Frontier Grit, Marianne Monson
Frontier Grit, Marianne Monson
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Frontier Grit
The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women

Author: Marianne Monson

Narrator: Caroline Shaffer

Unabridged: 5 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/06/2016

Synopsis

Discover the stories of twelve women who heard the call to settle the west and who came from all points of the globe to begin their journey.As a slave, Clara watched as her husband and children were sold, only to be reunited with her youngest daughter, as a free woman, six decades later. As a young girl, Charlotte hid her gender to escape a life of poverty and became the greatest stagecoach driver that ever lived. As a Native American, Gertrude fought to give her people a voice and to educate leaders about the ways and importance of her culture. These are gripping miniature dramas of good-hearted women, selfless providers, courageous immigrants and migrants, and women with skills too innumerable to list. Many were crusaders for social justice and women’s rights. All endured hardships, overcame obstacles, broke barriers, and changed the world. The author ties the stories of these pioneer women to the experiences of women today with the hope that they will be inspired to live boldly and bravely and to fill their own lives with vision, faith, and fortitude. To live with grit.

About Marianne Monson

Marianne Monson received her MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and primarily writes on topics related to women’s history. She has taught English and Creative Writing at the community college and university levels and is the author of twelve books for children and adults, including the novel Her Quiet Revolution and her nonfiction works Frontier Grit and Women of the Blue and Gray. She is the founder of The Writer’s Guild, a literary nonprofit, and writes from a 100-year-old house in Astoria, Oregon. Visit her at MarianneMonson.com.

About Caroline Shaffer

Caroline Shaffer is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. A former company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for nineteen years, she received an MFA from the American Conservatory Theater.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Miranda on December 09, 2020

Fragments of their stained, complicated, gloriously real lives have been passed onto us... Marianne Monson assembled short biographies of twelve incredible pioneer women. Each chapter starts with a picture and a quote. It was truly a joy to read about them. Nellie Chasman: Gold Rush "Boomer" - S......more

Goodreads review by Jim on August 19, 2017

Munson does a short chapter that covers the entire life of a woman worthy of recognition. Obviously, that's pretty much just a sketch, but she did a great job. As pointed out here: Some lives are already well-documented, while others deserve wider recognition and novelists are sure to find inspiration......more

Goodreads review by Please Pass the Books on November 04, 2016

As I happen to be in the midst of a frontier book and movie binge-marathon, I wanted so badly to love this book…and I really tried to. I learned a lot about women I'd never heard of, but it took a ridiculous amount of effort to push through the pages of this well-intended manuscript. I'm not sure Cl......more

Goodreads review by Dorine on October 15, 2016

Frontier Grit by Marianne Monson brings the adventure, ingenuity and extraordinary fearlessness of American pioneer women to life. As a huge fan of the pioneer spirit, I enjoyed learning about the women who shaped our country from this book. I’m normally a fiction reader, but the lack of enough authe......more

Goodreads review by Mary on December 15, 2016

I thought this was a great book. I really enjoyed reading it. The book was a quick read. Each of the twelve women mentioned in this book were very fascinating. I liked at the end of each chapter there was a further reading section about different books the ladies were mentioned in. After reading it......more

Quotes

“There’s admiration in Caroline Shaffer’s voice as she narrates the stories of twelve women and their accomplishments in the American West…Shaffer performs a variety of voices to preserve the women’s words. Listeners will no doubt find the women Monson writes about as admirable as she does.” AudioFile

“[A] worthy compilation…Many sources and references listed for those who wish to discover more.” Historical Novel Society

“Monson reimagines the campfire tall tale by introducing readers to overlooked talks of many forgotten heroines of the American West. Each biographical story defines perseverance, and there are inspiring examples of courage on each page as well as new lessons in how to live…Will resonate with all interested in the long-hidden chapters in American history. A compact, informative, briskly paced, emotionally rich, and eye-opening set of micro-biographies.” Booklist

“An invaluable contribution to American History shelves and utterly absorbing from cover to cover. Highly recommended.” Midwest Book Review

“The stories of twelve fascinating women will captivate you while exposing you to the history they did not teach us in school…[Monson] hopes that…modern women will understand how much we owe those who came before us, and understand what they were risking by pursuing their goals.” Florida Coastal Breeze News

Awards

  • Amelia Bloomer Project Award
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