Women's Great Lakes Reader

by Victoria Brehm (Editor)

Book by Victoria (editor) Brehm

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Womens Studies, Anthologies, Historical

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mary]

This book transports the reader to a time when women's roles were dictated by society, regardless of the environment they in. These are the women who followed their husbands to the Isle Royale mining camps; those that felt compelled to teach the Native Americans encamped along the shores of the Great Lakes; lighthouse keepers and pioneers. Some are stories of folklore and others of personal memories, journals and letters -- all of strong women that paved the way for female explorers of this century. The author precedes each story with a bit of history to help the reader paint the picture of place and time. The stories chosen depict the challenges and struggles of these women that came before us and passes along hope and determination for today. It's the type of book to read in chunks -- read, feel, analyze and then go onto the next story. After reading this wonderful book, one cannot look across the lake and not remember all the tears that have become part of it.

[Elizabeth Sims]

A compendium of stuff you just won't stumble upon otherwise. Fascinating reading about Native Peoples as well as the whites who settled in the area. Some women really did make it as mariners and lighthouse keepers on the lakes in olden times...

[Karen]

I hoped that this book would include material for some research I'm doing, but the little that it had for specifically for my research project wasn't helpful. I won't say it's not a good book for what it actually does. It just doesn't do what I was looking for. I lost patience.

[Chris]

4 stars
This group of essays and stories was very interesting. Some I liked, others not so much. But it is a good perspective of women living near or on the Great Lakes from the distant past to the present.

[Kim]

Diverse collections of writings by women about Great Lakes living.

[Joe Rennie]

fascinating. There is a lot of historical information.

[Joy]

I enjoyed the first half of the book the most, but I learned a lot about life on the Michigan fro tier on the great lakes!

[Jennifer Bradshaw]

The pieces selected were interesting and fairly varied. The parts written by the editor were sometimes confusing and could have used more editing.

[Linda]

many short stories, some stories were intriguing and other a bit boring. You'll find your favorite writers, these stories take place in Michigan, so its area we know, but its before the descent of civilization. The Indian tribes were still intact and people intermarried, the Indians, French and British. Anna Jameson was by far one of the more interesting writers and conveys interesting in sight into the tribal life style and current day bias against Indians. A good book that can be picked up and down as the stories read fast. Time frame 1700's, 1800's and 1900's. A women's perspective of historical changes.

[Jennifer]

Yes, another book about the Great Lakes. :>) These short stories focus on women who lived along the Great Lakes, starting with the Native Americans, moving on to female pioneers, lake travelers, lighthouse keepers, all the way up to the early 1990s. Very cool. I take this book with me on trips to the Boundary Waters. In a sense, I am one of the women, creating my own Great Lakes stories.

[Helene Weber]

Loved this book. Learned a tremedous amount. Historical perspective is usually male. This is a refreshing look at pioneer/frontier life. From 1700 all the way up to 1992. Interesting to learn about an area I am familiar with in modern,industial times.

[Catherine]

Fascinating collection of documentation, history and anecdotes about women's lives on the Great Lakes. Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the upper Midwest.

[Amanda]

I loved this book but had to return it to the library so was not able to finish it.

[Alisha]

A must read for re-enactors of any era post 1700's.

[Amy Peavy]

An excellent book. It is many excerpts from books. There are some books in this collection that I would like to read in full.

[Babs]

Outstanding collection of women's stories and poems centered around the Great Lakes region.