In this historical fiction novel, the author follows several young women from their civilian lives in various cities in pre-WWI America, through their training, and into France where they connect the calls that helped the Allies win the war. While much of the story takes place “over there”, the women, as well as all of Read More
Author: Julie Crain Miguel
The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
We all learned about the Wright brothers in school – Orville & Wilber, Kitty Hawk, airplanes. But that is the much simplified version. This book goes into much more detail. Of course, the Wright’s were not the first to come up with the idea of creating a flying machine, but they were the first to Read More
The Great Influenza, by John M Barry
This is a book not only about the influenza in 1918, its impact on America and the world in a time of war, but also about the men (and a few women!) who were trying desperately to stop it. The first part of book is actually more of a history of the development of modern Read More
Booth, by Karen Joy Fowler
In the early to mid 1800’s, the most famous Booth was not John Wilkes. His older brothers June and Edwin, and their father Junius before them, were well-known in the theatrical world. Since most of the family members are either anti-secession or apolitical, they seem to have been mostly blindsided by John’s actions. I don’t Read More
Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather
After the Treaty of Guadalupe ended the Mexican-American War, the area that would become the state of New Mexico became part of the United States. It had been part of Mexico, and before that, part of New Spain. Which means that there had been Catholic missions to the area for many years. However, after Mexico Read More
Westering Women and the Frontier Experience 1800-1915 by Sandra L Myres
This is a non-fiction book, and is basically a review and analysis of the diaries and letters of women who made the journey west, along with what was written about these women, both at the time and much later on. While this may not be easily available at your local library, if you had ancestors Read More
A Good American, by Alex George
This is the fictional story of three generations of a family. It details the reasons the grandparents left their home county, their journey to America, and how they ended up in a small town in Missouri. It is told from the point of view of one of their grandsons. The title comes from the determination Read More
The Nature of Fragile Things, by Susan Meissner
While the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 was devastating for the city and its residents, the main characters in this book actually had other things to worry about.
Women’s Diaries of the Western Journey, by Lillian Schlissel
This is exactly what it says. The author has reviewed and analyzed a number of diaries written by women who made the journey toward the west coast. First published in 1982, it seems to have been reissued at least twice, and you should be able to find a copy at your library. The author makes Read More
West from Appomattox, by Heather Cox Richardson
The subtitle of this book is “The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War”. This is a non-fiction, serious history book which covers the entire country from the end of the Civil War until 1901; the Reconstruction era. Instead of focusing mainly on the South, Richardson looks at many specific issues the whole country was Read More