-grandmother of the author. It is told in letters written to her sister in Ohio and follows the trials and troubles of the Lawrence, Kansas area before and during the Civil War.

[Laura]

OK, after 2, the 3rd one needed a little more, and it was way historical, not as much fiction. Learned alot about the effects of the Civil War on Kansas. Other than that, not too compelling. Same style of letter writing, so it did not really distinguish each of the women writing the letters of each book.

[Cheryl Wyant]

I like the history that I have read in these books. It is hard to imagine the women of today living like a lot of those women did. It also spoke of women trading quilt patterns, for example in wagon trains and when meeting new women. As a quilter I find that very interesting.

I do like Linda Hubalek books.

[Grace]

The third in the series.

[Kitty]

Last of the series, enjoyed the entire series. Pioneer history is one of my favorite subjects, and this book opened me up to more civil war history as did the other two in the series.

[Diane]

I really enjoyed this book, which was mainly a collection of letters written by one of the author's ancestors, and told the story of a young orphaned girl who lived with relatives and moved to the state of Kansas just prior to the Civil War. The letters are written to her sister in Ohio and tell the story of her teen-aged years, living through the war, and her marriage during the war, and the travails of all the settlers in the area. It was well researched and very interesting, as well as very sad, with so many of the young men in the families being dying in the war, and the many young children and babies who also perished. It was a very difficult life, and I can't imagine going through so much hardship and loss.

[Cindy]

Another powerful book

Because of the time period, the majority of these letters home were about the civil war and correlating fighting just before the war. Such devastation and suffering are a stark reminder of this country's past. But, there are also letters about first love and marriage, first home and first child! An amazing truth that despite the circumstances, there is both joy and mourning, death and new life! Enjoy this first hand account of Kansas in the time of the Cival War!

[Cheryl]

There was so much detailed info about the war in this series of letters that it left little room for what interests me--the personal bits about living at that time. I'd rather know about how they got the crops in with all the men called away--and how they dealt with all the shortages. than who attacked who and what the plans were for avoiding the enemy.

[Jeanne]

This is an interesting collections of letters written by the author's great, great grandmother while living in Kansas in a time leading up to and during The Civil War. My history lessons never talked about conflicts regarding slave state vs. free states outside the north and south states in the eastern part of the country. My education about the Civil War is sadly lacking.

[Debbie West]

I was so disappointed in this book. if you're a history buff, you'll live it. I could have read the same information in an encyclopedia or in a Civil War history book. There was very little information that made me think a young girl write these letters, names meant little in it. They were rattled off here & there, as if the author had thrown them in for color. The only interesting thing about the quilts is that Maggie gave one of hers to Robert Pieratt before he left to fight in the war. I can't see how a soldier would have carried a full bed sized quilt for hundreds of miles. Then she mentioned giving much of her trousseau to the survivors of Quantrill's Raid. That was a good part I thought. Other than those two interesting points, I was bored and skimmed over much of the book.

[Sherry Sharpnack]

This was a quick read, maybe 1.5'hours, on my Kindle. As w/ the 2 previous books in the series, Maggie Kennedy lives outside Lawrence, Ks, during the years of the border wars between Missouri raiders and red-legged Kansas Jayhawkers. Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, KS, is described in surprisingly graphic detail. The book is a satisfying ending to this trilogy examining Ms. Hubalek's family migrating to Kansas in the 1850"s.

[Cws]

JF-YAHub